The time has come. It’s time to celebrate our progress, our successes and our adventures of 2024. This will enable us to measure how far we’ve come, and to start 2025 with a mind full of projects and confidence in our ability to make our dreams come true!

Before we dive into the recap, we wish you all a wonderful 2025. May this new year bring happiness, love, health and fulfillment to you and your loved ones. We’re delighted to be starting this new year with you. We wish you an even better year than last year!

Here’s a glimpse of the initiatives and efforts from the Carrefour francophone team to make the CPE en forêt project a success.

CPE forêt project makes great strides

2024 marked an important milestone in the development of our CPE forêt project. After two years of action research and field experimentation, we finalized our study on outdoor pedagogy. The results, shared during the webinar in September, confirmed the positive impact of this approach. This data provides a solid basis for strengthening our practices and sharing them with other centers interested in outdoor education. It also gives us a better understanding of the needs of early childhood staff, to help them implement this pedagogy more easily on a daily basis.

The project gained even more momentum with the arrival of Erick Dubois, Daycare forest Project Manager since October 2024, whose mission is to extend the CPE forêt model to other early childhood centers. Erick has already begun adapting our practices to other centers, notably Trésor des tout-petits and Village des tout-petits, and supporting educational teams in their implementation. His expertise and enthusiasm promise to give new impetus to this initiative, which continues to grow.

The importance of native culture

Our ties with Aboriginal communities are also essential. On Truth and Reconciliation Day, for example, Boréal des tout-petits had the chance to visit the brand-new First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education Centre and the Shkode (Heart of Fire) Pavilion at Collège Boréal.

These enriching learning experiences allow children to open up to new perspectives, while respecting and valuing Aboriginal cultures.

We would like to express our gratitude to the members of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education Centre and Pavillon Shkode (Heart of Fire) for generously offering their time and knowledge to enrich the children’s experience. Your contribution is invaluable and represents a wonderful collaboration for an inclusive and respectful future for all.

Educational staff: key players

The progress made this year would not have been possible without the commitment of our educators. Many of them were involved in the CPE forêt project, taking part in the training and workshops set up in collaboration with the Alliance pour l’enfant et la nature. This has enabled them to deepen their skills in outdoor education. These sessions helped our teams to acquire new tools for accompanying children in nature.

We would like to thank all our partners for their ongoing support, as well as our educational staff for their commitment to children’s education.

The coordinator: a key element in the evolution of the CPE forêt project

Since February 2024, Mathieu Lambert, formerly project officer, has been working as coordinator of the CPE forêt project. His arrival in this position marked a turning point for the project, breathing new life into it. Through his commitment, he has been able to consolidate what has already been put in place, while paving the way for initiatives that continue to support our approach.

Right now, Mathieu is working on an ambitious project for 2025: the creation of an online training course on outdoor education. Aimed at early childhood professionals, this training will provide them with concrete tools and additional support to easily integrate this pedagogy into their daily work. We are grateful to be able to count on his expertise and passion to bring this project to fruition.

Community: the driving force behind our success

The year 2024 was also marked by strong community involvement. Whether it was parents, educators, partners or members of the aboriginal community, everyone contributed to the project. The collaboration between these different players enabled us to turn our ideas into reality, and to expand the scope of the CPE Forêt project.

We would like to extend our warmest thanks to everyone who contributed to this adventure. Your commitment, your ideas and your support enable us to continue to dream big for the children.

2025: A year full of promise

As we enter a new year, we remain determined to build on this momentum. New goals are already taking shape, and we look forward to continuing to work with you to achieve them.

Thank you again for being part of this great project, and thanks to your support, we’re all set for the new year. We hope it will be filled with discoveries, successes and precious moments shared with family and nature.

Carrefour francophone would like to say thank you

Our project partners: PLAYLearnThink, Collège Boréal, Centre éducatif des Premières Nations, Métis et Inuit et la Pavillon Shkode (Coeur du feu); our research partners: Child and Family Social Innovation Centre and our funder: Employment and Social Development Canada.