Early Childhood Educators’ Retreat: Nurture, Lead and Ignite
Location: Beachfront All-Inclusive Resort, Mexico
Dates: Saturday to Saturday
What's Included:
Welcome Cocktails
7 nights' accommodation
7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 7 dinners
Drinks
Daily learning sessions
Group Creative and wellness activities
Return airport transfers
Optional Extras:
Flights
Optional excursions
Spa Treatments
Day 1: Saturday – Arrival and Welcome to the Journey
Included Airport Transfer to resort begins from midday.
Afternoon:
Arrive, check in, explore the resort
Unwind by the pool or take a beach stroll
Enjoy a welcome drink on arrival
5:00 – 6:30 PM | Welcome Circle, Cocktail Connection, and Orientation
Meet your facilitators and group
Overview of the week ahead
Group agreements and personal journaling: "What do I want to receive from this experience?"
7:00 PM | Welcome Dinner
Shared table at the beachside restaurant
Toast the beginning of a meaningful week together
Day 2: Sunday – Rest and Reset
6:30 – 7:30 AM Optional Morning Walk
Gentle beachside walk with quiet reflection, stretching and light conversation.
8:00 – 10:00 AM | Breakfast Buffet
All Day:
Enjoy your own rhythm: beach time, spa bookings, journaling, or optional excursions to local markets or cenotes
7:00 PM | Dinner
Dine with new friends or enjoy quiet solitude
Optional Evening Activity:
Sunset Story Circle: “Why I Chose This Work”
A gentle, reflective storytelling session around a fire or candle circle
Day 3: Monday – Empowering Leadership
Theme: Lead with vision, empathy and presence
6:30 – 7:30 AM | Morning Walk
8:00 – 8:45 AM | Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 AM | Leading with Impact in Early Childhood
Explore how your daily interactions shape the culture of your learning environment. Reflect on leadership as an embedded, continuous act that lives in relationships and choices, not titles.
10:15 – 11:15 AM | Transformational Leadership
What does it mean to lead with inspiration instead of instruction?
Explore coaching mindsets and real-life applications
11:30 – 12:30 PM | Igniting Passionate Educators
Rekindling the flame—how do we re-engage ourselves and others?
Storytelling and reflective tools to inspire motivation
12:30 – 2:00 PM | Lunch and Optional Pool Dip
2:00 – 3:00 PM | The Heart of Leadership: Authentic, Ethical, Reflective
Discover your leadership values and align your practice to them
3:15 – 4:15 PM | Leadership Styles in Action
Strengths-based leadership profiles
Interactive group activities and real-world scenarios
4:15 – 5:00 PM | Optional journaling or one-on-one coaching conversations
7:00 PM | Dinner by the Ocean
Share reflections over local flavours and fresh air
Day 4: Tuesday – Understanding Development
Theme: Honouring children’s growth through theory and heart
6:30 – 7:30 AM | Morning Walk
8:00 – 8:45 AM | Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 AM | Nature vs Nurture
What truly shapes a child?
Exploring temperament, trauma, culture, and environment
10:15 – 11:15 AM | Erikson’s Stages Reimagined
Make child development theory practical and personal
Apply stages to classroom moments and team challenges
11:30 – 12:30 PM | Attachment and Secure Foundations
Learn how secure attachment influences play, regulation, and resilience
12:30 – 2:00 PM | Lunch and Mindful Break
2:00 – 3:00 PM | Development Through a Cultural Lens
Consider how embracing multiple developmental perspectives can lead to more inclusive and equitable early learning environments.
Honour diverse family beliefs and lived experiences
3:15 – 4:15 PM | Observation and Documentation as Advocacy
Shift from compliance to celebration
Use documentation to make children’s voices visible
4:15 – 5:00 PM | Group Reflection Circle: “How We See the Child”
7:00 PM | Dinner and Optional Discussion Table
Day 5: Wednesday – Rest and Wellness
6:30 – 7:30 AM | Morning Walk
8:00 – 10:00 AM | Late Breakfast
All Day:
Unstructured time to unwind
Options: jungle hike, snorkelling trip, massage, reading hammock-side
Creative spaces open for journaling, art, or quiet time
7:00 PM | Dinner
Optional Evening Activity:
Art for the Inner Educator
Light-hearted creative session using natural materials, paint, or collage
Day 6: Thursday – Guiding Behaviour with Heart
Theme: Behaviour is communication—listen with compassion
6:30 – 7:30 AM | Morning Walk
8:00 – 8:45 AM | Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 AM | Understanding Behaviour Through Connection
Shift your lens to support behaviour through connection. Explore how attuned relationships and consistent presence support children’s sense of safety, belonging, and behavioural growth. Discover connection-based strategies rooted in empathy, neuroscience, and relational pedagogy.
10:15 – 11:15 AM | The Brain–Behaviour Connection
Understand the neurological roots of behaviour
Explore self-regulation, the stress response, and sensory systems
11:30 – 12:30 PM | Co-Regulation in Action
Practical strategies to model calm and co-create safety
12:30 – 2:00 PM | Lunch and Reflection Time
2:00 – 3:00 PM | Guiding Childre's Behaviour
Shift from compliance to connection
Toolkits: visual cues, calm corners, empathy language
Explore prevention, repair, and relationship repair
3:15 – 4:15 PM | Creating Inclusive Environments
Flexible design for emotional and physical safety
Supporting neurodiversity and sensory needs
4:15 – 5:00 PM | Circle Reflection: “What My Practice Needs Next”
7:00 PM | Dinner and Optional Open Mic Night
Space to share personal stories, poems, or music—optional
Day 7: Friday – Wellness and Integration
Theme: From Burnout to Balance: Wellness as a Way of Being
6:30 – 7:30 AM | Final Morning Walk
8:00 – 8:45 AM | Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 AM | Wellbeing for Educators
Learn how to spot burnout early
Design a wellbeing plan that works in the real world
10:15 – 11:15 AM | Mindfulness for Educators and Children
Breath, body, and presence—simple tools for all ages
11:30 – 12:30 PM | The Power of Story
Narrative as a tool for healing and teaching
12:30 – 2:00 PM | Lunch and Nature Reflection
2:00 – 3:00 PM | Crafting Your Educator Mission Statement
Vision mapping, reflective writing, creative collage
3:15 – 4:15 PM | Integration Circle and Celebration
Share insights, name your next steps, and be witnessed
4:15 – 5:00 PM | Closing Ritual: “The Educator’s Fire”
Ocean offering, symbolic farewell, group photo
7:00 PM | Farewell Dinner Celebration
Live music, dancing, toasts and hugs
Day 8: Saturday – Departure
6:30 – 7:30 AM Optional Final Walk
7:00 – 9:00 AM Final Breakfast Buffet
Included Airport Transfers begin from 9:00 AM