Conferences

EECERA Annual Conference is the largest and most significant early years’ research conference in Europe, regularly attracting more than 1000 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 Association’s organisational structure mean that each conference is unique but of consistent quality.

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 the conference including posters, self organised symposium, SIG symposiums or simply being a delegate. Invitations to deliver keynotes are considered highly prestigious and EECERA attracts internationally renowned leaders in their field.

Interested in hosting the EECERA Conference?

EECERA is always looking for potential conference hosts and is always keen to take the conference to cities and countries where it has not been before. EECERA hopes that by taking a conference to a particular country it can help support and raise the profile of its Early Years research community. 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.

The Trustees are aware of the financial implications and commitment involved in hosting a large international conference and have therefore developed several models to allow institutions to host the conference but at reduced organisational and financial risk. The Board of Trustees will help prospective hosts to identify the best model for their situation. There are certain things that EECERA requires of a host including:

The involvement of Early Years research organisation, or university;
Access to a venue capable of hosting a conference of up to 1000 delegates including an auditorium for keynote presentations and up to 32 break out rooms;
A suitably qualified local team to support the conference’s scientific programme;
The ability to organise and co-ordinate sufficient accommodation for the delegates (this could be done in conjunction with a local agency).

Current conference

2025, 33rd EECERA Conference, Bratislava, Slovakia

Chair: Zlatica Zacharová
Theme: Early Education for All: Celebrating Diversity and Seeking Inclusion
Venue: Faculty of Education, Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia
Dates: 25th – 28th August 2025

For more information visit https://2025.eeceraconference.org/
Any enquiries should be sent to enquiries@eeceraconference.org

For information on previous conferences, see our conference archive.