Education systems consulting
Education consulting in policy, program design, and the systems that make learning work. We work with colleges, government-funded networks, and Indigenous education organisations across Canada.
20+ years
Designing programs and policy in early learning
18 years
At Ivy Education Group, from assistant teacher to Executive Director
15 campuses
Early learning campuses across 5 cities in China
500 families
Served by the largest single campus
What we do
When an education program is struggling (staff are leaving, parents are dissatisfied, incidents keep happening, risk aversion is creeping in), the instinct is to treat each problem separately. Our instinct is to look underneath. There is almost always a missing or broken system at the root. Our job is to find it, and fix it in a way that holds. We also work with organisations that are functioning well and know they could be stronger.
Program and policy design
Licensing frameworks, curriculum architecture, and operational policy. This is the structural layer that determines whether a program survives leadership changes, funding shifts, and the ordinary pressure of growth. We build it to last, not to satisfy the next audit.
Indigenous-led education consulting
Working alongside Indigenous communities and organisations to design childcare and education systems grounded in community priorities and Indigenous ways of knowing, rather than adapted from someone else’s model or parachuted in from outside.
Staff development and training systems
Onboarding frameworks, professional learning structures, and training institutes built for scale. We built the Ivy Training Institute across 15 campuses in 5 cities in China. We know what a training system needs to hold under real operational pressure, and what causes it to quietly collapse.
Digital tools and EdTech
Interactive e-learning modules, facilitation tools, and practitioner-facing digital resources. Not off-the-shelf. Built for the specific context, tested with real users, and designed to be picked up and used without a manual.
A point of view
“After nearly two decades building early learning systems across China, I returned convinced that a truly Canadian approach to ECE has to be grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing, as the foundation rather than an add-on.”
Ryan Cardwell, M.Ed · Vertex Scholars
How we work
Conversation
A free first call with no agenda and no pitch. Just an honest conversation about what you’re working on and whether we’re the right fit.
Scoping
We scope the work carefully. What do you actually need? What does success look like? We agree on everything before anything starts.
Delivery
We do the work. Embedded where possible, responsive throughout, focused on producing something that will actually be used.
Handover
Every engagement ends with a clean handover: documentation, training, or whatever your team needs to run without depending on us.
All engagements are project-based and flat-fee. No hourly billing, no scope creep surprises.
Who we work with
Our clients are typically not looking for a quick fix. They’re building infrastructure (programs, policies, training systems) that needs to hold up over years, not just survive the next inspection cycle.
Indigenous education organisations
Community-controlled childcare networks and Indigenous-led education bodies developing systems that reflect their own knowledge and governance frameworks.
Colleges, universities, and institutions
Post-secondary programs, K-12 schools, and curriculum developers building education pipelines that bridge academic theory with what actually works on the ground.
Government-funded networks
Childcare networks, resource centres, and government-funded ECE bodies navigating policy implementation, compliance, and the challenge of building systems that outlast election cycles.
Digital tools
Learning Stories
A native iOS app for early childhood educators. Capture observations by voice, photo, or text, and turn real evidence into parent-ready learning stories in minutes, not evenings.
Apply for early access →Risky Play Negotiation Tool
A facilitation tool for ECE directors navigating team conversations about risk tolerance and outdoor play policy.
Open the tool →Supervision Layer Readiness Check
16 questions across 8 dimensions, with a scored radar chart, personalised priorities, and a step-by-step field guide.
Start the check →Program Health Diagnostic
A 30-question assessment across six dimensions of program quality. The most complete picture in one tool.
Start the diagnostic →AI Readiness Check
15 questions across policy, staff capacity, and data governance to assess your organisation’s readiness to use AI responsibly.
Start the check →Not sure which tool fits? Answer three quick questions and we’ll point you to the right one.
Under Constraint
A monthly newsletter on how human systems behave once real limits are introduced.
September 2026
From Four Classrooms to Fifteen Campuses, and the Hours Between
What it took to hold Ivy’s standards as one close-knit team became fifteen campuses, and why the teacher’s timetable turned into a strategic document.
Read on LinkedIn →June 2026
The Parent Is Not the Customer
A framework for the five roles in a private school, and what goes wrong when the people in them disagree about who the work is for.
Read on LinkedIn →May 2026
Your Job Is Not to Make Your Team Happy
Lessons from twenty years of managing teachers on why avoiding hard feedback isn’t kindness, and how to raise a concern clearly.
Read on LinkedIn →Programs, policies, and training systems that hold up under real pressure. If that’s what you’re working on, book a free first call, or start with one of the diagnostics to see where things stand.