The Early Childhood Coach Academy

The Literacy Toolbox: Resources, Programs and Practical Tips

Discover practical ways to support early literacy development in young children. In this on-demand workshop, The Literacy Toolbox: Resources, Programs and Practical Tips, speech-language pathologist Melissa joins Anisha in an engaging, interview-style conversation exploring effective literacy strategies for the classroom.

Designed for educators and childcare professionals, this session covers early intervention, phonemic awareness, and integrating literacy into everyday routines. Walk away with creative tips, cost-effective tools, and a clearer understanding of how to build strong literacy foundations for all learners.

About the Interviewee - Melissa Gagnon

Owner of Empower Communication Services & A Speech-Language Pathologist

Melissa is the owner of Empower Communication Services. She completed her undergraduate program in Health Science at the University of Western Ontario and her Masters in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Toronto. Melissa has been working as a Speech-Language Pathologist since 2011 and has experience with both children and adults in the public and private sectors.

Melissa started a private practice eight years ago because of her passion and desire to educate and empower families to support their child(ren) in becoming successful communicators and readers! Melissa understands the importance of early literacy intervention based on the science of reading and has pursued multiple continuing education opportunities in this area.

She has developed various literacy initiatives including preschool readiness programs to support foundational literacy skills, summer literacy programs, parent information sessions, educator workshops, and more. She is a guest lecturer at the University of Toronto and has been awarded the Women in Business award in 2021.

Melissa is a mother to two young children and recognizes the value of early intervention and the need to provide families with activities that can be incorporated into their everyday routines.

The Literacy Toolbox: Resources, Programs and Practical Tips

Course
1 Lesson

ON-DEMAND WORKSHOP: This workshop is a practical, interview-style session with speech-language pathologist Melissa Gagnon. Learn how to support early literacy through simple strategies, effective interventions, and everyday classroom tools. Topics include phonemic awareness, early intervention, creative literacy activities, and must-have resources for building strong literacy foundations.

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Meet "Your Early Childhood Coach" Anisha Angella

Anisha Angella is an Early Childhood Education (ECE) Specialist who has been in the industry for over 13+ years. With a degree in Early Childhood Education Studies, Anisha has held many roles over the years. She has led childcare programs, taught college programs, and worked as a senior manager overseeing 45+ childcare locations. She is also the CEO and Founder of The Early Childhood Coach — a powerhouse for all things childcare consulting, coaching, and training. Her success has allowed her to gain exposure through Authority Magazine and The Today Show. Anisha wants to see other members of the ECE community succeed and loves to share her wealth of knowledge through speaking at a variety of events. Anisha’s speaking engagements focus on diversity in ECE, leadership, mental health and burnout in ECE, and effective communication with parents and staff. She has spoken at over 50 events worldwide and is always looking forward to her next engagement.

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Hear from others about Anisha and ECC Academy

Anisha is such a pleasure to work with. She is incredibly well-versed in the field of early childhood education and always levelling up her knowledge and skills when it comes to trends in the education space. Anisha has collaborated with us by presenting her own material and hosting a panel at our conference. She is incredibly organized and is always prepared and truly a joy to work with. We love having Anisha part of our community

Lillio

We have worked with Anisha over the last few months in a variety of ways. So it began with Anisha coming for a meet and greet she literally dissected our thoughts and our brains at that short timeframe and came up with this master plan on how we are going to better our team and our business and for lack of better words "level up and that is exactly what we did with Anisha. She performs a series of learning and development with our team and they have been a complete success and everyone always looks forward to them"

Melor

The Literacy Toolbox - Full Recording