Flight Course Series FAQ

This online course, delivered by AECEA, explores Flight: Alberta’s Early Learning and Care Framework. Previously known as the Flight course, it has been reshaped from its previous 21-week format into a serialized model. The Flight Course Series includes three series: The Noticing Series, the Naming Series, and the Nurturing Series. Each series is an online, non-credit professional learning opportunity for educators and program administrators working in Alberta’s licensed and approved child care programs.

Each series explores different concepts within Flight while remaining grounded in the framework as a whole. Throughout the series, you’ll be introduced to core concepts and the holistic play-based goals of Flight, with meaningful opportunities to connect those ideas directly to your everyday work with children. The learning is designed to be reflective, practical, and rooted in real experiences from early childhood settings.

The non-credit online course is designed for Alberta early childhood educators and program administrators who are working with young children and their families in licensed and approved programs. This includes day care, family day homes, group family child care, out-of-school care, and preschools.

Noticing Series

Noticing begins with slowing down and paying close attention to children’s play, words, relationships, and ways of being. In this series, educators practice observing with curiosity and openness, becoming aware of what children are communicating through their actions and interactions. By noticing children’s dispositions to learn in everyday moments, educators strengthen their role as co-learners and deepen their understanding of each child as a capable and mighty learner. Educators notice every day—this series helps make that noticing more intentional.

Naming Series

Naming builds on noticing by supporting educators in reflecting on and interpreting what they see and hear in children’s play. In this series, educators reflect, ask questions, and collaboratively make meaning of children’s play through Flight’s holistic play-based goals. Educators will explore the role of being a co-researcher by naming children’s dispositions to learn, recognizing the value of play, and communicating the importance of children’s lived experiences. Through naming, children’s learning becomes visible to educators, families, and children themselves. Educators already interpret children’s learning; this series helps give language to what they see.

Nurturing Series

Nurturing builds on noticing and naming by supporting educators in intentionally extending and enriching children’s learning. In this series, educators explore how to make learning visible, strengthen reflective practice, and thoughtfully respond to children’s ideas, questions, and play. Educators engage with Flight’s meaning-making tools to guide their decisions and consider how environments, relationships, time, space, and materials nurture children’s dispositions to learn. Educators will explore the role of being a co-imaginer of possibilities by collaboratively creating responsive experiences that extend play, deepen inquiry, and uncover new possibilities. Educators nurture children’s curiosity every day—this series helps expand the possibilities.

A course instructor and course facilitator will support your learning. Each series is divided into 2-3 online learning modules that include discussion posts and responses, reflective assignments, and live online class conversations. Students will receive up to two free textbooks once their registration is processed.

Each series is 7 weeks long and includes live online classes, discussion posts and reflective assignments. Course participants commit three to four hours per week to independent coursework. Attendance at two live online class conversations is expected over the 7 weeks. Dates and times for the online classes will be provided by the instructor at the start of the course. The course requires consistent attendance and active participation. The course progresses on a fixed timeline with scheduled due dates.

To see a sample schedule, please click here.

We recommend that you use a desktop or a laptop computer instead of a mobile device. A reliable internet connection is necessary to support your experience, and Google Chrome is the recommended browser. You will need speakers and a microphone for the online classes so that you can hear the conversation and contribute. A webcam is optional. The use of headphones or earbuds will improve the audio experience for everyone.

The Expression of Interest can be found by going here: https://aecea.ca/flight-course-series-eoi

Once your eligibility has been confirmed, you will receive an email from info@aecea.ca at the start of each intake when registration opens for the series you are eligible to take. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you are unable to secure a seat, you can register during a future intake. Registration links will only be sent to eligible educators. Please add info@aecea.ca to your contact list to help prevent registration emails from going to your spam or junk folder. In the meantime, consider ARCQE’s Possibilities for Practice series. Find more information on the ARCQE website.

Thank you for your interest in learning more about the Flight Course Series! For more information, please contact Flight-AECEA by emailing info@flightframework.ca if you have any additional questions.
 

Noticing is the first of three 7-week series designed to support educators in engaging deeply with Flight: Alberta’s Early Learning and Care Framework.

Noticing begins with slowing down and paying close attention to children’s play, words, relationships, and ways of being. In this series, educators practice observing with curiosity and openness, becoming aware of what children are communicating through their actions and interactions. By noticing children’s dispositions to learn in everyday moments, educators strengthen their role as co-learners and deepen their understanding of each child as a capable and mighty learner.

Naming is the second of three 7-week series designed to support educators in engaging deeply with Flight: Alberta’s Early Learning and Care Framework.

Naming builds on noticing by supporting educators in reflecting on and interpreting what they see and hear in children’s play. In this series, educators reflect, ask questions, and collaboratively make meaning of children’s play through Flight’s holistic play-based goals. Educators will explore the role of being a co-researcher by naming children’s dispositions to learn, recognizing the value of play, and communicating the importance of children’s lived experiences. Through naming, children’s learning becomes visible to educators, families, and children themselves.

Nurturing is the third of three 7-week series designed to support educators in engaging deeply with Flight: Alberta’s Early Learning and Care Framework.

Nurturing builds on noticing and naming by supporting educators in intentionally extending and enriching children’s learning. In this series, educators explore how to make learning visible, strengthen reflective practice, and thoughtfully respond to children’s ideas, questions, and play. Educators engage with Flight’s meaning-making tools to guide their decisions and consider how environments, relationships, time, space, and materials nurture children’s dispositions to learn. Educators will explore the role of co-imagining by collaboratively creating responsive experiences that extend play, deepen inquiry, and uncover new possibilities.

If you have already completed one or two series through the pilot program, you do not need to submit another Expression of Interest. AECEA will email you when registration opens for the next series you are eligible to take.

For the 2026–2027 fiscal year (April 1, 2026 – March 31, 2027), the Flight Course Series has been approved for up to 28 hours of release time funding per series under the workshops and conferences stream of funding. The maximum number of hours the Government of Alberta will provide under this stream is 45 per fiscal year.

For Flight learners, this means that if you participate in multiple series within the same fiscal year, not all hours may be eligible for funding. We hope to see this changed in future years.

It is your responsibility to confirm your eligibility for funding and to apply within the same fiscal year in which you complete the training. Funding approval and eligibility are determined solely by the Government of Alberta.

If you have questions about how to apply, please speak with your program director, as the application must be submitted through them. AECEA and the Flight team are unable to answer additional questions about release time funding. If your program director has questions regarding eligibility, applications, or the funding process, please get in touch with the Early Childhood Educator Workforce Supports Program directly. 

Additional funding information and contact information for the Supports Program can be found here: https://www.alberta.ca/funding-for-working-eces