From July 13-15, 2012, the Unit for Early Years Research and Development hosted the conference, International Innovations in ECE: A Canadian Forum on Early Childhood Frameworks at the University of Victoria.

This conference, the first of its kind in Canada, generated tremendous interest within the Canadian early years field. The conference, which reached full capacity within the early bird registration period, featured over 120 presentations, workshops, and themed panels by early years practitioners, researchers, instructors, advocates, policy makers, and graduate students. Over 350 people, with representation from every Canadian province and terriitory, attended the conference. The conference also brought renowned early childhood leaders from Italy (Reggio Emilia), New Zealand, and Australia to Victoria, British Columbia for learning, sharing, and planning ways forward for Canada's young children and families.

Keynote speakers at the conference included:

• Dr. Carla Rinaldi (Reggio Emilia, Italy), President and inspirational leader of Reggio Children**
• Dr. Margaret Carr (New Zealand), co-author of the innovative and influential Te Whaariki, New Zealand's bi-cultural early childhood curriculum framework (see presentation slides)
• Dr. Jennifer Sumsion (Australia), co-leader of the national consortium that recently developed Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (see presentation slides)
• Pam Whitty and Sherry Rose (New Brunswick), co-developers of the New Brunswick Curriculum Framework for Early Learning and Child Care (English) (see presentation slides)
• Caroline Rowan (New Brunswick), co-developer of several milestone early years initiatives in Inuit and First Nations communities in Nunavik and Arctic Quebec (see presentation slides)
• Drs. Alan Pence and Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw (British Columbia) , co-directors of BC's innovative Investigating Quality Project (see presentation slides).

For more information, please see the keynote presentations downloadable above and download the conference program.