Professional Development Archives

Strengthening the Early Years Workforce in Windsor-Essex: A Multi-Pronged Approach to Recruitment and Retention

by Tricia Brisebois | July 2025

OMSSA is featuring several 2024 Local Municipal Champion award recipients and their work in the Knowledge Exchange Blog. Please read this entry from the City of Windsor.

Across Ontario, the recruitment and retention of high-quality professionals in the child care and early years sector has become a challenge. Since 2022, the province has taken important steps to address this issue by funding locally developed community initiatives aimed at sustaining the current workforce, improving access to professional development, and attracting new recruits to the field. In Windsor-Essex, we embraced this opportunity by implementing a comprehensive, community-driven strategy designed to achieve long-term impact and meet the evolving needs of our region.

Highlights of the 2024 Exchange Conference

by Nalisha Sankreacha | August 2024

Over 400 people from the human services, health, child care, and public services participated in OMSSA’s in-person Exchange Conference held on May 7 and 8 in Mississauga. Over these two days there was an opportunity to focus on several important professional development topics, enhance skill sets, and showcase the innovative work happening in each of our sectors to address the most pressing issues in our local communities. Read more about the highlights of our most recent Conference.

Reflections on the 2023 Exchange Conference

by Tod Duncan | June 2023

Held in Ottawa this past May, OMSSA’s 2023 Exchange Conference brought together more than 330 people for two days of learning, sharing, and connecting. It was a huge success! Over the one and a half days of the conference, attendees got to see many great examples of the excellence of OMSSA Member organizations and the staff and managers who carry out important work geared towards improving the lives of so many Ontarians. The Conference program was packed with content related to the work that OMSSA Members do in housing and homelessness, children’s services, and employment and income supports. Learn more about our 2023 Exchange Conference.

Heartwork and so much more…

by Michelle Schurter | July 2022

Read our latest blog post from Michelle Schurter, CEO and Founder of the Millennial Strategist, talking about a recent professional development event led by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent for Child Care and Early Years workers. The focus was on celebrating the service provided to families and communities, particularly over the past two years with the pandemic, and digging deep into the value Early Childhood Educators bring to children, families, community, and the economy. Twelve communities partnered with Chatham-Kent and shared the cost of one virtual day of learning bringing together over 4,000 educators! Learn more about the event and what’s next for the Child Care and Early Years workforce in Ontario.