Registration opens Monday, March 4th 2024
vicpa and the mtc
For 40 years, the Vancouver Island Cooperative Preschool Association (VICPA) has organized the Making Tomorrow Conference (MTC). The MTC is a knowledge and skill building event where educators and families learn about the latest developments in early childhood education.

Visit VICPA at www.vicpa.org for more information about family engagement in early childhood education and development.

 "We had an excellent experience at the conference throughout and appreciated the attention to detail, organization, engaging keynote speaker, location and positive environment. It was the best conference we have attended!"

"Thank you to all the organizers for the hard work planning such a large scale event. I learned some new things that I have already implemented at my centre. Looking forward to next years MTC!"

"The workshops were specific to needs of the educator/teacher and we can all relate since play is crucial in all aspects of the child’s development...It was by far the best conference and well thought out with different workshops."

The MTC welcomes Keynote Speaker: Dr Molly Lawlor
Join Dr. Molly Lawlor to explore Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in young children. SEL is the process through which children (and adults!) learn and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish healthy relationships, and make caring and responsible decisions. Molly will explore the science of SEL including the factors that promote social and emotional development in the early years. Molly will highlight how science informs practice with practical strategies for promoting young children’s social and emotional development.

Molly Stewart Lawlor, Ph.D., is an expert in child and adolescent social and emotional development. Dr. Lawlor’s research includes the investigation of mindfulness and psychological adjustment in children and adolescents, and evaluations of social-emotional learning programs for children and adolescents in school settings. She is lead author and serves as the Principal Scientific Advisor for the MindUP program (mindup.org), an evidence-based social emotional learning program grounded in neuroscience. Dr. Lawlor is also an advisor to children’s media projects including Peabody award-winning Stillwater (Apple TV), the award-winning Scout and the Gumboot Kids (Canadian Broadcasting Company), and Committee for Children’s Mind Yeti, a guided mindfulness app. Dr. Lawlor is an adjunct faculty member in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Lawlor is passionate about bringing research to practice in order to make social emotional learning accessible for all children and their adults.


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