Thousands of delegates move from Passion to Power at ECA 2022 National Conference

Over 2,000 passionate early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals have gathered in Canberra for the 2022 Early Childhood Australia (ECA) National Conference which began yesterday at the National Convention Centre in Canberra. 

With dual attendance modes – in person and online – the conference brings together the best of Australian and International experts to share their wisdom in line with the 2022 conference theme Passion to Power: Our future profession.

ECA’s National President, Christine Legg, addresses the delegates saying there was an urgent need to move from “a position of passion to a position of power, recognising that the social and economic performance of this country relies on our work.” 

“The workforce of tomorrow starts with us,” she said. 

“We have the potential to drive education improvements nationally by giving every child the very best possible start. We can reduce educational disadvantage and provide effective early support to prevent children [from] experiencing learning difficulties down the track.”

The conference began with keynote addresses from The Hon. Jason Clare MP, Australian Minister for Education, Yvette Berry MLA, ACT Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development and Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott AO. 

Delegates then reflected on the approved learning frameworks during a panel discussion which reflected the progress made in the ten years since their introduction before moving to a second panel discussion on how to build the future of the profession, led by experts from the early childhood education sector and government organisations such as ACECQA, the Department of Education and ACT Education Directorate. 

These addresses were followed by more than  35 concurrent sessions sharing research, best practice and insights.

To follow along with the progress of the conference, please visit ECA’s dedicated conference website, or use the ECA Facebook and Twitter channels.