At the most basic level, 45 Conversations is a media and education company that is based in British Columbia, Canada. We are owned and operated by Jane Boyd, a Canadian early childhood educator and entrepreneur with more than 25 years experience in the field of early learning & child care. Information about our products and services can be found below as well as through these links: 45 Conversations, ECE Workshops & ECE Retreats.
We love using digital media, tools and online collaboration in a multitude of ways to support the work we do. And through face-to-face and online ECE professional development workshops and retreats, customized training and solution-oriented consulting we help people, organizations and communities achieve the goals that matter the very most to them.
Q: What is 45 Conversations Media and Education Ltd.? A: 45 Conversations Media and Education Ltd. is a company that specializes in providing educational and professional development services. It focuses primarily on the field of Early Childhood Education (ECE). The company offers a range of services, including online professional development, personalized coaching and mentoring for ECE professionals, and consulting on child care program development.
Q: Who founded 45 Conversations Media and Education Ltd.? A: The company was founded by Jane Boyd, a seasoned professional in the field of Early Childhood Education. Jane Boyd has over 25 years of experience in the industry and is known for her expertise in various aspects of ECE, including program development, team dynamics, and inclusive education.
Q: What services does 45 Conversations offer? A: 45 Conversations offers a variety of services tailored for the Early Childhood Education sector. These include online professional development workshops, mentoring and coaching for ECE professionals, consulting services for child care program design and management, and specialized support for neurodivergent individuals and inclusive education practices.
Q: What makes 45 Conversations unique in the field of ECE? A: What sets 45 Conversations apart is its commitment to personalized, inclusive, and innovative educational solutions. Founded and led by Jane Boyd, the company brings a wealth of experience and a holistic approach to ECE. It focuses on not just the educational aspects but also on fostering positive relationships, work-life balance, mindfulness and supportive environments for both educators and learners.
Q: How does 45 Conversations contribute to the professional growth of ECE educators? A: Through its array of services like coaching, mentoring, and online professional development, 45 Conversations supports ECE educators in enhancing their skills, navigating career challenges, and staying updated with the latest trends and best practices in the field. The company provides a supportive platform for continuous learning and professional growth.
Q: Can 45 Conversations assist in developing child care programs? A: Yes, 45 Conversations offers consulting services that assist in the design, development, and management of child care programs. This includes helping with program feasibility, operational strategies, curriculum design, and aligning with early learning frameworks, all tailored to meet the specific needs of the program and community.
Meet Our Team
Jane Boyd, Child Care Consultant & Early Learning System Designer/CEO 45 Conversations Media & Education Ltd.
Jane Boyd is a nationally recognized child care consultant and leader in the Canadian early childhood education (ECE) sector with more than 25 years of experience designing, developing, and managing high-quality early learning programs. She has been certified as an Early Childhood Educator in five Canadian provinces and has supported the creation of child care programs of all sizes — from small home-based programs to large group centres, including award-winning workplace child care facilities and family-friendly workplace initiatives that address work-life balance for employees.
In addition to her consulting work, Jane is the founder, designer, and operator of Summerside Montessori Children’s Studio in Summerside, Prince Edward Island — a Montessori-inspired early learning centre that serves as both a high-quality program for local children and a living “learning lab” for the development of new ideas, training, and research in early childhood education.
Jane is widely respected for her expertise in developing blended philosophy programs that integrate authentic Montessori and Montessori-inspired approaches with other leading practices in early childhood education. She is skilled at designing customized curriculum aligned with provincial and territorial early learning frameworks and is highly sought after for her ability to bring together best practices from Montessori, Reggio-inspired, play-based, and culturally relevant approaches.
A significant focus of Jane’s current work is supporting Indigenous-led child care development across Canada. She is actively involved in multiple new projects, ranging from programs located on school grounds to a multi-million-dollar, purpose-built child care facility for Homalco First Nation. This landmark project will integrate Homalco culture, language, and Montessori-informed practice into a world-class early learning environment designed to serve children, families, and the community for generations to come.
Crucially, Jane serves as the child care voice at the table during the design and construction process. She works closely with architects, contractors, and design teams to ensure that every aspect of a facility — from floor plans to lighting, materials, and flow — meets licensing requirements, supports staff well-being, and creates environments that truly work for children. Her role bridges the gap between technical design and real-world child care operations, ensuring that facilities are functional, compliant, and inspiring.
Through 45 Conversations Media & Education Ltd., Jane leads a comprehensive suite of services for the child care sector, including:
- Being the Child Care Voice at the Table – representing the needs of children, families, educators, and operators during design and construction projects; collaborating with architects, contractors, and licensing; and ensuring that facilities are functional, compliant, and inspiring from the earliest planning stages through to occupancy.
- Child Care Consulting & Feasibility Studies – assessing community needs, developing feasibility studies, and supporting organizations and governments to plan and implement new licensed child care spaces.
- Grant Writing & Capital Funding Support – guiding clients through public funding processes, preparing strong applications for provincial and federal funding, and ensuring compliance with reporting and accountability requirements.
- Program Design & Curriculum Development – building customized, inclusive programs that reflect each community’s philosophy, culture, and priorities while aligning with early learning frameworks.
- Design Team Participation & Licensing Guidance – serving as the ECE representative in facility planning meetings, reviewing drawings, advising on room layouts and equipment, and liaising with licensing to ensure compliance throughout construction and occupancy.
- Inclusive Practice & System Design – advising on inclusion strategies, supporting children with exceptional needs, and designing environments that welcome and celebrate diversity, including neurodivergent learners.
- Professional Development & Training – delivering engaging online workshops, conferences, and professional learning opportunities for early childhood educators, operators, and leaders.
- Leadership Coaching & Mentoring – helping owners, directors, and teams build strong organizational cultures, improve communication, and create programs that thrive.
- Strategic Planning & Policy Development – supporting child care operators and governments to strengthen early learning systems, improve quality, and create sustainable business models.
- Digital Content & Sector Communications – developing content strategies, online training products, and thought-leadership materials to amplify the impact of early learning initiatives.
Jane is also leading several forward-looking initiatives, including the Follow the Child Book Series (launching in 2026), digital training products, and personal and professional development courses that empower educators and leaders to improve quality and expand access to early learning.
Passionate about creating environments where children and educators can thrive, Jane’s work is characterized by a deep respect for the child, a belief in the power of collaboration, and a commitment to helping communities design child care programs that are financially viable, culturally meaningful, and future-ready.
To learn more about Jane please visit her full bio here.
Annette King, Digital Projects & Innovation Advisor
Annette has spent her career helping organisations turn ideas into action and create meaningful impact for communities. She was a driving force behind Digital Birmingham, launched in 2006 to position Birmingham as a leading digital and smart city. As Innovation Manager, she worked with partners to secure funding, develop new initiatives, and ensure the city stayed ahead in using technology for social good.
Her experience spans working with public and voluntary sector organisations, local enterprise partnerships, private businesses, universities, government departments, and European partners. She has led the development of proof-of-concept projects, attracted funding from organisations such as Innovate UK and the Department for Work and Pensions, and delivered initiatives focused on digital inclusion and community resilience.
Annette has also held leadership positions including President and Board Director of Citysave (Birmingham’s largest Credit Union) and Member of the Local Government Pension Advisory Board. In recognition of her contributions to digital transformation, she was named one of the UK’s Top 50 Digital Leaders in 2013.
Today, Annette works in close collaboration with Jane Boyd and 45 Conversations Media & Education Ltd., supporting projects that strengthen early learning systems and create sustainable, high-quality programs for children, families, and educators. Together, Jane and Annette are:
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Developing the Follow the Child Book Series (launching in 2026), a thought-leadership series that brings together leading practices and approaches in early childhood education and diverse world views to inspire educators, leaders, and parents.
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Creating Digital Training Products and Courses to support educator professional development, leadership growth, and personal transformation.
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Advising on Publicly Funded Projects and Grants, providing guidance on project management, ensuring alignment with funding requirements, and helping deliver meaningful outcomes for communities.
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Exploring Research and Innovation Opportunities, identifying ways to apply new ideas, data, and collaborative approaches that strengthen early learning programs and improve outcomes for children and families.
Annette is passionate about inclusion and believes that access to knowledge, technology, and opportunity can improve quality of life for everyone. Her work reflects a commitment to collaboration, innovation, and building strong foundations for the future of early learning and care.
Melanie James, Early Childhood Education Practice Advisor
With over 22 years experience working in and operating licensed child care programs in BC, Canada. Melanie is committed to offering child care that meets the unique needs of children and families. She holds certification in BC as an Early Childhood Educator, Infant-Toddler Educator and Special Needs Educator. Melanie works closely with ECE Workshops and ECE Retreats to ensure our ECE online workshops and our ECE professional development workshops and retreat experiences are of the highest quality and well aligned with best practice in the field.
Based in Campbell River, Canada Melanie currently operates a licensed In-Home Multi-Age Child Care program that serves the child care needs of her community. Calm, intuitive, committed and caring are all words that describe the kind of early childhood educator Melanie is. An advocate for supporting children with exceptionalities, individuals with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and for a variety of learning styles , Melanie applies her wealth of experience to supporting the uniqueness of the children, families and educators she works with. Melanie is married with 2 children.
Gigi Peterkin, Child Care Projects & Consulting Advisor
Gigi Peterkin uses her combined 25 years of experience in Marketing, Communications, and PR to guide her Business Coaching clients to more revenue through owning their story, aligning their offers, and connecting with the right clients.
Throughout her career, Gigi has launched countless projects, brands, fundraisers, and built a few businesses. No longer looking for the “next big thing,” she practices Intentional Business Coaching, using Mindfulness and Intentionality to teach her clients to break through the barriers that hold them back from achieving their biggest goals.
In addition to Coaching, Gigi is a professional speaker (SXSW, the Business Development Institute, and on stages from Paris to London, NYC, L.A., and many stops in between), meeting facilitator (In-person ECE Workshops with Jane Boyd, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca), content collaborator (ECE Workshops), and a Writer. Hew new book “Confessions of a Story Hoarder” will be available for pre-order at the end of 2019.
An ocean-lover landlocked in Philadelphia, PA along with her family, Gigi finds joy in good friends, good wine, good books, traveling with her partner, and spending time outside with her energetic dogs and not-so-energetic teenagers. You can learn more about Gigi on her website
45 Conversations also has a number of other educational advisors and partners that we collaborate with — locally and globally.
Who 45 Conversations Works With
45 Conversations serves two main audiences:
- Early Childhood Education Sector – Early Childhood Educators, Early Learning & Care Programs and Child Care Programs.
- Business, Community & Government Consulting, speaking and strategic planning related to child care, early childhood education and work-life harmony.
45 Conversations, ECE Workshops & ECE Retreats
45 Conversations areas of service focus include:
- Mentoring, Training, Professional Development & Education Resources
- Online Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators through ECE Workshops
- Personalized ECE Mentoring & Coaching Calls
- Face to Face Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators through ECE Retreats
- Retreats for Entrepreneurs, Educators, Community Development and Key Stakeholder Groups.
- Online Child Care & Early Childhood Education Resources
- Customized Mentoring & Coaching Services for Early Childhood Education Sector
- Consulting & Strategic Planning Services
- Early Learning & Child Care Consulting Services for Community & Government
- Workplace Child Care Consulting Services
- Customized Strategic Planning
- Grant & Funding Applications
- Early Learning & Child Care Marketing & Media
- Customized Speaking Engagements
- Areas of Focus:
- Finding Your Voice — Speaking Your Truth
- Why The Stories We Tell Ourselves Matter
- Child Care Philosophy
- Aligning Child Care Program Philosophy with Day to Day ECE Practice
- Mindfulness & ECE Practice
- Mindfulness & ECE Self-Care
- Living with Purpose & Intention
- Work-Life Balance
- It’s Not About Easy — It’s About Following The Child
- Inclusive Child Care Programming
- Child Care Teambuilding
- Building Your Child Care Program Vision for Tomorrow
- Other Customized Topics Available
- Areas of Focus:
We work hard to address the issues that really matter. And to offer innovative solutions, customized consulting, online professional development and face-to-face training and retreats that truly make a difference.
45 Conversations has an array of collaborative partners that we have brought together. These talented folks are based around the world and offer a wealth of expertise and knowledge in the fields of business, education, marketing and so much more.
From designing, developing and overseeing workplace child care programs to implementing regional multi-stakeholder needs assessments — we work with our clients and partners to bring about the change they seek, the education the require or the consulting solutions that are necessary. Our approach allows us to customize our services and solutions for each client and project that we work on. From designing unique mixed philosophy approaches for application in a range of education settings to working with c-suite executives on issues related to employee engagement and leadership — we understand what it takes to get people both engaged and invested.
We add in the right touches of online collaboration, social media outreach and digital marketing strategies.
What Has Our Attention Right Now
At 45 Conversations, we are strongly influenced by real people and local/global relationships. We love the amazing things can come from using social media and online collaborative tools. And from face-to-face conversations.
Our founder, Jane Boyd strongly believes in the power of connection, collaboration and storytelling. Especially when that connection, collaboration and storytelling empowers people, communities and organizations to do good — personally and professionally. Most especially when it involves strengthening the personal and professional capacity of early childhood educators.
Partnering with product developers, events, business, community and educators; we are constantly developing real & online conversations and partnerships that build awareness, drive interaction/collaboration levels and influence the way people think about the issues that really matter — in business, education and community.
We are committed to growing 45 Conversations into a company that makes a true difference to everyone who experiences the products and services we deliver. We are guided by intention and generosity in all aspects of the work we do.
Thank You for Being Here!
People and relationships matter. We truly mean it when we say we are glad you are here. We would love to know how we can be of service to you as we expand the horizons of 45 Conversations. Should you wish to contact us here are the details.
