Environment and sustainability

This conference theme will focus attention on the role of early childhood education in a world where children are at the greatest risk from the effects of global warming and climate change. Early childhood professionals have an important role to play in developing dispositions and understandings that encourage care and consideration in the early years and for the future.

Advocacy and leadership

Early childhood leadership and advocacy matter - the evidence is clear that early childhood leadership makes a difference to the quality of programs provided for children. We need to renew our focus on the development of leadership in programs, in early childhood learning environments and more broadly. We need our own advocates and we must give as much attention to this as we do other parts of our practice.

Theory into practice

There has been significant research into what counts in early childhood and early childhood programs and there are a range of theories which provide the lenses through which early childhood practice, programs and their outcomes can be understood. This theme will encourage discussion about high-quality programs and what they look like for children and early childhood professionals.

Social and emotional wellbeing

From birth onwards children learn in the context of relationships. Positive relationships which lead to emotional wellbeing are central to children's ability to learn, to adapt, to relate to other children–in fact to achieve all the things that educators and parents hope they will achieve. Whatever else we teach, if we really want to do our job well, emotional wellbeing should be at the core of the curriculum.