Program Guide

Created and delivered by:

Download Page as PDF
Ece offers toy ring to child

Welcome

Thank you for your interest in Learn Through Active Play (LTAP), a fully funded program for early learning early childhood educators and child care professionals! As highlighted in The LTAP Advantage: Enhance Your Day Through Active Play, LTAP is designed to empower early childhood
educators and child care professionals, enrich daily programming, and support children’s holistic development. This guide provides a deeper look at the program, including its guiding principles, professional development content, and ongoing support options.

“We must take care of the professionals
that educate our children.”

– Learn Through Active Play Team

Program Overview: What Makes Us Unique

The Learn Through Active Play (LTAP) program (core workshop and unlimited access to our Ongoing Support) is entirely fully funded for early childhood educators and child care professionals.

LTAP builds on the success of Active for Life’s Physical Literacy Proof of Concept Study in Child Care Settings, which demonstrated that daily active play benefits children cognitively, socially, emotionally, and physically, while also supporting educators’ confidence and well-being.

This program has been co-created with early childhood educators and child care professionals, and it is guided by an advisory board of experts across Canada. LTAP was built to reflect what works in real early learning environments by providing practical strategies, hands-on tools, and approaches educators will actually use.

Our Active Play Lens is designed to adapt to diverse learning environments and cultural contexts, which means our program will align with any early learning environment that is interested in practical strategies and tools to create more inclusive spaces, support better regulation for children, and
enhance the overall day so that everyone, from children to educators, feels happier, more engaged, and more committed to being there.

To make implementation simple and accessible, we’ve created LTAP Toolkits tailored for team leaders, individual educators, and ECE faculty. Each toolkit provides quick, easy-to-access details about the LTAP program, along with ready-to-use supports and information about our ongoing support options. The goal is to simplify adoption of the Active Play Lens, helping leaders and educators integrate LTAP into daily practice with confidence and ease.

Upon completion of our core workshop, participants are further supported by being granted exclusive access to our Ongoing Support which includes mentoring sessions, webinars, communities of learning, and online resources.

Our approach: Empowering Early Childhood Educators and Child Care Professionals

At the heart of LTAP is educator empowerment. We focus on creating content that:

  • Respects and understands educators’ professional realities
  • Give practical, achievable strategies for integrating active play
  • Provide tools and support to help educators create smoother, more engaging workdays

Empowered educators not only deliver richer experiences for children, they increase staff retention, attract new talent, and foster a positive, collaborative culture in your program. Once educators have completed our core workshop, we provide ongoing support to help them
seamlessly integrate active play into their daily programming. Through our collaborative approach, educators feel equipped to create engaging workdays that enhance their well-being. We aim to foster a culture of lifelong movement and well-being, both in the workplace and at home.

AfL-Perfect-Circle-animation-children-IG

Supporting Early Childhood Educators and Child Care Professionals Supports Children

Early childhood educators play a crucial role in shaping children’s development during their formative years. Supporting educators with their understanding and confidence in physical literacy ensures that ECEs can use this knowledge to create positive and enriching learning environments. Our program enables educators to use innovative teaching methods, address diverse learning needs, and foster inclusivity in the classroom.

Physical literacy, which involves the enjoyment of moving with competence and confidence in various physical activities, is essential for promoting a healthy lifestyle and overall well-being.

Physically literate children are more likely to enjoy moving and continue to stay active, which improves their motor skills, coordination, fitness levels, academic performance, and concentration, and reduces stress.

“Providing opportunities for children to develop physical skills through active play reaps benefits in every aspect of their development for the rest of their life.”

Robin McMillan from the Canadian Child Care Federation.

The LTAP Core Workshop

Duration: On average 4 hours of professional development credit, delivered in formats that suit your schedule (full session or split into multiple sessions).

Delivery Options: In-person or remote, depending on your location.

Content: Hands-on, practical strategies to integrate active play, guided by LTAP principles and co-created with educators.

Integrate an active play lens by applying our Guiding Principles:

Creating Active Play Habits

Active Play Enhances Everyone’s Day

 

guiding-principle-1

Guiding Principle #1: Creating Active Play Habits

Empowerment Objectives:

1A. Create Active Play Habits

1B. Make active play inclusive for all

1C. Set up environments to invite children to engage in active play

1D. Facilitate intentional active play opportunities that are developmentally appropriate for your children

1A. Create Active Play Habits

  • Pick a simple, achievable habit, name it, schedule it, and celebrate when it’s accomplished.

1B. Make Active Play Inclusive for All

  • Children of all abilities are creatively included, and every educator engages meaningfully.

1C. Set Up Environments to Invite Play

  • Materials are intentionally placed, children are engaged, and educators are able to support without dominating play.

1D. Facilitate Intentional, Developmentally Appropriate Play

  • Opportunities are provided thoughtfully, educators remain engaged, and children receive appropriate guidance.
guiding-priciple-2-hero

Guiding Principle #2: Active Play Enhances Everyone's Day

Empowerment Objectives:

2A. Integrate active play to facilitate daily transitions

2B. Develop stronger relationships through active play

2C. Facilitate learning through active play experiences without disrupting play

2A. Integrate active play to facilitate daily transitions.

  • Active play is meaningful, engaging, and supports smoother transitions.

2B. Develop Stronger Relationships

  • Educators model trust, collaborate, and engage with children in ways that strengthen connections.

2C. Facilitate Learning Without Disrupting Play

  • Observe and scaffold learning opportunities while allowing children to remain immersed in play.

Ongoing Support

LTAP’s value extends beyond the core workshop. Our goal is to support early childhood educators and child care professionals throughout their professional journey:

  • Website Resources
  • Tips & Tricks Emails: Ideas for using LTAP materials creatively and enhancing your day.
  • Newsletters: Stay updated on new resources, research, and program offerings.
  • Active Play Exchange: Webinars that deepen active play practice and extend learning.
  • Mentoring Sessions: Book an LTAP team member one-on-one, for a staff meeting, with a specific age group staff group, or design a mentoring session that works for you!
  • LTAP Circle Time (Facebook): Virtual cafes and discussions where educators share wins, ask questions, and learn from peers.

By participating in these supports, educators not only reinforce their learning but also build communities of practice, ensuring active play becomes an embedded part of their daily routines.

LTAP-Certified Program

Programs that successfully complete our program earn LTAP certification, demonstrating a commitment to:

  • Supporting children’s growth and well-being through active play
  • Empowering educators with shared skills and strategies
  • Creating early learning environments where active play makes every day better

LTAP certification signals to families and potential staff that your program values high-quality,
evidence-based learning experiences and fosters a workplace where educators are supported,
empowered, and motivated to stay.

Final Note

Learn Through Active Play is an entirely fully funded program that empowers early childhood educators and child care professionals, supports children’s holistic development, and creates early learning environments where play enhances every day. By completing LTAP, programs gain certification, educators gain confidence and practical skills, and children benefit from enriched, engaging, and inclusive experiences.

Bring LTAP to your early learning environment and join a community dedicated to better days for educators and children alike.

Annex A

History, purpose, and evolution of B2ten’s Active for Life initiative

 

B2ten is a registered charitable organization (# 83725 8250 RR01) which takes a systemic approach to positively impact sport and health in Canada.

Following our success in supporting Canadian athletes at the 2010 Olympics, B2ten recognized that sports alone do not lead to long-term positive change for children. This insight led to the launch of our social initiative, Active for Life, in 2012.

Before our launch, we analyzed the promotion of healthy, active living among children in Canada and decided to empower parents to help their children develop physical literacy. To do so, we provide clear, simple, and appealing materials demonstrating that engaging children in active play is crucial for their cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development. Most importantly, it is simple and affordable to do so.

To support new Canadians and the organizations that support them, many of these resources are translated into 12 languages. AfL also promotes the importance of physical literacy to professional associations, communities, and governments.

While B2ten began by helping elite athletes succeed, we identified the decline of play-based childhood and the rise of smartphone use by children. Recognizing the vital role of the childcare infrastructure and community in giving children a good start in life, B2ten is now taking a systemic approach to supporting this sector.

An example of our investment in the sector is the creation of ActivePlay.ca. This website was developed in response to a need identified by ECEs who participated in our pilot study. The site offers videos filmed in childcare centers to demonstrate how to integrate active play into childcare programs visually. To support ECEs working in diverse communities, the videos and materials are translated into four Indigenous languages (Plains Cree, Ojibwe, Inuktitut, and Mi’kmaq) and six international languages (Simplified Chinese, Arabic, Farsi, Tagalog, Spanish, and Urdu).

By deepening our understanding of the childcare sector, we have launched the ActivePlay in Childcare project to improve the quality of early learning and childcare through engaging a wide range of stakeholders.

Annex B

Active for Life

Active for Life (AfL), a not-for-profit organization funded by the Canadian registered charity B2ten (see Annex A).

AfL’s mission is to help parents and educators develop children’s physical literacy through active play, which is essential for their cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development. Our easy-tounderstand content showcases how simple and achievable it is to include active play in a child’s day.

Active for Life’s motivation to support the early learning and childcare sector is based on these critical points:

  • Supporting educators supports children.
  • Active play improves the quality of early learning environments for ECEs and children alike.
  • Early childhood education is the most impactful period of education we can invest in as a society.
  • Quality early learning and childcare reduces social inequalities.
  • Quality early learning and childcare includes well-trained and appropriately compensated educators, safe and stimulating environments, and play-based learning.
  • Learn Through Active Play increases children’s school readiness by promoting their cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development.
  • Active children can focus better, adapt to change, and self-regulate, providing a more positive childcare environment for educators.

Annex C

AfL’s pilot study

A proof-of-concept research study was completed in 39 childcare centers involving 600 children in both BC and Alberta. Daily physical literacy programming (in the form of active play) demonstrates a wide range of benefits for children and educators. Three years after the study was completed, 95% of participating centers continued to deliver the approach learned within the study.

Video

In this video, researchers, educators, and parents share their opinions on AfL’s pilot study in childcare.

Article for the general public

You can read this article to learn more about what the research says about the impact of physical literacy and active play programming in early childhood education.  It highlights the benefits of the study and includes some infographics.

Scientific peer-reviewed article

The study led to this research article published in the International Journal of Social Policy and Education.

Annex D

Advisory Board

LTAP is guided by an advisory board of early learning and academic experts with extensive experience in child development, pedagogy, and sector leadership. Their role is to ensure the program is evidence-informed, practical, and culturally adaptable for all early learning environments.

Gail Hunter
Retired Professor, George Brown College

Gail Hunter is a full-time ECE professor at George Brown College and has been involved in the early childhood field for three decades. She has acted as an ECE, Program Supervisor, and Toronto District School Board Childcare Advisor while bringing the Early Childhood Leadership Degree at George Brown to fruition. Professor Hunter will assist with ECE in-training at Ontario and Atlantic Canada post-secondary institutions.

Brenda Ferguson
CEO, Today’s Family Early Learning and Child Care

Brenda Ferguson is the CEO of Today’s Family Early Learning and Child Care, a not-for-profit, charitable organization that serves over 7,500 families across five municipalities in southern Ontario. She leads a dedicated team of more than 300 educators, support staff, and licensed home child care providers committed to nurturing the development and well-being of children and families.Brenda brings a uniquely creative lens to early learning. Her work is inspired by the belief that play is where imagination, inquiry, and joy collide—and where every child begins their journey as a lifelong learner.

Sylvana Côté
Psychologist, Professor of Public Health at the University of Montreal

(Ph.D.) is a trained psychologist, a full professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal and a Researcher at Ste-Justine’s Hospital. She holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair on preventing psychosocial maladjustment in children and youth. She heads the Observatory for Children’s Education and Health, the Research Group on Children’s Psychosocial Maladjustment, and two multidisciplinary groups of researchers studying the biopsychosocial development of children from conception to maturity.

Annex E

Curated references