Little People, Big Dreams 2022 a resounding success leaving delegates inspired

The 2022 Little People Big Dreams conference was held in Darwin 22 October 2022. Held as a collaboration between Child Australia and major sponsor the Northern Territory Government, the conference was a sold out event, with representatives attending from outside school hours care (OSHC), family day care (FDC), preschool and long day care (LDC) services, as well as those from the school sector. 

 

Little People, Big Dreams is the largest early childhood education and care (ECEC) gathering in the Northern Territory, and brings together:

 

• sector leaders
• educators
• teachers
• academics
• health professionals
• policy makers
• other practitioners and contributors in childhood learning and development from birth to 12 years of age.

 

As well as offering delegates the opportunity to connect with colleagues from across Australia, the conference highlights the  latest research and best practice as well as showcasing innovation from national and local providers. 

 

2022 delegates were welcomed by the Hon. Eva Lawler, NT Minister for Education who spoke about the quality and care of educators working within the Northern Territory and beyond.

Louise Dorrat & Dr Red Ruby Scarlet (sponsored by Territory Child Care Group) presented NQF The Musical which set the tone for the day with an uplifting and humorous performance that was full of useful information.

 

Keynote speaker Angus Gorrie, sponsored by Charles Darwin University, presented delegates with a reflective question that was deceptively simple – why play? – before taking a deep dive into the emotional and physical benefits of risky play for children. 

 

A number of workshop presentations, including the Early Childhood Australia Northern Territory (ECANT) branch sponsored presentations “Voice of the Child” by Janet Williams-Smith (ECANT) and “Let’s Talk Inclusion” by Kyle Ratcliffe (Be You), as well as AISNT sponsored presentation “Developing Professional Wellbeing” gave delegates the opportunity to consider more deeply aspects of their practice and pedagogy. 

 

Many delegates took advantage of the photo booth activation, which ran during the lunch break and sundowner drinks with support from Goodstart Early Learning, while also enjoying a marketplace set up which showcased information and resources from across the ECEC sector and growing connections with suppliers and providers to support their work. 

Delegates described the conference as “a fantastic opportunity to be around like-minded professionals,” and one which motivated them to make changes to current practice. 

 

Conference organisers thanked all those involved in putting the day together, including ECEC superannuation provider HESTA, who sponsored the conference bags. 

 

Child Australia’s next conference event is the Early Childhood Learning & Development Conference which will take place in Perth in March 2023. For more information or to register an interest in the conference please see here. 

 

Little People, Big Dreams will be back and better than ever in 2023. To stay informed on the latest Little People, Big Dreams Conference happenings, join the mailing list by filling in the form here, or call Child Australia on 1300 66 11 64.