On Friday 1 September 2017, 700 ECMS early childhood professionals came together for another hugely successful Beyond Tomorrow Conference.
This year, Beyond Tomorrow became an internal ECMS staff event. This enabled us to tailor the conference program to the specific needs of our staff and teams. It also provided the perfect opportunity for us to celebrate our 21st year of providing high quality, responsive and inclusive early education and care to Melbourne children and families, and to thank everyone who has contributed to our journey.
This year, we explored the theme of ‘Relationships for Learning’, looking at the importance of strong relationships between children, families, educators and communities on children’s growth and development.
We had the privilege of learning from world-renowned early childhood expert Maria Aarts, Founder and Director of Marte Meo International, who joined us as keynote speaker all the way from The Netherlands. Maria inspired staff with her loveable and engaging presentation demonstrating how the Marte Meo method is applied to analyse the quality of everyday interactions with children, and how a child’s behaviour is vastly affected by the slightest changes in an educator or parent’s reaction.
Joining Maria for breakout sessions throughout the day were more than 10 of Australia’s top early childhood experts, including Louise Dorrat and Anthony Semann. These speakers inspired attendees with thought-provoking, research based sessions on key early childhood topics.
The Conference also featured an engaging trade fair with 23 exhibitors showcasing a diverse range of early childhood products and services. An ECMS Thank You Wall allowed staff members to thank and show gratitude to their valued colleagues. To conclude a successful day, attendees celebrated ECMS and connected with peers over drinks and canapés.
Thank you for the support of our 2017 Beyond Tomorrow sponsors: McArthur, Modern Teaching Aids, AIB Insurance, HESTA and Storypark.
ECMS is now running a variety of professional learning seminars, parenting seminars and other events throughout the year. To discover more please email events@ecms.org.au or call 03 8481 1129.