Annual Conference
EECERA Annual Conference is the largest and most significant early years’ research conference in Europe, regularly attracting more than 900 researcher delegates from all over the world. The EECERA Conference is hosted in a different European city each year by a local university or early years network and to encourage networking and cross-national collaborations, includes a full social programme. The local knowledge and the EECERA organisational structure mean that each conference is unique but of consistent quality.
Conferences have been hosted by a variety of institutions, local and national government agencies, NGOs and charitable bodies but the Scientific Committee appointed for reviewing the Conference papers is always linked to an academic institution. The EECERA Trustees are particularly open to conference hosts who in the participatory spirit of the Association make collaborative cross-sector links to stage the conference.
Most delegates will make a short symposium paper presentation in a themed group of three papers, but there are a number of other ways in which to participate in Conference including posters, self organised symposium, SIG symposiums or simply being a delegate. Invitations to deliver keynotes speeches are considered highly prestigious and EECERA attracts internationally renowned leaders in their field.
European Early Childhood Education Research Association
EECERA is an independent, self-governing, international association which promotes and disseminates multi-disciplinary research on early childhood and its applications to policy and practice. EECERA is a non-profit organisation, wholly-owned and subscribed to by its substantial and influential world-wide membership. It generates its own revenue, receives no external funding and thus ensures its independence, radical attitude and innovative openness.
EECERA seeks to sustain and develop the rich tradition of European early childhood thought, the legacy of Pestalozzi, Owen, Froebel, Steiner, Vygotsky, Piaget, Malaguzzi and other pioneers, whilst looking forward to encourage the exploration of new paradigms, methodologies, concepts and applications in the ever-changing context of early childhood studies. Its reach and interest is resolutely international and, whilst wanting to identify with Europe’s pluralist and diverse cultures, it is open to learn of, and to share in, the equally rich early childhood traditions and concepts of the World.
EECERA’s Annual Conference is the largest early childhood research conference in Europe providing an exceptional forum and network for scholars, policy makers, researchers and practitioners.
EECERA also encourages and supports cross-national collaborations and themed publications through its Special Interest Groups (SIGs).
The Journal of the Association (EECERJ) is the only European early childhood journal cited in the prestigious Social Science Citation Index (SSCI). The SSCI identifies scholarship from across 50 disciplines including ‘education’. Only the world’s leading social sciences journals are selected for inclusion in the index. The SSCI includes only four journals with an early years’ focus, and of these four, only one is produced in Europe, the EECERJ.
