Sustainability in Early Childhood and Care

Join us in Birmingham for a day of exploring and discussing sustainability in early childhood and care. Our 2026 Conference will take place at The Studio, Birmingham City Centre on Saturday 7th November. Keynote Speakers: Verity Campbell-Barr Verity is Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Plymouth. She has led international research on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for early childhood practice, analysed the full range of early childhood degrees in England, and examined early years workforce policy and development issues across the UK. The early years workforce is often framed as being in crisis, which undermines efforts to build a sustainable profession while reflecting real recruitment and retention challenges. Drawing on research from across the UK and Ireland, Verity's presentation explores practical solutions to support, develop, and maintain a high-quality, sustainable early years workforce. President of TACTYC and an honorary Professor at the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan, John has a strong global reputation for his work in Early Childhood Education for Sustainable Citizenship and continues to support related research and development studies around the world. The introduction of Sustainability and Climate Change Education provides an opportunity to rethink traditional assumptions, and more exploit new insights and opportunities for the development of early childhood educational theory and practice. Foremost among these may be the development of greater child participation and agency in a more inclusive relational pedagogy.