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Talking About Community Relationships Online Symposium

26 May – 16 June 2025

Our biggest professional learning event of the year - early bird and group discount tickets available now!

REGISTER NOW

Overview

Join our biggest professional learning event of the year!

Hear from knowledge leaders as they share insights into fostering meaningful community relationships in early childhood settings.

Designed for and by early childhood professionals, our online symposium offers practical strategies and an inspiring real-world case study to help you foster meaningful relationships within your community.

KU Cheltenham Memorial childcare educator with children playing outdoors

Released Monday 26 May and closing 16 June, you’ll have a backstage pass to:

  • 8 x 20–30-minute flexi-study modules: learn at your own pace, when it suits you
  • Expert insights from a lineup of early childhood education experts
  • Inspiration from a real-world case study
  • 4 PD hours
  • Reflection guides to deepen learning outcomes and support peer-learning

Modules

Each module delves into key aspects of community engagement in early childhood, providing you with insights and strategies to enhance your pedagogy, improve practice and strengthen partnerships.

Presenters: KU Learning and Development Team

Place-based pedagogy creates opportunities to become deeply immersed in experiencing the world around us. In ‘place’ we learn about ourselves, our capacities, and responsibilities.

Explore the benefits of an inquiry led, place-based pedagogical framework to support children’s emerging identities in context with family, early childhood service, neighbourhoods and community. Discover impactful examples of place-based pedagogy and shifting community perceptions.

We will invite you to examine your own community for opportunities to develop place-based relationships and offer sound advice for establishing these practices in your own centre community.

Presenter: Karen Anderson, Balnarring Preschool

Exposing children to what is beyond the early childhood service’s gate supports their sense of belonging. This module explores:

  • Building children’s knowledge of the surrounding community and environment
  • Exposing children to the world around them and its diversity
  • Fostering children’s curiosity, excitement and awareness of what lies beyond the gate

Presenter: Kelly Goodsir, KGConsulting

Partnerships with families in early childhood services are crucial for building a strong community. This module explores how every family is unique with a diversity of contexts, stories and experiences.

Presenter: Jackie Staudinger, KU Macquarie Fields Preschool

This module showcases the story of a service that has established strong relationships within the local community. It highlights:

  • How the service has gone about establishing strong relationships within its diverse community
  • How these relationships benefit the children and families at the service

Presenter: FKA Children’s Services

Early childhood services need to draw on the rich cultural influences within their community in order to embrace its history and heritage. This module explores how to seek out and use resources within the community to help foster understandings of diversity.

Presenter: Karen Hope, Karen Hope Consulting

Children’s wellbeing is a community responsibility. This module explores:

  • The benefits of early childhood services forming partnerships in the community
  • The possibilities for connections
  • How to go about making the connections

Presenter: KU Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Team

Throughout this presentation, Aboriginal community members and early childhood educators share their views and experiences of relational pedagogy and why respecting local cultural protocols when establishing connections with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples in local communities is so important.

Listeners will be urged to be upfront, open, and clear about their purpose for connection, giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Communities the opportunity to determine their level of engagement, the longevity of the relationship and how it progresses.

Presenter: Dr Kathryn Hopps

Children’s transition to their first year of school is a major milestone in their lives. Relationships are key to a positive transition. This module explores the importance of a community approach involving the early childhood service, child, family, and school. It also highlights some strategies for building relationships with schools and out of school hours care services.

The line-up

Fran Bastion
Fran Bastion
KU Learning and Development Team
Fiona Harris
Fiona Harris
KU Learning and Development Team
Karen Anderson
Karen Anderson
Balnarring Pre-school
Kelly Goodsir
Kelly Goodsir
KG Learning
Samantha Gould
Samantha Gould
fka Children’s Services
Jackie Staudinger
Jackie Staudinger
KU Macquarie Fields Preschool
Karen Hope
Karen Hope
Karen Hope Consulting
Gisella Wilson
Gisella Wilson
KU Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Team
Michelle King
Michelle King
KU Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Team
Dr Kathryn Hopps
Dr Kathryn Hopps
Be You Consultant, Early Childhood Australia

Testimonials

“

These sessions were fantastic, and my entire team agreed! Brilliant!

“

I have implemented so many changes already. A great reminder of things I already knew and new ways of seeing things.

“

The presenters were outstanding, made it fun, interesting and gave different perspectives and ideas. I recommended that my colleagues undertake this symposium. Thankyou

“

I enjoyed being able to access the webinars over the 3-week period. There was interesting and varied subject matter.

Register for the online symposium today

Tickets are selling fast. Don’t miss your opportunity to participate in KU’s biggest early childhood education learning and development event of the year.

The early bird discount ends 31 March 2025.

Single ticket

Early bird discount ends 31 March 2025
$ 175
  • (Save $45)
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Group discount ticket

(3-9 people)
$ 160 each
  • (Save $60 per person)
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Group discount ticket

(10+ people)
$ 140 each
  • (Save $80 per person)
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