Professional Learning at PRK: Early Childhood Australia National Conference 2026

At Pope Road Kindergarten, we are committed to supporting our educators’ ongoing professional learning and creating opportunities to connect, reflect and continue growing in their practice.

Recently, our Director and teacher, Leanne Mits OAM, attended the 2026 Early Childhood Australia National Conference, ‘Holding the Past: Creating the Future’, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The conference brought together more than 2,300 delegates in person and 300+ online, with Australian and international speakers, more than 100 exhibition booths, and opportunities for professional learning and networking at every turn.

Reflecting on the experience, Leanne shared:

“Participating in the 2026 national conference of Early Childhood Australia, ‘Holding the Past: Creating the Future’ was professionally informative and uplifting and provided many opportunities to network with colleagues and friends from around the country. It was an outstanding conference that will inform thinking and practice moving forward.”

Our kindergarten community also congratulates Leanne on being invited to take part in the panel presentation ‘Ethics in Action: A Conversation on the Choices That Shake Our Practice’.

The conversation was chaired by Catharine Hydon, with Leanne joining Dr Anne Kennedy AM and Dr Simon Longstaff AO to explore the role of ethics in early childhood education and the choices educators make in their everyday professional practice.

As Leanne shared:

“Ethics in early childhood education is non-negotiable; it is not an option. It’s what guides us; it’s the foundation and underpinning of what this profession is, and of us as professionals.”

At PRK, professional learning is about more than attending conferences or completing training. It is about continuing to question, reflect, learn from others and bring new thinking back into our kindergarten community.

We are incredibly proud to have educators who are not only committed to their own ongoing learning, but who also contribute their knowledge and experience to the wider early childhood education profession.