National Early Childhood Education Summit
Two Days · Sydney

Summit Agenda

Day 1 examines reform, workforce and quality. Day 2 turns to child safety, cultural inclusion and financial sustainability — with concurrent breakout streams.

07:40
admin

Registration

08:45
admin

Welcome to Country

09:00
chair

Chairperson's Opening Address

Theme

From Reform to Reality: Can the System Deliver?

09:10
keynote
09:40
keynote
10:00
keynote
10:30
break

Morning Tea & Coffee

Theme

Workforce & Recruitment

11:00
panel
11:50
keynote
12:20
keynote
12:50
break

Networking Lunch

Theme

Strengthening Quality & Safety Across Early Childhood Education

13:50
keynote
Concurrent Breakouts — attendees can move freely between Stream A and Stream B sessions.
14:20
STREAM A · RETENTION & TRAINING

Beyond burnout: Why educator wellbeing must become a leadership priority

  • Consequences when educator wellbeing is treated as an individual responsibility rather than a system design challenge.
  • How leadership, culture and proactive wellbeing strategies influence engagement, retention and quality of care.
STREAM B · LEGAL RISK, GOVERNANCE & PUBLIC TRUST

Understanding legal exposure in a higher accountability environment

  • Where are providers most exposed from a legal and compliance perspective?
  • Emerging legal risks, director liability, and what constitutes a defensible position under the evolving ECEC regulatory framework.
14:50
STREAM A · RETENTION & TRAINING

Retention in a high-pressure system: What actually keeps educators in the sector?

  • The real drivers of retention beyond pay and qualifications.
  • Organisational, cultural and leadership factors that improve retention and reduce burnout.
STREAM B · LEGAL RISK, GOVERNANCE & PUBLIC TRUST

Leading through crisis: Governance, media and reputation management

  • How prepared are organisations to respond with clarity, accountability, and control when incidents become public?
  • Leadership, governance and communication strategies to protect reputation and maintain stakeholder trust.
15:15
break

Afternoon Tea

Theme

Inspiring Example: What Good Looks Like

15:45
case
16:15
panel
17:00
chair

Chairperson's Closing Remarks

17:10
break

Networking Drinks