Empowering Children, Empowering Educators

Our journey together began in 2022, when Jewel, during a leadership practicum, visited Emmie’s university class to present on the importance of higher education in Early Learning and in Child and Youth Care. Our paths crossed again in 2023 when we collaborated on a Children’s Rights project in partnership with The Muttart Foundation and the Canadian Child Care Federation. That same year, we had the opportunity to present our work across Alberta at conferences such as the School Age Care Conference and the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Alberta’s Essential Pieces Conference.

By 2024, our shared dedication to children’s rights led us to create RightsFirst, a partnership committed to empowering Early Childhood Educators to develop a rights-based approach within their practice. We had the privilege of having our first academic article together, published in the Canadian Journal of Children's Rights. As RightsFirst, 

we have presented at the Ignite 2025 School Aged Care Conference in Edmonton, AB, as well as the 2025 Kootenay Boundary Early Years Conference in Nelson, BC.

We believe that by actively listening to children and respecting their voices, choices, and perspectives, educators can help nurture empowered citizens with a strong sense of agency. When children’s rights are upheld, children are more likely to thrive, take risks, learn, grow, and genuinely enjoy their experiences.

Our educators’ webinar is designed to provide practical tools and foundational knowledge to help educators embrace this approach in their daily work and continue advocating for children’s rights. Our caregivers’ webinar supports the understanding and acknowledgement of these rights within the home.