Brain Story Theory-to-Practice Bundle

No, this reimbursement is NOT LINKED to the Release Time Grant offered by the Child Care Grant Funding Program. The hours DO NOT count towards the hours of the Release Time Funding grant, and reimbursement will come from AECEA, not from the Child Care Grant Funding Program.

If you have successfully completed the Brain Story Certification course after February 25th, 2022, you can register to participate in the Theory-to-Practice series here. Once you have completed all 5 sessions of the Theory-to-Practice sessions, AECEA will review your application. When approved, AECEA will send this reimbursement to your program who will then distribute the funds to you.

Note, eligibility requires that ECEs must be employed or approved by a licensed child care program as funding will be released to the program (similar to how the Child Care Grant Funding Program processes the release time funding grant). 

Yes, the reimbursement you receive for completing the Brain Story course and Theory-to-Practice Series ($17.50 x 30 hours) is taxable income as it is considered wages. AECEA sends the funds to your employer/agency, and they will disperse the funds to you. 

All individuals who have previously completed the Brain Story Certification course can go back to the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative website and log in to review the content. If you do not have this login information, please contact the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative directly to regain access. 

The Core Story of Brain Development was the course previously offered by the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative. Now the course is called the Brain Story Certification course. We cannot accept the certification for the Brain Story Certification funding portion but can for the Theory-to-Practice funding portion of the reimbursement application.

Yes, you must show proof of the Brain Story Certification before registering for the Theory-to-Practice Series. In order to receive funding for both, you will need to have completed Brain Story and attended every Theory-to-Practice session and completed your final evaluation within 30 days of the last session.

Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, Brain Story is a prerequisite for Theory-to-Practice funding, and we are unable to offer reimbursement solely for Brain Story.

Programs/agencies that have not submitted their Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) enrollment form, including a void cheque, will not appear in the drop-down menu of available organizations. If that is the case, please have your employer or agency complete and submit this form. We encourage you to also speak to your employer/agency about this so they are aware you want to receive funding for this. Once we have received your program’s EFT, you will be able to select it on the registration page.

Unfortunately, we will no longer provide cheques to new organizations, so if your employer/agency refuses to send an EFT form then you will be unable to access the funding. 

Yes. The Theory-to-Practice Series is offered both virtually through Zoom and in-person. However, at this time, in-person sessions must have a minimum of 12 participants in the same region. Because of this requirement, AECEA will continue to gauge interest for an in-person session based on the region and schedule accordingly only when a certain number is reached. All pre-scheduled Theory-to-Practice Series (online and in-person options) are located here. 

If a licensed child care program wants to plan an in-person or virtual PD-Day session around the Theory-to-Practice training, supervisors/directors will need to contact us at brainstory@aecea.ca. The program coordinator will then reach out to you regarding next steps. It is important to note that trainings need a minimum number of ECEs present to schedule a series: 12+ for an in-person series and 8+ for a virtual one. All ECEs who participate must show proof of the Brain Story Course certificate of completion. 

There are a few reasons why your registration may have been denied, such as:

1) If you have already participated in or registered for another Theory-to-Practice series.

2) If you did not upload your Brain Story certificate of completion that shows a date of completion anytime after February 25, 2022. If you have completed this certification before February 25, 2022, you are not eligible to receive funding.

3) If you do not hold an ECE certificate (Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3) or are not employed or approved by a licensed child care program.

After you have registered for a Theory-to-Practice Series, either online or in-person, your facilitator will send an introduction email one week prior to the start date outlining the next steps. If your sessions are online, the email will include a link to your Zoom session and information on how to sign up for the Brain Architecture online game. If your session is in person, details on the location of the session will be emailed once the site is confirmed.

You will also receive a package in the mail at least 3 days prior to your session start date. If you have not received your package, please contact us via email at brainstory@aecea.ca. To reduce the number of emails, only reach out if you have not received your package within the defined timeframe. 

If you have not received your package within 3 days of your start date, please contact us via email at brainstory@aecea.ca. To reduce the number of emails, only reach out if you have not received your package within the defined timeframe. 

Please note that your facilitator will send an email approximately one week prior to your session start date. If you have not received an email within 3 days of your start date, please email us at brainstory@aecea.ca. To reduce the number of emails, only reach out if you have not received communication within the defined timeframe.

To receive a certificate of completion you must be present for all 5 consecutive sessions in the Theory-to-Practice portion. Facilitators will take attendance during each session. Thus, AECEA encourages ECEs to register in a section that best fits their needs and availability. If you miss a session, please contact our program coordinator at brainstory@aecea.ca, however, you may have to re-register in a different series at a later date.  

Yes, to successfully complete this certification you must complete the sessions in order and as they appear on registration. Each session is designed to build on discussions, experiences and learning from the previous session. 

If you are registered for a virtual section (this does not apply to those in-person sessions) you will receive an email from your facilitator one week prior to your start date. In this email, your facilitator will provide you with a link and directions on how to set up an account. This account must be set up prior to your start date. 

AECEA will review participant attendance and once you have completed all 5 sessions, you will receive a link to access your certificate within 6-8 weeks. If you have not received this link for the certificate within 8-10 weeks of completing your last Theory-to-Practice session, contact AECEA at brainstory@aecea.ca.

If you have already received funding for Brain Story reimbursement in a previous application, you are not eligible for it and instead will only receive the amount of $175 upon completion of Theory-to-Practice.