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Sharyn Timerman
Founder and Director
Welcome to
The Early Years Family Development Centre Inc. Since 1996 we are providing child development workshops, personal family coaching, and parent education. Founder Sharyn Timerman is at the helm providing tools that will encourage parents to build foundations that respect the unity of the family, and to teach and mentor children to make healthy choices that will last a lifetime.
Sharyn has always promoted that with a few parenting tools and creative discipline, we can communicate more effectively with our children. Her “Tools in your pocket” approach allows every parent to experience success at their own pace and according to their personal family needs.
It is critical to motivate and inspire children while setting rules and guidelines. We want to help all children acquire habits, goals and knowledge to become well- functioning adults.
We want to raise our children with love, warmth and respect while being their parent, not their friend. We can teach them the art of negotiation, to have their say but not necessarily their way.
The Early Years goals are to help parents embrace teachable moments and manage those daily roadblocks. To give life to learning while keeping one’s dignity intact.
Are you looking for a new and exciting career?
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Certified Child Behavior Specialists
The Early Years Services
On site role modelling and staff advisor in the daycare system
Observing children in their classroom or daycare setting
Private counselling for parents on all child behaviour matters
Monthly women’s groups
Parenting seminars and workshops
Grandparent workshops
We seek to raise our children with love, warmth and respect always as their parent. As they grow we can do many “friend” activities and still be their parent.
Reviews
It is almost impossible for me to put into words the incredible role Sharyn has played in helping my husband and I raise our family. From the very first time we contacted her, she has always been there to lend a helping hand whenever we have felt uncertain about how to handle an array of different situations with our three boys. Each and every time, regardless of the issues at hand, Sharyn has always offered a way to look at any given situation with a fresh eye and new perspective, making parenting struggles feel that much more manageable. We feel so blessed to have crossed paths with her and she is a true gem.
The first time I met Sharyn was when I attended one of her workshops in Toronto. Following months of frustration with my toddler son, I was immediately enlightened by Sharyn’s ability to see things from a child’s point of view. She gave us a practical list called “tools in your pocket,” which was exactly what I needed during those times when you just don’t know what to do next. Since then, my husband and I refresh our parenting skills several times a year by meeting with Sharyn over zoom. Sharyn really supports and encourages us and makes us feel like ‘we’ve got this.’ Most importantly, Sharyn provides us with the clarity we need to parent in the way we would like – with the utmost respect for our children.
Contacting Sharyn was one of the best parenting decisions we have made! It’s not easy to navigate the emotions of a toddler mind, we learned how to parent based on how we were parented and we turned out pretty good so we thought we would apply all that we had learned from our parents to our little guy, well our little guy was not behaving as we hoped!
We were faced with a child who was hitting, who threw tantrums, who would not listen and was very hard to deal with, all the tools we thought we had were not working and we were having trouble keeping calm! We decided we needed help so we contacted
Sharyn and she gave us so many amazing tools that really, really worked! We had trouble at home and at pre-school. Sharyn was able to visit our little guy’s preschool to observe him and offer some extra help at school as well, even the teachers began to apply some of Sharyn’s tools and they too expressed that these tools work! We have such a short time frame to help our children be the happiest they can be, to help them build strong foundations for their well being now and in the future, having help from Sharyn we feel confident that as a family we are helping our children create a strong foundation of happiness and wellbeing that will serve them throughout their entire lives.
Thank you Sharyn
Hi Sharyn,
I just wanted to thank you again so much for giving us the confidence to help Laila get her sleep back on track! Since working with you she has been great and is back to sleeping out at her grandmothers every Friday. The baby cried the other night for the first time in a while and he was very loud for over an hour and Laila slept right through it! I guess when his crying used to wake her up it was coinciding with her sleep regression. I find the whole thing fascinating! Also, I completely buy into internal versus external rewards. Laila is so proud of being a great “sleeping beauty sneaker” which is the name she chose for our family when we had the family meeting at first!!
Thanks again and I look forward to reaching out for our inevitable next bump in the road 🙂
Sharyn’s sessions have been instrumental in forming my parenting techniques. Her toolbox of strategies are so helpful on a daily basis. I often think of her recommendations when dealing with various situations. I’ve really enjoyed our sessions of discussing a variety of scenarios with Sharyn and other mothers. It was a great support system.
When a friend approached me to participate in a set of sessions on parenting, I was really not into the idea. My millennial self was very happy with my Facebook Mommy groups and felt there were no parenting mysteries that couldn’t be solved through a simple Google search. I apprehensively participated if only to just meet other moms with kids my age and soon realized the error of my ways. Besides the fact that Sharyn’s wealth of knowledge easily challenges the contents of any parenting and childhood search result on Google, her compassion, warmth, insights and personal anecdotes are just no match for my toddler-defaced laptop. Her sessions were always on point, but also as off point as we needed them to become in order to gain the necessary perspective we didn’t even know we needed. Every session with Sharyn was like a giant “Aha Moment”, where I left feeling like an infinitely smarter parent every time, armed with the tools to manage my young kids in a healthy and positive way. Sharyn is like a super hero who is willing to share her super power that can see into the child’s mind, and for that, she deserves a cape.
Hope you understand how much I appreciated our meetings!
Have a great summer.
Sharyn has come to host workshops on several occasions during our PED days. Her experience, empathy and passion for the field of Early Childhood Education shines through as she leads us through her very hands-on workshops. The feedback received from teachers at the end of her sessions summarizes why we keep bringing her back: “More time with Sharyn Timerman!”, “Bring back Sharyn!”, and “More Sharyn please!!”. “I learned many new teaching tips” and “I loved how Sharyn made us feel”. This is why we keep asking her to come back. Yasmine Ghandour Founder, General Director Orchard House Preschool yasmine@orchard-house.ca www.orchard-house.ca (514) 483-6556
Teacher’s Workshop at Pinewood Elementary School
In January of 2015, our school invited Sharyn Timerman of “The Early Years” to give a workshop that would help address some behavioural issues that the teachers were experiencing with some of their students.
Her presentation focused on providing us with what she referred to as, “Tools in Your Pocket” which she explained were simple, everyday tools that could be applied to any given situation and with any student. She gave us numerous personal anecdotes to back up her theory and explained in great detail how we would be able to use her tools with our students, at any given time. I believe I speak on behalf of everyone when I say that the teachers appreciated walking away feeling confident and prepared to apply Sharyn’s tools to any problem or circumstance that could arise in the classroom.
In addition, we liked how approachable Sharyn was as she mentioned she was available anytime via phone or email to guide us, should a problem seem too extreme for us to tackle on our own. We found the experience to be beneficial to us as professionals since we may not always have the answers when faced with unforeseen classroom situations. We would strongly recommend Sharyn to any school, or family for that matter, that is seeking guidance and tools when dealing with children with various needs.
Sincerely,
Parents of Toddlers who are Potty Training:
Just wanted to quickly share my story and how Sharyn heard my SOS & was able to help & empower with just a short phone call! Incredibly grateful. So my daughter is 2.5 and we have a new baby on the way while trying to potty train. Yup…many many things can go wrong here, LOL! We were doing ok with pee and pretty well mastered no accidents and just pull ups at nap and bed but poop was a real issue and point of contention for her. She had become constipated and was holding back going at all whether in a pull up or not turning into a vicious cycle of painful times and then trauma for the next time she felt the urge. This was becoming a major issue and worst of all cutting into sleep routine and starting to become a bargaining chip…one more pee pee mixed with when poop would finally come. I was quickly starting to see this was a slippery slope and was unsure of how to navigate it all.
I reached to Sharyn via her website, gave her all the background I could think of and said HELLPPPPP! Tell me if this is normal and will pass or if I need to tweak what we are doing? She was prompt in getting right back to me and we chatted before the weekend which was PRICELESS to a stressed out mama whose husband was out of town to boot! She empowered me with reassurance for all the things I WAS doing right and a few tweaks in my language and reward system as well as the confidence to STAY CONSISTANT and not allow doubt or my own fears to creep in and cloud my vision. 15min and I tell you I was breathing much easier. My daughter and I had a talk that night after story time, went over our shared plan for sleep routine and all the steps we took as a family before getting into bed. I absolutely believe my tone and confidence came across LOUD & CLEAR as she made eye contact, engaged in the process with me, promised to keep up her end of the deal and we shook on it. Low and behold not a peep out of her that night or for the next ones.
It has now been almost two weeks and I am happy to report she only tested us one night to cry out and insist on more water. We did not cave and she learned not to try it again. And best of all a few nights ago on her own when she felt the urge to poo and told us…we gave her the choice as we always did, if she wanted her pull up or to go on the toilet and she chose the toilet! She was soooo proud of herself and so were we. I cant thank Sharyn enough for being there in my time of uncertainty and giving me those quick extra tools that really made all the difference!
With our most sincere gratitude
Sharyn Timerman has been a wonderful support to our family over the past few years. With her positive energy and refreshing outlook on parenting, Sharyn has helped us to celebrate our children’s unique personalities and embrace who they are as people. We have consulted Sharyn on a variety of behavioural issues. Not only did she come up with tailored plans, but also she validated our frustrations and applauded our efforts. Her plans were easy to implement and provided concrete results. Consulting Sharyn has helped to make us better parents, and a stronger and happier family. We have been so fortunate to take her along on our adventure through parenthood.
Over the past 5 years, I have attended Sharyn’s early childhood programs, parenting sessions and am currently in a parlor group lead by Sharyn for the second time around. Sharyn should be refered to as the parent whisperer. Not only is she resourceful, she’s also non-judgemental, down to earth and has a great sense of humour! She has given me the skills to be a better parent by not only giving me the tools to confront daily parenting challenges but by teaching me how and when to use them.
Every time my children drive me crazy, I actually take a couple of seconds to think about how Sharyn would suggest I handle the situation… So helpful! I would highly recommend Sharyn to anyone who may be in need of positive change.
We had the privilege in meeting Sharyn when our oldest was 3 years old. He attended her nursery school at that time. As parents of The Early Years, we were blessed by her love for all the children at her pre-school and fortunate to have received parenting counseling from her. Her counsel consisted of, among other things, understanding the whole child, understanding the development of the child, positive reinforcement, affirmation of a child’s feelings and discipline with love as correction of negative behavior. We have witnessed firsthand the positive long-term results because of her guidance throughout our “parenting adventure”. Our oldest is now 15 and our youngest 12 years of age. It’s not over yet as we continue our partnership with her now that we have teenagers in our midst. Sharyn is not only a great parenting counselor but also a wonderful lady with an infectious smile and positive attitude. We love her and our 2 children love her!
Sharyn is THE leader to have for your parlour group. Her incredible background gives her the ability to provide us with a wealth of information about a variety of topics directly related to our day to day interactions with our children, our families and ourselves. She comes prepared with useful tips and tools that we can take home and apply with ease into our daily lives. She sets the tone for a relaxed but fun environment in which to share our milestones, our difficulties and our ups and downs. We truly look forward to our monthly meeting with Sharyn where we always learn something about our children, about ourselves and about life.
Dear Sharyn, Deciding to join a parlour group with you was the best decision I have made in a long time! In my hectic life your advice, recommendations and ‘tools’ are what guide me and keep me calm. When I am faced with a challenging parenting situation, I try to channel the ‘Sharyn’ in me to handle it in a way that will make me feel proud. Thanks to you and the amazing women in our group I am a better mother and wife but most importantly I am a better ME. Thank you so much and I look forward to next year.
I have had the honor of knowing Sharyn Timerman for the past 11 years. She has this infectious way of speaking to children. You can never learn enough from her. When you start your journey of raising your children you have the innate skills to provide food, shelter, clothing and lots of love. However, when it comes to tantrums, the rebellious no’s from a 2 year old, and any behavior issues, Sharyn is your “go to” person. Sharyn has always been a guiding source for me as a mother and my children who had her as a teacher! She has incredible patience, creativity and a natural knack for connecting with children. If I had to choose one thing about Sharyn that I like best, it would be her unique way of communicating with children. I am in awe of her tone of voice, her words and the respect with which she speaks. I would reach out to this very special lady Sharyn Timerman in a heartbeat and whenever I have, she has always been there.
We first spoke to Sharyn when we were having sleep issues with our 2 ½ year old who had recently transferred to a bed. It took just 2 nights and he was back to sleeping through the night! Since then we have continued to consult with Sharyn on multiple issues and by using her recommendations we are seeing tremendous progress. Sharyn is kind, enthusiastic and shows genuine interest in her clients. Her plans are logical, easy to implement and are all about setting up children to succeed. We have learned that there really is an answer to everything and that there need not be a crisis in order to gain knowledge. We could not be happier with our experience with Sharyn.
The best move we ever made was contacting Sharyn Timerman. She has the most useful and effective ideas on how to raise children and even more, she helps us to be more relaxed when dealing with them. She encourages us and gives us so much hope. We have a much better approach to child rearing since we met with her. She has also given us helpful advice on how to get along as a couple and within the family unit.
We would highly recommend Sharyn to anyone who wants to be encouraged in understanding and dealing with their children and/or partner.
I have had the pleasure of working alongside Sharyn for many years in the classroom and then worked for her when she was the director of an early childhood centre. I was her senior educator. Sharyn’s philosophy in this field, her understanding of children’s developmental issues and her insightful tenderness into the needs of parents is highly admirable. She has the ability to make each person feel special and she respects the individual differences we all possess. I have the greatest respect for Sharyn’s knowledge, passion, devotion, kindness and generosity. She is an excellent communicator. What makes Sharyn unique is that she not only meets the needs of children and their parents, but she is also able to train caregivers and teachers. Her enthusiasm is contagious, her professionalism is uplifting and she is extremely skilled in helping others realize their full potential. Over the years she has inspired me to be the best I can be.
I feel truly blessed to be able to work with Sharyn Timerman. She has been our “go to advisor” for 4 years now. I can honestly say we have seen results and achieved true success with her guidance. Sharyn’s dynamic personality combined with her true knowledge of early childhood behaviors have aided us in a variety of areas. Her tips and tools are unique and her plans are simple to follow. If you use them properly and follow the plan, you will achieve great success. I know we did and our family is more happy and functional as a result. Thank you Sharyn, I would recommend you over and over again.
My family has had the privilege of working with Sharyn to help our three year old learn how to fall asleep on his own. Not only was Sharyn extremely knowledgeable and empathetic but she also provided us with amazing follow up. She would e-mail or call a few times a week to make sure we were receiving the support that we needed and that we were able to follow through. She presented the strategies as “a gift to give your child” and we truly felt that the gift was having Sharyn in our home. We look forward to working with Sharyn as our kids grow up.
Dear Sharyn: Thank you for a truly informative, inspiring and empowering year with our group. Your tips, knowledge and insight is truly valuable and we are thankful to have this outlet to help us be the best moms and women we can be. Have a great summer.
Contacting Sharyn was the best parenting decision I have made. She not only helped me get my sons behavior on track, she helped me become a better parent. She helped me see and understand who my son is as a person. Focus on his positive attributes and turn the ones that aren’t so desirable into more productive ones. She taught me to listen to my son and talk to him. She helped me gain a different perspective on parenting. I now see my job as that of a teacher. I am teaching and guiding this young person to be the best person he can be. She also taught me to take care of myself so that I can be the best parent I can be (although I admit I still don’t take care of myself as much as I should! But I also don’t know many mothers out there that do!) When I first contacted Sharyn I was at my wits end. My then 3 ½ year old’s rough behavior towards his baby brother was controlling our lives. Every time I turned around he was hurting his baby brother who was only 6 months old. I was embarrassed to take the kids out anywhere and embarrassed to have people over to our house. I was so tired and stressed out that at one point while trying to get a moments peace I jumped into the bath with my socks on!! We had tried everything. I had contacted some local agencies for help and received a few pieces of advice with little or no follow up. We tried things like reward charts, time outs, taking things (toys) away and of course none of it worked. We were at the point that we were going to take him to the doctor to see if there was something wrong with him… of course there isn’t… he just needed some guidance and we just needed the right tools to get his behavior on track. Now, I say “get his behavior on track” but it is much more than this. Yes Sharyn gave me the tools to help with my son’s rough behavior and her methods worked…. QUICK! But her methods are way more than a quick fix! Soon after I contacted Sharyn I was able to make it through an entire grocery shop with both kids in the cart and I was ecstatic! But it is now… a year later that I am truly seeing the benefits of using Sharyn’s tools. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are still times when he is rough with his brother. He is still 4 ½ and sibling rivalry still exists. But thanks to Sharyn we are making progress every day and he is learning to be a truly wonderful, caring person. I have seen many examples of him demonstrating empathy for not only his little brother but other friends and family members as well. We were recently at a friend’s house and the kids now 4 ½ and 18 months were playing. There was a 2 year old boy there who was quite big and a little rough. Thinking he was playing, the 2 year old walked over to my 18 month old and pushed him down on the ground. Now my baby is quite small for his age so he … well….. went flying! My 4 ½ year old went over to him and picked him up… his eyes (the baby’s) were full of tears and my 4 ½ year old said “Mommy! Look at his face!” and he brought him to me and we all shared in a cuddle. My heart melted! Not only did he NOT go after the 2 year old and hit him (which he would’ve done before) but he used the exact words I’d been using with him and truly showed empathy for his little brother!! The way that my son reacted in this situation proved to me that all the work I’d been doing really made a difference in him as a person. He now understands his body and knows how his actions can affect others. He will now stop if he sees someone get hurt and ask them “are you ok?” If he sees his brother upset he runs to comfort him or tries to distract him with a toy or something else that will make him feel better. His focus is on protecting and caring for his brother rather than hurting him. This is an amazing transformation and I have Sharyn to thank for giving me the tools and confidence to teach him these important life skills. Sharyn is amazing! She always checks in with me through emails and phone calls to see how things are going and seems to have a sixth sense to check in at the right time… when I may have been getting a little off track, she is there to guide me. Although I have never met Sharyn (as she lives in Montreal and I in Toronto), the difference she has made in our lives is remarkable! All I can say it that I now have regular baths with my socks off and I am forever in Sharyn’s debt for that luxury!!
As the Owner & Operator of La Petite École, a French enrichment preschool in Toronto, Canada, I have had the privilege of working with Sharyn Timerman. Sharyn possesses a remarkable ability to empower educators and families, instilling a sense of hope and excitement even in the face of challenging behaviors. From our very first meeting, Sharyn’s infectious optimism left me feeling invigorated and eager to implement her strategies.
What sets Sharyn apart is her unique approach that not only avoids discouragement but actively cultivates confidence in both parents and educators. She goes above and beyond by providing accessible and flexible training methods, including easy-to-follow take-home documents. Sharyn’s commitment to making her strategies understandable and implementable is truly commendable.
I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Sharyn. Her dedication to early childhood development and her genuine, human-centered approach makes her an invaluable asset to any organization seeking to enhance their educators’ capabilities or any parent striving to create a nurturing environment for their child’s growth. Sharyn Timerman is more than just an expert; she is a beacon of positivity and empowerment in the field of early childhood education.
As the owner of The Little Campus, the Child Behavior Certification Program has been integral to our mission of nurturing the whole child through a blend of developmental and behavioral best practices. Sharyn’s expertise has empowered our educators to employ strategies centered on Social Emotional Learning, which has dramatically set the dynamics within our classrooms up for success. By minimizing the use of ‘no’ and instead fostering an environment of ‘can do’, we’ve created a nurturing, positive atmosphere that encourages children to thrive. Our educators have gained not only a deeper understanding of brain science and development but also practical tools for effectively guiding children through challenges such as separation anxiety, tantrums, and potty readiness. Sharyn has encouraged us to, “fix the environment rather than the child” leading to an inclusive, supportive space that caters to each child’s unique needs and potentials. We’ve witnessed remarkable progress in our students’ ability to self-regulate and engage with peers cooperatively, validating the profound impact of Sharyn’s program on our educational approach.
Sharyn in the news
Sharyn was one of three interviewed for an article on intergenerational play for the “Toy Industry Association”. Read more…
How to handle an overly talkative kid – Today’s Parent – Read more…
When a child’s quota is used up – Today’s Parent – Read more…
