Welcome to ISSA Conference 2026!

We are excited to welcome you back for ISSA Conference 2026, a landmark gathering for the early childhood field. This year, we unite around a shared and urgent focus: advancing integrated early childhood systems that place every child’s wellbeing at the centre by strengthening coordinated action across sectors, disciplines, and services.

ISSA Conference 2026 is co-hosted by ISSA, the Learning for Well-Being Institute, and APEI, in partnership with the Aga Khan Foundation, the OECD WISE Centre, and Act for Early Years. The conference will take place in Lisbon on October 22–23, with pre-conference events on October 21. The conference is also an official event on the journey to the first-ever International Finance Summit for Early Childhood in 2027, where countries will be invited to talk about the planning of their commitments in advance of the Summit and their involvement in the Act for Early Years campaign.

PLEASE NOTE: For this year’s conference, in-person capacity is limited, so please be sure to reserve your ticket early. Online tickets are also available.

Stay in the know: Subscribe to our newsletter on LinkedIn for updates, and follow our page.

In October 2024, Sofia, Bulgaria became a hub of innovation and inspiration with the ISSA Conference, as 450 early childhood professionals from 50+ countries came together to share, learn, and inspire action on the theme: “It Takes an Early Childhood Ecosystem for All Young Children to Thrive.”

Explore highlights from Sofia:

View 2024 conference details | Read the recap article

Learn more about past ISSA Conferences: 2016 | 2017 | 2019

Stay in the know!

Subscribe to our newsletter on LinkedIn for updates, and follow our page. And...we are continuing the conversation we started at ISSA Conference 2024 on our LinkedIn group.

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