Professional development

ECA virtual conference underway, celebrating children’s right to play, learn and be heard

Freya Lucas

Sep 07, 2021

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The Early Childhood Australia (ECA) National Conference is underway in a COVID-friendly online format, bringing together more than 2,500 early childhood educators, researchers and practitioners to hear and learn from prominent international and Australian early childhood leaders.

Running from 6-9 September inclusive, the National Conference celebrates young children as citizens with rights and explores ways to respect and support these rights, particularly through play-based pedagogy and child-informed practice.

The conference will also bring together experts to share ideas, knowledge and experiences aimed at improving early childhood education and care (ECEC).

A number of prominent keynote speakers will address delegates, including Goodstart Early Learning Board Member Sir Kevan Collins, who will give insights as to how the ECEC sector is responding to COVID-19 disruption in early learning, and Australia’s National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds.

The program includes two panel sessions with prominent sector voices:

Dr Anne Kennedy, Professor Sue Irvine and Helen Gibbons, Executive Director of Early Education at the United Workers Union, will join Belinda Rule, the Director of C&K Eimeo Road Community Kindergarten, and Aunty Denise Proud, Board Member, Reconciliation Queensland for a panel discussion on the topic of building an identity as an early childhood profession;

Professor Marilyn Fleer, Robyn Monro Miller, Queensland Family and Child Commission Principal Commissioner Cheryl Vardon and Catherine Liddle, SNAICC CEO will discuss children’s rights.

A full program of all conference offerings is available here, along with further information about the conference itself.

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