Rethink environments, routines and expectations that limit children, so they can experience more autonomy, deeper play and real engagement.
This isn’t about saying yes to everything.
It’s about saying no less.
Design an Environment That Makes YES Possible
a self-paced course for eces
What's Inside
FAQ
The Curriculum
Meet Carla
Enroll
What could become possible if the environment did more of the heavy lifting?
You can be a thoughtful, caring and highly experienced educator, and still find yourself repeating the same instructions all day.
The shelf becomes a climbing structure.
The toys are dumped onto the floor.
Children run through a space designed for sitting.
Play is interrupted because the schedule says it is time to move on.
The natural response is often to create another rule.
But what if the action isn’t the problem? What if it's information?
A child climbing may need legitimate opportunities for whole-body movement. A child dumping may be exploring space, quantity, trajectory or cause and effect. Children resisting a transition may be deeply engaged in work that matters to them.
YES Spaces helps you look beneath the action, identify the need and change the conditions—not simply control the child.
how does this sound?
Imagine an Early Learning Environment Where:
Children can access what they need without continually asking permission.
Movement is planned for instead of constantly stopped.
Open-ended materials invite complex, evolving play.
Children have enough time to become genuinely engaged.
Necessary boundaries protect safety without prioritizing adult convenience.
Calm is created through thoughtful design—not through expectations of silence and compliance.
Educators spend less time policing the room and more time observing, connecting and responding.
A YES Space ≠ a Free For All.
It is an intentionally designed, thoughtfully safeguarded environment that trusts children and believes they are competent and capable.
so let me introduce:
YES Spaces
YES Spaces gives you the framework—and the tools—to make meaningful change.
This course takes you beyond inspiration and into implementation.
You’ll learn how to examine the “nos” happening in your program, understand the needs beneath children’s actions and redesign your environment, routines and responses accordingly.
You will not be expected to renovate your entire room, purchase expensive new materials or change everything overnight.
Instead, you’ll begin with one recurring “no,” run one intentional experiment and observe what changes.
By the end of the course, you will have completed a documented YES Space Experiment that you can build on, share with your team and use as evidence when speaking with families or administrators.
THE YES SPACES
Core Beliefs
If we're building environments for children, they actually have to be for children.
That means designing spaces that do the heavy lifting, so educators can step back from managing and redirecting, and get back to the meaningful work. Because when we stop designing around control, something shifts.
Children thrive.
And so do the educators standing in the room with them.
We celebrate YES.
Calm isn't quiet.
Every "no" deserves a "why".
A true “no” protects safety,
not adult convenience.
The Curriculum
take a peak inside
module 1
Seeing Through the YES Lens
- What a YES Space actually is (and isn't)
- The seven beliefs behind every YES Space
- What you can and can't control
- Your current YES baseline
what you'll learn
The YES Spaces course will be released in stages, giving you time to put each module into practice. Module One opens September 9, with new modules released regularly.
module 2
Understanding the NO
- Why every no deserves a why
- Safety, hazard, and perceived risk — and why they're not the same
- How to read behavior as information
- The NO Audit
what you'll learn
module 3
- Designing for movement, independence, and playability
- Blocks, loose parts, and open-ended materials
- Why calm isn't the same as quiet
- Designing for every child
what you'll learn
Designing an Environment That Says YES
module 4
- Boundaries that protect without controlling
- Risk-benefit thinking in practice
- Supervision without hovering
- When the answer still has to be no
- Navigating licensing requirements
what you'll learn
Freedom Within a Safeguarded Environment
module 5
From Schedule-Driven to Responsive
- Protecting uninterrupted play
- Rethinking transitions
- Choice, small groups, and group gatherings
- Following children without losing intention
- Schedule-to-Routine Review
- Transition Audit
- Uninterrupted Play Planner
- Responsive Planning Template
included resource(s)
what you'll learn
module 6
The Educator in the YES Space
- How to pause before you intervene
- Language that supports children's competence
- Co-regulation in an active environment
- Rethinking your role in the room
- Intervention Decision Guide
- Language Shift Swipe File
- Educator Regulation Reflection
- Observation Practice
included resource(s)
what you'll learn
module 7
Bringing Others Into the YES
- Talking with colleagues, families, and administrators
- Responding to common objections
- Documenting the evidence
- Family Letter
- Administrator Conversation Guide
- Objections Swipe File
- Documentation Template
- Team Reflection Guide
included resource(s)
what you'll learn
module 8
Your YES Space Implementation Plan
- Starting with your loudest no
- Running a tiny, intentional experiment
- Observing before you add more
- The 30-Day YES Shift
- Tiny Experiment Planner
- 30-Day Implementation Plan
- Before-and-After Observation Template
- Weekly Reflection
- Final Assessment
included resource(s)
what you'll learn
Eventually, I realized that while I could not control every policy, expectation or system around me, there were two things I could influence:
How I showed up and how I designed the environment.
I began with lighting, colour and plants. Then I reconsidered the pre-designed materials that told children what to do and how to play. I introduced more blocks, loose parts and opportunities for meaningful choice.
Slowly, the soundtrack of the room began to change.
There was less “No.” Less “Stop.”Less “Feet down.”
The children had not suddenly become more compliant.
The environment had become more responsive.
YES Spaces brings together the framework, reflection and practical tools I wish I had when I was trying to find another way.
I’ve worked in early childhood education for more than 21 years—as an educator, supervisor, consultant, trainer and speaker.
And there was a time when I had a resignation letter sitting in my car for six months.
I was exhausted. I was frustrated. And I kept imagining that I would hand in the letter, drive to Starbucks and figure out what came next.
ECE with 21+ years of experience, host of The Everything ECE Podcast and an internationally recognized speaker and consultant in early childhood education.
Hi, I'm Carla
INSTRUCTOR
MEET YOUR
How it Works
Join
Get access to Module 1 on September 9 and complete your baseline assessment before the next module releases.
01
notice
Work through the framework as it's released so you have time to actually put each one into practice before moving on.
02
change
Make one intentional change. Observe what shifts. Then build from there.
03
YES Spaces is for you if:
You are tired of repeating the same corrections throughout the day.
You believe children are competent but aren't sure how to design for it.
Your program feels overly structured, adult-directed or controlled by the clock.
You want children to experience more autonomy without compromising safety.
You know the room needs to change but do not have a large budget.
You need practical language for explaining play, movement, mess and risk to other adults.
You don't think safety and play have to be at odds.
You are ready to become curious about what the “no” is really telling you.
You do not need a Pinterest-perfect room, a renovation budget or complete control over your program.
You need a willingness to notice, question and experiment.
Everything you need to move from understanding the philosophy to changing the practice.
The YES
Spaces Course
Eight self-paced course modules
Short, practical video lessons
The complete YES Spaces framework
Environmental and routine assessment tools
Reflection worksheets and implementation planners
Language swipe files for educators
Conversation guides for families, colleagues and administrators
Risk-benefit and boundary-setting tools
The 30-Day YES Space Implementation Plan
Your guided YES Space Experiment
$197
cad
Payment plan available.
Access module 1 on September 9
The
YES Spaces Course
A YES Space is not a perfectly styled room.
It is an environment intentionally designed around children’s competence, curiosity, movement and right to play.
As for Your Qs
No. A YES Space is thoughtfully safeguarded. Educators still establish boundaries that protect children and others from genuine harm. The difference is that restrictions are intentional—not based solely on habit, convenience or an expectation of compliance.
No. The course encourages you to begin with one recurring “no” and make one intentional change. You will observe what happens, refine the change and build from there.
No. Many YES Space changes involve rearranging what you already have, improving access, reconsidering routines, removing unnecessary restrictions or changing how materials are presented. The course also includes low-cost ideas.
You can still begin within your sphere of influence. The course will help you identify changes you can make independently and prepare for conversations with colleagues, administrators and families when broader support is required.
No. YES Spaces is not anti-circle time or anti-small group. It asks educators to consider why a gathering is happening, whether participation needs to be mandatory and whether the experience respects children’s engagement, needs and choices.
The course does not encourage educators to ignore regulations. It helps you distinguish between actual licensing requirements and rules that may come from program habits, assumptions or overly cautious interpretations.
No. It is relevant to educators, pedagogical leaders, supervisors, directors, owners, consultants and anyone responsible for designing or influencing early childhood environments.
Modules release in stages starting September 9, with new content dropping regularly. The pacing is intentional. Lessons are short and practical, and the time between releases gives you space to put each one into practice before moving on.
Yes! Once you complete the YES Spaces course, you’ll receive a certificate of completion.
Yes. We offer a 30-day implementation guarantee. Show us you did the work and implemented the strategies from the course. If you’ve genuinely put what you learned into practice and it isn’t working for you, reach out within 30 days of purchase and we’ll refund your course fee.