Supporting new early years practitioners in Canada
We recently partnered with the Community Training and Development Centre (CTDC) in Ontario, Canada to deliver online training to six cohorts of new employees entering the early years sector. This training formed part of a project which was funded by the Ontario government.
CTDC were looking for practical, engaging training that would prepare participants with a strong foundation in child development and professional communication — and we were delighted to support them.
The sessions were designed to be interactive, reflective and full of useful practical strategies that participants could implement straight into practice.
What we delivered
The training was delivered in four parts. Three sessions were online and facilitated live by our team, and one session was a guided independent study session where we provided online learning materials for participants to access and engage with independently. Each session focused on different but connected themes — from how the brain develops in early childhood, to building strong attachments, communicating effectively with families and reflective practice.
Brain development, attachment and trauma
This session helped participants understand how young children’s brains develop and why secure, responsive relationships are so important. We explored:
- How the brain is built through everyday interactions
- What healthy attachment looks like — and how to support it
- How stress and trauma can impact development
- The role of co-regulation in helping children to manage their emotions and self-regulation
- What it means to be a “secure base” for the children in your care
Communication and building relationships
Good communication is at the heart of early years work, especially when it comes to supporting families. This session focused on:
- Verbal and non-verbal communication (and why tone really matters)
- The importance of emotional intelligence and self-awareness
- Building trust with parents and carers
- Understanding where conflict can arise — and how to respond constructively
- Using tools like the CAFÉ model and documentation to keep communication clear
“The partnership with Norland has been an outstanding example of finding the best educational organisation with which to partner, to provide the latest and most current research, training and information for students in the programme ‘Advancing Childcare Education through Strategic Partnerships’. The research-based content Norland provided our students and the quality of instructors is exemplary.”
Putting it all together: from theory to practice
The guided independent study session brought together everything we’d covered so far. It included:
- A deeper dive into Emotion Coaching and why it’s such a helpful tool in early years settings
- An introduction to the Key Person approach and how it supports secure relationships
- How to actively listen and respond to feedback from families
- Strategies for looking after your own wellbeing while caring for others
Reflection for future practice
We wrapped up with space for reflection and practical next steps, helping participants feel ready to apply what they had learned into their roles.
- Understanding the purpose of reflection
- Utilising reflective models in practice
- Building critical thinking skills
- Reflecting on previous learning and creating actions to inform future practice
What was the impact?
The feedback was fantastic. Participants told us the programme was extremely beneficial and all participants commented on value of content and the reflective practice throughout the modules. Participants commented repeatedly on how surprised they were about how much they learned particularly “serve and return” and “brain/child development, emotion coaching and communication skills”.
The Community Training and Development Centre also shared how helpful the training had been, commenting:
“The partnership with Norland has been an outstanding example of finding the best educational organisation with which to partner, to provide the latest and most current research, training and information for students in the programme ‘Advancing Childcare Education through Strategic Partnerships’. The research-based content Norland provided our students and the quality of instructors is exemplary.
Norland’s collaboration with the Community Training and Development Centre is a great example of how bespoke, online training can meet real-world needs — whether you’re supporting new staff, upskilling an experienced team, or embedding a particular approach in your organisation.
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