This year's ISSA Conference will bring you the most innovative approaches, tools and research from the early childhood development field. Take an in-depth look at what is being featured inside the strands, and access the Conference Program.

Strand # 1 Nurturing Home Environments for Young Children

Get acquainted with innovative approaches that support parents’ confidence and enable them to provide nurturing and responsive care; as well as approaches aimed at evidence-based early intervention programs.

Experience how programs are implemented through interactive demo sessions.

Attend documentary viewings, which will feature tailor-made services for fathers – inspiring you to look at fathers from a different perspective and to think out-of-the-box.

Learn from practical examples of how we can bridge the gap between science and practice and on creating nurturing environments in homes, as well as examples of how we can identify competencies of respective professionals.

Explore how data from the implementation of parenting support programs can be utilized to inform subsequent program implementation, and even help scale-up attempts.

Discuss and learn from experiences, successes and obstacles in implementing integrated Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs.

Discover what comprehensive services for families at high-risk look like and how video and technology can support the implementation of these programs.

Create visual maps for supporting social emotional development in culturally diverse environments and addressing parental stressors and parental strengths during home visits.

Strand # 2 Nurturing environments in services for all young children

Learn and exchange knowledge about inspiring pedagogical approaches in risky play, child-centred practice, activity-based learning and many more.

Reflect on the relational / emotional dimensions of ECD professionalism and learn powerful techniques that can support professionals.

Review samples of work models that can help build comprehensive organizational frameworks.

Get in touch with innovative pre- and in-service training courses, how to use distance learning or social media platforms to extend and reinforce learning and how to use video analysis and video coaching as tools for professional development.

Get acquainted with educational packages that can support you in fostering nurturing environments for young children and their families.

Work on concrete cases and real-life examples in order to get to know the diverse methods, approaches and resources for equality in early childhood and build proposals and tools.

Receive an introduction to different quality frameworks and critical reflection tools/frameworks. Learn how you can use them as self-evaluation and self-reflection tools.

Use your phone or tablet to learn how to utilize mobile applications that aim at providing practitioners with a framework to promote inclusive and nurturing environments.

Find out more about the work of ECD services, projects, organizations, etc. with real-life examples.

Work in small groups with technical guides that aim at expanding pre-service training.

Brainstorm on the role of NGO’s, parents, pre- service professional programs etc. in building strong ECD systems.

Discuss and learn from experiences, successes and obstacles in developing digital tools and support resources for families and communities.

Learn good practices in organizing nurturing and stimulating physical environments in the settings where you work from practical examples.

Debate on whether compulsory school age should be lowered or not and why.

Discuss how to support refugee children – living in a very child hostile environment – by empowering professionals through joint action of stakeholders from different levels of the system. 

Strand #3 Nurturing environments for young children and families in their communities/cities

Learn about the importance of using a theory of change log frame for monitoring and evaluation purposes, but also for designing place making interventions.

Get acquainted with the model of mobile nurseries.

Reflect on case studies to reveal the different roles municipalities are playing in organizing and facilitating services for children.

Interact with web-based virtual communities.

View videos of community-based planning programs and of open spaces created by parents themselves.

Catch video viewings of innovative approaches to engaging communities and building eco-systems in support of children, including community co-creation workshops and interactive community exhibitions for children and adults.

View animated videos/programs for children that aim to promote early childhood development.

Learn how to design your own creative advocacy toolkits for your communities and practical tips on how to carry out effective advocacy to influence policy and practice in various contexts.

Get acquainted with concrete tools to implement a focus on sustainable high quality social inclusive childcare into daily practice.

Explore what constitutes quality in intergenerational learning by using tools.

Have experts navigate you through a three-step approach to quality childcare.

Reflect on the lived-experiences of community-based organizations.

Contribute to “building” an exemplar model live.

Review and contribute to research that is currently in progress.

The Program for the ISSA Conference 2019 is now available, you can find it here.

Haven’t registered yet? Learn how to register here.

Not sure, yet? Get in touch to ask a question. And, stay tuned. We’ll be sharing more details on what your peers have prepared for you during all the parallel sessions and plenaries!