Saturday 23rd September – Travel day – leaving Ireland, arriving in Canada

After a fond farewell from Park Academy Childcare and the team and children at Nature Kindergarten, I packed my suitcases, with Honey in tow, and headed for the adventure of a lifetime in Calgary, Canada. At Dublin airport, I met the two other Ireland TEP delegates from Giraffe Childcare (also part of the Busy Bees family), we flew together to Canada,with a layover in Edinburgh. We got to know each other a little bit as we travelled and discussed our feelings and expectations in relation to the program, with the consensus being that we were all a little nervous but very excited to be part of this amazing opportunity. In Canada, Busy Bees operates as BrightPath Early Learning Inc and upon arrival in Calgary Airport, we were immediately welcomed by members of the BrightPath team who wrapped us individually in a Canadian flag and placed a Stetson on our heads. I was then transported to my home for the next three weeks, where I would be greeted once again by members of the BrightPath team from my host centre, and later meet with members of the project team who I would be sharing the house with. What stood out to me immediately was the hospitality of the team, how excited they were to meet and greet us and how they went above and beyond to make sure that we felt welcome and that everything we could possibly need had already been thought about and was taken care of. All my nerves were completely settled, and I was ready to begin the opportunity of a lifetime.

Monday 25th September – Training & Orientation Day 1

Our training and orientation days were set to be hosted at WinSport – Canada Olympic Park, a legacy of the XV Olympic Winter Games, which were held in Calgary in 1998. It would be the first time all the TEP delegates would finally be together in one room and the excitement was almost tangible. We were treated to a delicious menu throughout the day and supplied with an amazing gift bag. Our first presentation was a welcoming introduction to Canada from Mary Ann Curran, the CEO of Busy Bees North America. She introduced us to her journey with Busy Bees and the growth of the company, both in North America and across the globe, as well as highlighting the goals and values of the company. We were then introduced to other members of the BrightPath Canada management and operations team who guided us through the different departments of BrightPath and discussed the work they do to ensure quality provision across all their services.

Afterwards we made our way to the ice rink, where we would be challenged to try out Curling. But this was not the typical curling you would see at the Winter Olympics. Oh no. This was ‘human’ curling…or Human Bonspiel as it’s more popularly known. If your idea of fun is hurling yourself at speed onto a giant inner tube and sliding across an ice rink, then you are in for a real treat. It was so much fun to watch and a great bonding moment as we played against each other in teams. Our team lost in the end, but it’s the taking part that counts, right?

To end the day, we were presented with the official agenda for the next three weeks, highlighting what would be expected of us during our placement days and running through our project preparation guidelines.

Tuesday 26th September – Training & Orientation Day 2

We kicked off Training and Orientation Day 2 by creating a poster with our territory delegates, highlighting some facts about our home country as well as the services we work for. As delegates from Ireland, we briefly discussed Aistear, our national early childhood curriculum framework, as well highlighting the differences and similarities between Park Academy Childcare and Giraffe Childcare. Once we had finished creating the poster, we then had to present it to the group. It was enlightening to hear about all the different territories around the world and how they facilitate quality provision in their services. We then learned about the different brands and curriculums provided in Bright Path Canada, the environmental standards, and their quality assurance improvement tool(QUAIT)

After the presentations we were invited to participate on the Ice Luge. COP Staff demonstrated how to sit and hold on to the sled in the safest way possible and what to expect during the ride. I watched on in admiration of other TEP delegates as they each took a turn. I wanted so badly to participate but was also equally terrified. After a little emotional meltdown and with encouragement from members of the Bright Path team and support from some of the other delegates, I pushed through the fear of getting hurt or not making it to the other side and climbed up the platform to the starting point. The rest was a blur, but needless to say I made it to the other side, where I was surrounded by support and cheers of congratulations.

We concluded our second training and orientation day with a presentation from ‘Early Years Imagineer’, Alice Sharp. Using humour, insight and enthusiasm, Alice merges theory and research and presents it in her own unique style, with a wealth of unique resources to demonstrate how the combination should influence, inspire, shape and develop the play we provide for children. You can learn more about Alice’s practice approach on her website https://alicesharp.co.uk/

After finishing two days of training and orientation I felt well informed and prepared to begin my journey in my placement centre and start work on our project topic.

Wednesday 27th September – Tour of Bright Path Centre

Today we split up into two separate groups and took a tour of the Bright Path centres which would be hosting the TEP delegates. We started our tour at BrightPath Legacy, the host centre for our project group. I was delighted to finally step foot in the centre which I had heard so much about and see the room in which I would be based. I was delighted to learn that I would be placed with the Infants (0-12 months), an age group with which I gained a lot of experience when I first started my journey in early years education. Each centre that we visited was so welcoming and had made displays with our different country’s flags, greeting words in our different home languages and posters to welcome us to Canada. The entire tour made me feel so excited to begin my placement days and start work in our project groups.

Thursday 28th September – First Placement Day

On our first placement day, the BrightPath Legacy team had gone to every effort to welcome us and make us feel part of their family. They had setup a dining table in the gym so that we would have our own place to eat and work on our project. Harleen, the centre director, also presented us each with a gift box to welcome us to the service. This was the first time I had the opportunity to meet and talk with every member of our project team, who are representing Busy Bees services in Singapore, Australia,Italy and New Zealand, as well as our project mentor who will represent Canada. We had breakfast together before heading out to our assigned rooms. Even though I was excited to begin placement, I felt a little nervous on my first day. I was apprehensive about how the educators and children in the infant room would feel about having a new person in their room observing their practice, but the educators made me feel so comfortable straight away. I was introduced to all the children and the routine of the room and soon got stuck in, supporting the infants with play and exploration, as well as some feeding opportunities. Since BrightPath Legacy were the first centre to pilot the new ‘Bee Curious’ curriculum, I also got the opportunity to learn about how it was being implemented in the infant room. After our lunch break, we had the opportunity to reflect as a project team on our curriculum experiences back home and how they compare to the ‘Bee Curious’ curriculum. It was interesting to hear that even though we all had different curriculum approaches, we all had one thing in common, the desire for children to thrive as learners.

Friday 29th September – Excursion to Drumheller

Today we had our first excursion event as a full group. We packed ourselves into a large bus and headed towards Drumheller, where we would first visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. This is Canada’s only museum dedicated exclusively to the study of ancient life and has the largest collection of fossils in the country. In addition to featuring one of the world’s largest displays of dinosaurs, they offer a wide variety of creative, fun, and educational programs that bring the prehistoric past to life. We wasted no time exploring the museum,examining the variety of fossils and the equipment used to extract the fossils from the rocks. After exploring the museum and enjoying lunch, we had little bit of time to walk around the area and observe a small area of the Canadian Badlands. From above, looking down into the Badlands was like stepping back in time to a prehistoric era, a huge stretch of ‘otherworldly’ land filled with colourful canyons and rock formations known as hoodoos. It felt as though you would see a dinosaur walking past at any given moment. Next on the agenda was a trip to Horseshoe canyon. I was still in awe from the observation deck overlooking the Badlands at the museum, but this canyon was on another level.It was so beautiful. There was an option of three different viewing platforms, so that you could observe the canyon from above at different angles, but we also had the opportunity to venture down into the canyon and explore the hoodoos.The steps leading down to the bottom of the canyon was like a pathway to a new planet. The sights were extraordinary. It was a ‘pinch me’ moment for sure, and great way to end a whirlwind first week of our Talent Exchange Program.
We have done so much in a short amount of time that it feels like I’ve been here for a month already – one week down…two weeks to go…