Argyll and Bute Council’s annual Early Years Conference in Dunoon has been hailed a roaring success.
‘We Are Connected, Curious and Creative!’ was the theme of this year’s event, and delegates travelled from throughout Scotland to attend.
Guest speakers, Professor Ferre Laevers and his colleague, Julia Moons, provided a motivating morning session, focussing on the Leuven scales for emotional well-being and involvement. In the afternoon, Professor Kate Wall from Strathclyde University took to the stage, talking about the importance of capturing our children’s voices as part of their development.
Adapting an idea used by the NHS, early years practitioners and children across Argyll and Bute were also invited to come forward with ‘What Matters To Me in ELC’ statements. This attracted a huge response and culminated with a tear-jerking slideshow playing, as young people from early care centre across Dunoon were invited on stage to sing ‘All you need is love’ alongside Sheena Stewart, the council’s Childcare Information Assistant.
The council’s Head of Education for Lifelong Learning and Support, Anne Paterson, said: “Words cannot express how positive and inspiring this year’s Early Years Conference was. Our guest speakers were truly outstanding and every single one of the delegates left feeling motivated, and eager to put into practice the skills and knowledge they learned.
“One of the key outcomes in the council’s education vision and strategy is to ensure that every child in Argyll and Bute has the best start in life and is ready to succeed. This is something we are truly committed to. Our young people are at the forefront of everything our education team does and I’m extremely proud to work with such a great group of people who all have our children’s best interests at heart.
“I am truly overwhelmed by the positive feedback we have received about the conference, particularly through our hashtag #ABEY2019 . We are serious about education in Argyll and Bute and I am excited about what the future holds as we move forward together.”