On Monday June 5th, the second round of the WERECE Mentorship Program launched, welcoming over 100 Early Learning Professionals from across Windsor-Essex on a 6-month journey to further their professional capacity and form supportive professional relationships with others in the field.
We are excited for the connections that we will all make with one another and the network of support that will be nurtured and grow over the next six months and beyond! For more information about the WERECE Mentorship Program click here.
Janet is an RECE in Windsor-Essex and a participant in the WERECE Mentorship Program. Follow Janet as she documents her experiences as a mentor and co-learner.
Thursday October 6, 2022, Visit to my mentee’s workplace. This truly is a long entry, but it was a unique yet refreshing, perspective on daycare life.
We decided to meet out front at 8:25 am. I was there early 8:15 am as I was extremely excited, did not want to be late (pressure of being a positive role model), had lots of nervous but positive energy, was uncertain about traffic, and parking too. I was surprised there was no parking lot but easily found an open spot on the road in front. My first impression was it did not look that big (that view changed upon entry, space well used), but there were plants and huge sunflowers poking out of the fence that made me smile, and it was a perfect spot for families in the downtown area to easily access. We met outside and I eagerly entered, and we quickly exchanged roles as I was now the mentee. She confidently and proudly led me around from downstairs to upstairs. I must admit I was truly in awe of her workplace knowledge. So many offices and opportunities for parents to explore and learn (with and without their child), and so many educated professional staff that were happy to help and so kindly and eagerly greeted me. Honestly, I did not know these centres offered so much outside dropping by with your child. Thinking back to when my children were preschool age, many years ago, I often visited the drop-in center at St. Clair College. A wonderful experience but my how times have changed! 🙂 To me on the tour the play yard was the highlight, so many different textured terrains in a small area. Peaceful waterfalls, plants growing indoors or outside, a larger area than what I expected, very multi-cultural with canoes and a huge teepee to explore. A peaceful place that offered lots of opportunities to investigate. Very welcoming. 😊
Back inside I thought I must admit so many staff available and no children yet. Wonderful to have lots of preparation time prior to their arrival though. 🙂 Totally different atmosphere then what I am accustomed to. It all certainly provided a unique perspective on daycare life with my world and Early On, both ultimately desiring the same goal of connecting with parents and children and providing the best care possible, but different challenges too. I currently work with 10 infants (love it) with two assistants (wonderful people should go back and become RECE’s), prep time is minimal, we plan our start time based on the children’s arrival time, (ratios observed), and we have 10 babies between three people unlike the close to one on one Early On has at least on this day (multiple age groups though). We have no assigned ending shifts as we leave when we fall within the Ministry guidelines (could be 6 hours or 10, whenever numbers drop). Planned activities daily based on interests with photos and write up and reflections, logging all the days events (snack, diapering, sleep etc.) on Hi Mama, all within our workday. I do not mean to sound negative as I love it, and that one-on-one time I observed today was phenomenal and I am sure their documentation is equally difficult. My mentor was so confident and greeted the child she was assigned that day with great enthusiasm but also offered focus on others too. I do love the one-on-one time they explored and constant attention but do feel children learn through their own exploration, noting of course immediate needs being met, in my mind no need for a constant narrative, sometimes silence is golden. In our room, we do try to sit back and watch and wait for their approach or inquisitive looks, of course we have for the most part the same children daily, and I could not imagine different children and parents every day. Certainly, challenging for staff. Also, we tend to be more perhaps relaxed and sarcastic at times which helps us get through the day. Early On must be on their alert constantly with parents stopping in at any time. Their circle time was wonderful very relaxed and familiar songs used so all the children felt comfortable and very attentive. No one was ever rushed at drop off or pick up; very chilled atmosphere. It was a truly rewarding experience Look forward to visiting again on another day as the programs they offer varies. 🙂
Note: Would love to have some of the equipment they have like the movable pressure activated, sensory tactile placemats on the floor, as well as the long tower of bubbles with colour changing and movable aquatic creatures (must be seen to appreciated). Loved the addition of binoculars and magnifying glasses.
On a mentor/mentee level love to see the eagerness she continues to share but not overconfident; very hard working, will ask for guidance when needed. Great exchanges between mentor and mentee, or mentee and mentor, love the connection we have, some personal and confidential (never to be shared), some strictly professional, never a dull moment. 😊
Janet is an RECE in Windsor-Essex and a participant in the WERECE Mentorship Program. Follow Janet as she documents her experiences as a mentor and co-learner.
September 24, 2022, First meeting just the two of us. I am a little nervous. Made sure my house was extra tidy (wanted a positive impression), cleared my table so we had a nice workstation if needed with pens and pencils. She arrives at my house, and we sit down together at the table to discuss our week and anything else that pops in our heads. Instantly relaxed, no real awkwardness, we both had a lot to say (no pens and pencils needed we were both very vocal). I mentioned I was keeping a diary/journal documenting our journey and to my surprise she is too! We plan to compare notes once we get a few more weeks in. Since this is a new program with no real strict guidelines, we decide we are going to create a path of our own, incorporating the items presented in the participant’s handbook. It was fun to hear her excitement in her voice as she talked about new things she is learning at school. The ideas seem the same as when I went to school just different official titles. We discussed our personal lives, and she even met my husband. Next, we headed over to my daycare, very near my home. No children there but we travelled up, down, and all around exploring and chatting about not only the décor of the rooms but the age groups, sleeping, areas, bulletin boards, allergy lists, meal plans, programming, Hi Mama app, playground, and so on and so on and so on. 😊 Two hours flew by, and we decide to go our separate ways acknowledging she will come to my daycare to shadow on another day when the children are there, and I will look into visiting her EarlyON Center perhaps the week after, I will check with my supervisor. I talked to my husband about it after, noting the excitement in my voice he said, “You are really enjoying this, aren’t you?” You know what yes, I am.
September 28, 2022, Interaction meeting, A zoom meeting with mentors only. I must admit I was a bit surprised with the small group who chose to join but perhaps that was a positive as we all interacted and connected immediately. It was great to see Kathie Tait-Rayner from St. Clair College joining in as she has such an influence over the future of many Early Childhood Educators, and I am not sure why I did not expect her as part of this, but it felt great, and I deeply appreciated her views and insight. Everyone in the group took a moment or two to speak up. Once again so nice to see so many people with the same interests joining together to talk about accomplishments, progress, or lack of, ways of approaching their mentorship (varied for sure), and most importantly the critical question of how we would spend a million dollars. Lol, great ice breaker. It made me feel like me and my friend formerly known as mentee were ahead of the game and there truly is no right or wrong way to approach our journey. Some people seem to prefer more structure and others more carefree and will take the adventure moment by moment. I am happy to say everyone eagerly approached their mentorship as would best adapt to their schedules but having an overall goal in sight. Very encouraging.
September 29, 2022, achieving goal of stepping outside my comfort zone more 😊 I will make this short but sweet. I have been documenting my mentor journey through this journal obviously. Writing is another one of my passions. Usually it is kept between me, myself, and I but today I sent my entries so far to Barb Brown. She is very approachable, but I must admit hitting that send button took me a moment or two, but I did it. A proud moment for me. She responded thanking me for sharing. I deeply appreciated her taking the time to quickly response and her kind words as I am certain she has a lot to do and admire all her challenging work with this program. She wants me to continue sending it, yippee, life is good.
September 30, 2022, first shadowing adventure. First shadowing half day at my daycare, in my room. A bit of pressure. Will it be a hectic day, will she stand back or join in, have my previous positive vibes about her been spot on, will she connect with my colleagues and parents but most importantly and foremost what will the babies think. I genuinely wanted her to have a positive experience, but children are unpredictable so one never knows how the day will unfold. Thankfully upon her arrival the most important participants in the day (the children) immediately went to her. That is all I needed to see to know my gut feelings were correct. I could see she was a bit a nervous but so was I. She did not hesitate to join in or ask how she could help, and her love for the children was obvious. Her innocence was energizing! She genuinely wanted what was best for each child. 🙂 Is their room for expansion, absolutely (as there is for us all). Is she open and eager to learn, absolutely (as there is for us all). Was it a positive adventure worth repeating, absolutely. I do not think we stopped talking during our afternoon walk in the buggies. I told her she could leave at any time she did not have to stay to the end of my workday, but she did. 😊 She even carried the garbage out. She is eager to repeat our day but the full day not just half and I am too. I know we will both be less nervous now as the initial connections have been made. An extra loving hand in our room is always welcome. 🙂
Note: Decided to add some more positive reading to my repertoire. I asked my husband to pick one book I have not read, as he reads motivational books daily as well as writes and reads his goals. He chose “Psycho Cybernetics” by Maxwell Maltz. Currently reading the preface and have already found an interesting quote. I am truly a person who loves quotes so tend to be drawn to them. He said, “It is not the child who is taught about love but the child who has experienced love that grows into a healthy, happy, well-adjusted adult.” Words to live by. 🙂
Janet is an RECE in Windsor-Essex and a participant in the WERECE Mentorship Program. Follow Janet as she documents her experiences as a mentor and co-learner.
Sept. 12, 2022 The big kick off at Malden Park. We finally get to meet in person. My thoughts prior: will she recognize me, will there be silence and awkwardness and no personal connection, will we be compatible, is this a match that will benefit us both? Nervous, excited, happy, and so looking forward to it. I enter the building and almost immediately she walks over to greet me with a big smile on her face. I think it was comparable to the first day of daycare for some parents not knowing what to expect but relieved at the sight of a friendly comforting childcare worker. She was so friendly, excited, happy, and enthused at meeting me it made me feel yes this could work. She showed me around almost making me feel once again like she is already a leader perhaps a little guidance from me would be a bonus. We decided to start meeting in person, maybe grab a coffee as we both prefer face to face meetings, following the first mandatory zoom meeting on September 20. We enjoyed a dinner (great food by the way), personal conversation, some fantastic speakers, meeting new people at our table with like interests, and we had an enjoyable time. The energy in that outdoor room was electric and so positive. So glad to be a part of it. 😊 Upon leaving we were given a small plant emphasizing the growth we can all obtain from this program if we so choose. I carefully decided on a plant with leaves or arms that were reaching outward feeling the symbolism that this was what this program hoped to achieve. Reaching out for new beginnings and that the possibilities were endless, but required some care, focus, and tenderness along the way. I must admit when I got home, I thought that pot was so small, so I transferred it to a bigger one with more soil and opportunity to grow. Just like the journey ahead. 😊
September 17, 2022I reach out via my phone messaging to see if perhaps we could settle on a day to meet just the two of us to discuss goals, the program, and anything else that pops in our head. Brainstorming that since my daycare is around the corner from my house, I thought perhaps we could meet at my house and then venture on over to the daycare and go through the rooms without children present. No pressure though if she is not comfortable meeting at my house, we can always meet somewhere else. She loves the idea and is eager to join me when there are children present too. I confirm all is cool with my supervisor and she loves the idea of both checking it out empty and having her come to shadow one day or more if she wishes. I mention I would like to come to her workplace too. Variety is the spice of life. All set – can’t wait for Saturday!
September 20, 2022, Zoom meeting “Creating a Culture of Mentoring”, with Cheryl Third joining us new mentors and mentees. Time well spent. Lots of opportunities to share as well as helpful suggestions and great quotes and videos too. The breaking off into chat rooms to make interacting easier, and a smaller group size was fantastic. Once again everyone seems so eager to learn and share their journey. The time flew by. One of the highlights for me was it sort of helped me realize and start initiating working towards a goal. I had been tossing a few things over in my head since the kick off at Malden Park when my mentee eagerly got up to share her thoughts on the microphone. The only one. I felt great pride in seeing her do that and questioned why I didn’t do that. What made me hesitate and stop rather than sharing my thoughts with my peers? I see myself as a very confident person, a leader, lots of experiences, happy to share ideas and suggestions with fellow co-workers at the daycare, yet I never have talked on that microphone or stepped up visually and vocally on a zoom meeting. Sure, I respond in the chat box but perhaps I need to put myself out there just a wee bit more. Yes, I will try it. I must admit when I put the hand sign up during the zoom meeting to speak and be a part of that visual world, I was a bit tense and nervous. I knew I could do it but what if I stumbled over the words or said the wrong things? I pushed those negative thoughts away and spoke, and I must say it felt good and I did not ramble on, and I believe people enjoyed what I said. There were no right or wrong answers just a sharing and bonding of thoughts. In fact, a co-worker also mentoring messaged me immediately after with the message “Well said”. I guess we all must start somewhere. 🙂
Janet is an RECE in Windsor-Essex and a participant in the WERECE Mentorship Program. Follow Janet as she documents her experiences as a mentor and co-learner.
Mentor or Mentee: that is the Question 😊 Initial thoughts upon hearing about the mentoring/mentee program: love the idea of a mentoring program (first one to register, so I was told). I have thought that something like this should have been initiated for a long time. So excited!!!!!
Interview was so fun and relaxed with Barb and Alicia and confirmed that I knew this was meant to be. Feelings: excited and a bit nervous, too.
August 25, 2022 I found out they had a match for me. She is currently working at the EarlyON centre and doing her education online through Fanshaw college. Feelings: happy but a bit scared too. What if I did not live up to her expectations, what if we did not click? Still overly excited though and open to the new experience that is about to unfold. 🙂
Sept 7, 2022, I finally get to meet her. Yippee! Zoom meeting at 6:30 pm with Alicia to help with the introductions. A bit nervous but confident that being in the field for 36 years I have ideas and knowledge to pass on, but also ready to learn from a new friend entering the field. My first reaction: wow, she is young but presents herself so confidently. I like her. Her eagerness to learn is obvious and as Alicia leaves the conversation to let us chat alone, I am no longer nervous, simply happy to be embarking on this journey with my new friend. We talk about family, personal interests, pets, childcare, and I feel a connection and hopefully she does too. I feel my experience will help her and am a bit surprised but think her eagerness and youthfulness will revive and invigorate me. I am beginning to think we are both mentors ready to learn from each other. The mentor/mentee designation seems to be fading a bit. After leaving the conversation online I message her, and she responds immediately. Positive sign. 🙂
On October 4th, a small group of Mentorship Participants gathered at the University of Windsor to meet with Russell Nahdee, the Coordinator of the Aboriginal Education Centre at the University of Windsor. Nahdee led the group on the ‘Turtle Island Walking Tour’ a tour designed by Nahdee that leads participants through the University campus and West Windsor to learn more about the history of the land.
For many of the professionals in the Mentorship Program, reconciliation is at the forefront of their practice as they continually strive to better serve all children and families in the community. Having this opportunity to further their understanding is one step in an ongoing journey towards reconciliation.
A banner featuring the artwork of Walpole Island First Nations artist, Teresa Altiman. These banners can be seen along the length of Turtle Island Walk (formerly Sunset Avenue) on the University of Windsor’s main campus. Photo from Windsorite.ca
On September 12, Mentorship Program participants met up at Malden Park Visitor Centre to kick off the beginning of the event with a celebration. Guests enjoyed food, guests speakers, and camaraderie. We’re looking forward to what the next six months will bring for this dynamic group of professionals!
WERECE Mentorship participants celebrate the start of the 6 month Mentorship program.Faith Hale (Ska:na FLC) inspires listeners with her uplifting words.Participants share their hopes for their mentorship journey.
We have created pages for a variety of social media platforms. Please feel free to visit them and follow them to keep updated on any upcoming events or information.
Effective leadership is often connected to mentorship. There is an old proverb that says, “Tell me, I forget; show me, I remember; involve me, I understand”. Our role as mentors is to be a part of the learning process. To help guide each other towards individual and collective professional success. Think of someone you have viewed as a leader or mentor in your life. What qualities did they have that inspired you or made such a positive impact on your life? Please feel free to reply below using the “Leave a Reply” feature. Thank you!
WERECE Mentorship Program 