Universal not Uniform: Leading change, strengthening unity and honouring individuality

The 2025 conference theme is ‘Universal not Uniform: Leading change, strengthening unity and
honouring individuality’. Across Australia, early childhood education and care is the focus of policy analysis and debate with reform agendas at both national and jurisdiction levels taking shape. We want to make sure that this reform is informed by evidence and pays particular attention to strengthening equity—both in terms of access to early education and outcomes for children and families who may otherwise be at risk of experiencing poor development, learning or wellbeing outcomes into their formal school years. There is also a need to ensure that these reforms are flexible to allow for contextualised solutions across jurisdictions and to meet the needs of all children and families.

The ECA National Conference is an opportunity to come together and help shape the future of Australia as a nation and the legacy we leave for the next generation of children.

Conference presentations will be aligned to one or more of the following areas of inquiry:

Multiple literacies for children’s learning

Literacy development is fundamental for ongoing success and can be applied in multiple domains, however, there is ongoing debate on how best to develop these literacies. This sub-theme is to explore multiple modes and methods of literacy development from theoretical and practical perspectives. 

One workforce for young children

Workforce concerns are ongoing and increasing with more funding for younger children in many states of Australia. This sub-theme invites presentations on successes in enhancing workforce or suggestions for strategies to encourage quality educators to join and stay within the early years of education in multiple settings.

Children at the centre of their own education journey

As children grow and develop across their early years, they move through multiple settings and the focus is often on getting children ready for the next stage of their journey. This sub-theme challenges presenters to think more broadly about these transitions and how the settings might be more ready for the children coming in.

Leadership: national initiatives, local solutions

It can be hard for leaders to identify how big-picture initiatives (like the federal Early Years Strategy 2024–2034) can be applied to local situations. This sub-theme explores supporting local solutions to local problems.

Supporting inclusion for regional, rural and remote

Australia (WA in particular) has large expanses of space with small pockets of services. This sub-theme invites presentations on how to provide the right services to the right spaces, which leverage community strengths when resources and personnel are limited and distances are difficult to traverse.