Free professional development opportunity for early childhood educators has been expanded

A year ago, Active for Life launched a pilot for a new, free program called Learn Through Active Play (LTAP). LTAP aims to empower Canadian early learning educators and ECEs to use active play during their program planning to enhance their work day and give children a healthy, active start in life. 

The program provides professional development to early learning educators to enhance their confidence and motivation to integrate active play into daily programming. It includes benefits such as:

• Ongoing guidance from a team of professionals;
• Access to exclusive support materials;
• An opportunity for educators to earn professional development hours.

LTAP is based on best practices and strong evidence that highlights how play supports the development of children. Play is also critical to children’s physical, mental, and social health.

The short video below shows how children can grow mentally, physically, socially, and emotionally through active play by developing skills and abilities that help them prepare for school. Those skills and abilities include:

• Cognitive abilities (e.g., attention, memory, reasoning)
• Emotional growth (e.g., self-regulation, stress management)
• Social skills (e.g., cooperation, empathy)
• Physical health and movement skills
• Executive functions (e.g., planning, adaptability, goal achievement)

Pilot in Nova Scotia includes 55 early learning centres 

With a flexible model easily adapted to different cultural contexts, the pilot was successfully tested in different provinces between April 2024 and March 2025. One of the early adopters of the program was Nova Scotia. The Learn Through Active Play pilot in Nova Scotia included professional development in 27 pre-primary programs, 28 licensed child care centres, and two post-secondary institutions. Educators and ECE students across multiple regions could participate in the in-person or virtual workshop sessions.

In the workshop, participants learned practical ways to integrate active play into their daily programming and create lasting “active play habits.” This included how to:

• Design inspiring play spaces by setting up indoor and outdoor areas that spark creativity and encourage active play
• Ensure every child and educator feels included, respected, and part of the fun
• Build strong connections with children and coworkers by playing together—it helps everyone feel more supported and connected
• Integrate the Learn Through Active Play guiding principles with the Nova Scotia Early Learning Curriculum Framework’s learning goals and objectives

As Cheryl Crocker, executive director of the Association of Early Childhood Educators Nova Scotia, explained, “Early childhood educators witness the benefits of active play firsthand every day. Having a common language to describe the connections between what they observe in practice and the research supporting the benefits of active play is something worth celebrating.”

Upon completion, the educators received a certificate for their training from the Association of Early Childhood Educators Nova Scotia.

Findings indicate the program is well-received by participants

To measure performance, we applied baseline and post-workshop surveys across all participating provinces. The results indicate that Learn Through Active Play is a well-received and impactful program amongst early childhood educators and childcare centers. Key findings include:

• 93% agreed or strongly agreed that the training provided valuable knowledge and skills.
• 95% reported increased confidence to apply what they learned in their daily work with children.
• 93% said they would recommend the training to others.
• 89% reported implementing the strategies and concepts in their practice.
• 99% felt the program respects the early learning profession and the role of educators.

Program extends to 600 centres across Canada. Here’s how to take part

Building on the success of the Learn Through Active Play pilot, Active for Life will expand the program to 600 centres across Canada in 2025-2026, including 120 in Nova Scotia. In addition, an online module is being developed to provide more opportunities for educators to schedule and begin their professional development in a timeframe that works best for them.

If you’re an early learning professional, an ECE, or a director of a childcare centre or early learning organization and you’re interested in this free program—which includes ongoing support from our team, exclusive resources, and the opportunity to earn professional development hours—we’d love to hear from you.

You can contact us here, email us at [email protected], or join the Learn Through Active Play Community on Facebook.

If you’re a parent, please help spread the word by sharing this with the early learning environments that your children attend. By supporting the educators who support our children, we can build a healthier, more active future for all.