Breakout Room Speakers

Enhance your understanding of the eight sensory systems and how our bodies uniquely process and respond to external and internal sensory stimuli. The session by Gee from Neurominded & Andrea from Early Childhood Outreach named, “Supporting Sensory Processing & Self-regulation in ECEC”, you will learn more about sensory processing, and how diverse sensory response patterns influence children’s engagement, learning, and wellbeing. Practical whole-group strategies and examples of helpful individualised supports will be shared to help you create sensory-smart learning environments.

Discover proven strategies to help all children to play, learn and thrive in Michele from Berry Street Education Model Early Years’ workshop on “Can Young Children Self-regulate? Responding with Trauma-Informed Strategies for the Early Years”. Investigate how to lay the foundations of self-regulation, so that children are engaged, and ready to play and learn. You will focus on building proactive routines and strategies that develop healthy relationships and support children who are managing strong emotions.

The session “Navigating Emotions Together: The Role of Co-regulation” will highlight the importance of coregulation with Educators learning practical strategies for supporting children’s emotional development, while also recognizing the importance of their own self-regulation and coregulation needs. With Connie’s extensive experience in community and education services and Fiona’s expertise in sustaining nurturing educational environments, attendees can expect a comprehensive and enriching learning experience.

Andrea from Early Childhood Outreach & Gee from Neurominded’s session on “Creating Neurodiversity Inclusive Environments using SPACE” clarifies Neurodiversity terminology and introduces simple SPACE strategies (Sensory, Preparation, Activities, Communication, Engagement) to create more Neurodiversity-affirming environments. Delegates will reflect in small groups on their current practices and receive a planning template for support.

Daisy and Lucy from Abundant Education have integrated research and practical experience in early childhood education with holistic wellbeing principles to propose a transformative paradigm for leadership in education. Their session on “Heart-Centred Leadership: Redefining Relationships in Education” redefines leadership as an active and relational practice deeply engaging with multiple parties within the complex educational system.

Led by The Kids Research Institute Australia and The University of WA and co-created with the ECEC sector, Play Active is the only program of its kind in Australia. It provides evidence-informed guidelines, training, resources and support for ECEC services to ensure all children are getting enough energetic play throughout the day, every day. It has been specifically co-developed to support services in meeting and exceeding in NQS Quality Area 2.1: “Each child’s health and physical activity is supported and promoted”.

Learn about the Y WA School ReadY program and how educators are integrating play-based experiences with intentional teaching in order to achieve life-long positive outcomes for the children in their early learning centre. Try some of the activities first-hand that the children keep requesting and see how their imaginations have been ignited through the use of carefully chosen storybooks and evidence-based shared reading techniques.

In Adam from Adam Christie Consulting’s workshop, “Documentation that sparks: Seeing creativity and imagination in the everyday”, participants will be invited to consider the pedagogical power of documentation in the everyday. Together we will thread a tapestry of creativity and imagination, holding up a mirror to the everyday encounters that spark joy for children and educators. This workshop will offer practical examples of documentation through a creative and imaginative lens, bringing to life possibilities for planning and assessing children’s learning through new perspectives.

Be supported to strengthen your approach to identifying developmental concerns of children in your care through Angela & Kerrie from Wanslea’s session on “Developmental Concerns: Starting the Conversation” They will offer strategies for promoting children’s development, considering standard 1.1 of the NQS. Educators will have a clearer understanding of the support pathways available for children with developmental concerns, how the support pathways can be accessed and how they can work together to support children and families.