Story Map
Together, We Raise Our Children in a Good way
Affirming Our Shared Vision
In early 2025, a remarkable milestone unfolded across the Anishinabek Nation. Over several months, regions came together for transformative sessions designed to inspire visioning and collective learning. Through collaborative circles, communities embraced appreciative inquiry and Indigenous knowledge, shaping a strength-based approach that affirms what truly works in early learning and childcare.
These collaborative circles were part of the Ezhi-Mno-Gshke’ewizing Kognaawsang Nookiijigan (How We Raise Our Children in a Good Way Project) which is an initiative that brought communities together to share knowledge, values, and aspirations for high-quality Indigenous early learning and childcare. From these rich conversations, the Early Learning and Child Care Quality Improvement Project team captured community-driven wisdom and partnered with artist Delaney Cox of Think Link Graphics™ to create a visual story map ‘a dynamic representation of the shared vision and commitment to high-quality early learning’. This visual story map reflects the principles and priorities that emerged from those conversations.
The Story Map brings together the voices, teachings, experience, and vision shared by communities throughout the first phase of the Quality Improvement Project.
The Story Map brings together the voices, teachings, experience, and vision shared by communities throughout the first phase of the Quality Improvement Project.
The Story Map:
- Illustrates what high-quality Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care looks like from community perspectives
- Highlights key themes and teachings
- Supports reflection, planning, storytelling, and professional learning
- Serves as a living representation of community knowledge
The Story Map reflects how communities envision and operationalize the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework in practice.