C&K partners with QPAC for the Out of the Box Festival 2025

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) provider C&K has partnered with the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) as the Principal Partner of the Out of the Box Festival 2025.

From 17 to 22 June 2025, the QPAC precinct will transform into a hub of imaginative programs focused on early childhood priorities including play, collaboration, inclusion, and wellbeing.

C&K has a longstanding relationship with QPAC, having supported the first Out of the Box Festival in 1992. The 2025 festival is particularly significant as it will see the festival’s return following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the features of the QPAC and C&K partnership include:

• Opportunities for children and their families to explore the arts at QPAC events.

• Professional development workshops and resources for educators and centres.

• Creative and inspiring learning experiences for children to participate in at their centre.

• Tickets for staff to engage in the arts and enrich their own wellbeing.

• Deeper connections with the arts world to incorporate this into learning.

“The Out of the Box Festival is a vibrant celebration of the arts specifically for children aged from birth to eight years,” C&K CEO, Dr. Sandra Cheeseman explained, outlining that the collaboration underscores C&K’s commitment to fostering creativity, imagination, and play-based learning in early childhood.

“Engaging in the arts is an important component of learning and discovering in early childhood. It helps children develop creativity, confidence, communication and social skills, as well as inspires educators to connect with their own creativity when bringing well-loved stories, music and visual arts into the learning environment.”

Partnering with an arts organisation also presents a unique and exciting opportunity for C&K to expand the opportunities for its teachers and educators, with new ways to tap into the diverse creativity of planning for children’s learning.

QPAC and Out of the Box will have a presence in C&K’s professional development throughout the year – most notably at the 2025 C&K Conference, where attendees will tap into the expertise of experienced arts educators to explore how creative expression can be incorporated into children’s learning. 

While the partnership is a natural expansion of C&K’s learning experience, it is also a strategic investment in its workforce.

A key action of C&K’s 2024-2026 Strategic Plan is ‘to inspire our people, enhancing a positive and joyful workplace culture.’ 

The decision to partner with QPAC is one way in which C&K is seeking to deliver on this action and support employees in deepening their connections with the joys of working with children.

“The arts inject fun and joy into the lives of children, teachers and educators. We’re excited to see how this partnership will strengthen the creativity, playfulness, and connections that blossom in our settings,” Dr Cheeseman added. 

More information about the Out of the Box Festival and the 2025 program is available on the Festival’s website. The C&K Conference is open to external participants and those in the ECEC sector who have an interest in the arts are invited to attend.