With almost 15 years experience in the early years sector, Sophie Rayner-Grignon is a Canadian Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE), Coach, Facilitator, and ECC Infant Programming and curriculum specialist. For over a decade, she has worked directly with teen parents and their infants/toddlers as an educator and early interventionist providing high quality licensed care as part of a multidisciplinary team at an accredited youth and early childhood mental health centre. In this space, Sophie has been able to focus her passion for early Infant education and community by working in a variety of roles such as Ujima Project Early Literacy Specialist/Interventionist, Make the Connection Parenting group facilitator, City of Ottawa Pilot Professional Learning Leader, and currently Lead Toddler Educator. Sophie is known for their creative and inclusive Infant learning and education!

Sophie holds an honours diploma from Algonquin College’s Early childhood education program and has been in good standing as an RECE with the ontario college of early childhood educators since 2014. In 2025 she was awarded a unique bursary to participate in Algonquin College, Andrew Fleck, and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario’s pilot PLATO Play Learn and Teach in the Outdoors Course 1. Sophie is forever learner that has participated in a variety of professional development providing them with training and certifications such as Hanan Centre 5 i’s to socialize, SPARK Communication, and Teacher Talk (2023), Strong Minds Strong Kids Psychology Canada Make the Connection 1&2 Educator (2016 & 2024), SickKIDS IEMHP Foundations in Early Well Being: a Certificate in Infant and Mental Health 60 hour series (2015 & 2020), Motherhood College 10 part Building Resiliency course & reflective practice group, Circle of Security Classroom Approach (2024), Massachusetts General Hospital Think:Kids Collaborative Problem Solving Essentials & Tier 1 (2018 & 2026), and much more!

Most recently Sophie has become a partner with Queen’s University to support the first Canadian database of child development for children under the age of 6, the Canadian Database of Development, Infancy to Six (CanDDIS) utilizing her specialized training in Infant and Early Mental Health, Ages and Stages Questionnaire, and Early Intervention.

In addition to her work as an educator Sophie (she/they) is neurodivergent, a dedicated community volunteer, friendly neighbour, loving spouse, former bookseller, and cat person! Sessions with Sophie are all about connecting with our littlest learners, getting creative & silly, and inclusive and trauma-informed learning. Standing at under 5ft tall, Sophie is known in her local ECE community as Sophie the lil tattooed educator!