Last week the Essential Resources team joined educators, leaders and academics from across Australia and beyond at the ECA National Conference 2026 in Melbourne. Nicola and Courtney spent the conference on our stand, talking with educators about what’s happening in their services and what support they’re looking for.
Dr Claire Warden's keynote: Space to breathe
Dr Claire Warden’s keynote on the Saturday took the audience around the world, exploring how different cultures understand slowing down, deep listening and simply being. Each offered a fresh lens on practice, with one common thread: children, and the educators alongside them, need space to breathe.
What stayed with us was Claire’s reminder that none of these ideas travel on their own. Each belongs to the people and land it grew from. For educators, that’s an invitation to stop looking elsewhere for the answer and start with what’s right outside your door.
Day 3 breakfast with Dr Claire Warden
Before Day 3, we hosted a small breakfast with Claire, bringing together educators and academics who had travelled from across Melbourne, interstate and overseas. We were grateful to share the morning with such a thoughtful group. Conversations moved easily between practice, research and the realities of leading in ECEC, and it was a privilege to bring our authors and the sector together around the same table.
Inside the exhibition hall at ECA 2026
The exhibition hall was full of hustle and bustle all week, with educators moving between sessions, catching up with colleagues and stopping by to browse. A few titles stood out:
- Leadership Floorbooks and Planning with and for Children flew off the stall table, with Claire stopping by to sign books for delegates throughout the event.
- Our new release Making Theories Visible sold out at the stand.
- Delegates took advantage of signed copies of Fostering Children’s Growth Mindset in the Early Years and Transforming Early Childhood Practices.
- Our Floorbooks® Club stickers were a hit with delegates.
It was special to meet Louise Hennessy and Alistair Gibbs at the conference, co-authors, along with Susan Grieshaber, of Making Theories Visible, and to see their new book find its way into so many educators’ hands. It was just as much of a delight to welcome familiar authors back to the stand, including Fiona Boylan, Jo Maloney, Dr Claire Warden, and meet new authors, Leanne Gibbs and Mandy Cooke.
Plenty of visitors also entered our $400 giveaway, and we’re thrilled to congratulate the winner, Kathryn from Wattletree Early Childhood Centre in Melbourne. We hope it brings new ideas and inspiration to your team.
See you next year at ECA 2027 in Hobart
Thank you to every educator who stopped by our stand to share a story, ask a question or say hello. These conversations shape the resources and professional learning we create. Thank you also to Early Childhood Australia for a wonderful conference.
Courtney has been coming to ECA since 2019, and seeing familiar faces year after year is one of the best parts of the conference. Hobart, here we come!
If we connected at the conference and you have any questions, please reach out to us. And if you missed out on the day, you can find all of our early childhood resources online.