Early Brain Development:
Powering Creativity and Economic Growth
Wednesday October 28, 2026
FREE learning event at The Best Western Plus in Cobourg, Ontario.
9:00am - 12:30pm
*Free on-site childcare provided by Cobourg YMCA*
Join us on October 28th to explore the research, innovation, and leadership shaping the future of early learning and the workforce behind it.
Global Perspectives
Learn from national and internationally recognized experts in the early learning field.
Evidence-Based Ideas
Discover international research and innovative practices that are making a difference.
A Stronger Future
Reshaping how we think about education, workforce readiness, and the economic value of investing in the early learning sector.
GLOBAL EXPERTS. INNOVATIVE IDEAS. THE LATEST BRAIN SCIENCE.
Seize the opportunities of early brain development!
"Early Brain development is dependent on stable, nurturing relationships
with highly engaged adults"
Dan Wuori, The Day Care Myth
Global Experts
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Dan Wuori
With more than 30 years of early years leadership, Dr. Dan Wuori is the Founder and President of Early Childhood Policy Solutions, a bipartisan public policy consultancy focused on the needs of young children, their families, and the early years professionals who serve them. In this role he works alongside governors and state legislators to improve early years policy across the United States.
To parents the world over, Dan is known not for his policy work, but for his innovative use of social media to educate about infants and toddlers.
His book The Daycare Myth: What We Get Wrong About Early Care and Education (and What We Should Do About It) explores the costly disconnect between what we know and what we do when it comes to the needs of young children.
Professor Janet Rose
Vice-Chancellor of Norland University of Early
Childhood, a specialist early years higher education institution based in the UK. Awarded a Fellowship in Early Relational Health (Infant Mental Health) from the University of Massachusetts.
She is co-founder of Emotion Coaching UK which trains and researches the use of Emotion Coaching to support the development of children’s self-regulation, behaviour, wellbeing, and resilience, drawing on research from the field of neurophysiology.
Professor Janet Rose is also a Level 1 Theraplay Practitioner, a Sensory Integration Facilitator and a Sensory Attachment Intervention practitioner.
Dr. Anabela Bonada
Managing Director of Climate Science, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo advancing practical climate adaptation strategies through risk assessment, policy integration, and implementation tools.
She leads the Centre’s wildfire work, oversees its extreme heat initiatives, and co-leads flooding initiatives, translating research into cost-effective guidance for municipalities, residents, and industry partners.
Dr. Bonada developed Canada’s first standardized community wildfire risk assessment framework, strengthening climate resilience and informing adaptation policy, national standards, and government risk reduction strategies.
Dr. Kimberly Squires
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph.
Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) and Ontario Certified Teacher (OCT) and has previously worked in both child care and school-based early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings.
Her research focuses on a variety of aspects of ECEC with a specific interest in outdoor and nature play and pre-service and in-service educator learning.
Dr. Kathryn Walton
Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph.
Associate Director of the Guelph Family Health Study, a family-based cohort study designed to identify early-life risk factors of chronic disease and test strategies to support healthy behaviours among children and their families.
Her research focuses on evidence-based feeding practices that support children’s healthy growth and development, including how home environments influence health and how to support children at risk of eating difficulties and those born preterm.
Professor Frank A.Russo
Professor of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University, Affiliate Scientist at the KITE Research Institute (Toronto Rehabilitation Institute), and Scientific Director at Smart Lab, and Co-Founder/C-Director of SingWell.
He also serves as Chief Science Officer for LUCID, advancing AI-driven music-based digital therapeutics.
His research investigates the neuro-cognitive, neuro-affective, and socio-biological aspects of music, speech and hearing.
“The early connections made in a baby’s brain form the foundations
for the more complex connections that form later."
EVENT PRESENTED BY:
For 30 years, the Community Training and Development Centre (CTDC) has developed and delivered innovative training programs for the early learning and childcare sector, while also supporting workforce development across a range of industries.
Working with employers, researchers, educators, and community partners, CTDC creates evidence-informed learning opportunities that strengthen skills, support career growth, and respond to evolving labour market needs. Learn more about CTDC here.
Media Contact
Madelaine Currelly, CEO
The Community Training and Development Centre
905-372-9967
mcurrelly@ctdclearningplace.com
Shareable Resources
"Investing early can create even greater returns – quality early childhood programmes have demonstrated annual returns of 7–13% and delivered up to 9:1 benefit-to-cost ratios in low- and middle-income countries."
This Employment Ontario program is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.
Event Partners/Collaborators:
