GO — Governing, Operating & Leading with Excellence
“Be strong and courageous… for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
— Joshua 1:9
This is our threshold moment.
Christian Early Learning stands at a crossroads.
Crisis on one side. Breakthrough on the other.
The difference between what has been and what could be is not simply strategy, policy, or compliance.
It is courage — the courage to cross over, to lead with clarity, and to shape what comes next with faith, wisdom, and shared understanding.
The CEL National Two Day Conference is a national invitation to step into that moment — together.
A conference for the whole sector
Christian Early Learning is sustained by an interconnected ecosystem. Governance decisions, leadership oversight, operational responsibility, and daily practice are not separate conversations — they are deeply linked.
* Boards carry governance.
* Principals carry oversight.
* Operators carry responsibility.
* Leaders, Educators and teams carry implementation and culture.
When these roles operate in isolation, pressure increases.
When they are aligned, the sector strengthens.
This conference has been intentionally designed to bring the entire Christian Early Learning sector into shared understanding, shared language, and shared direction — because excellence is not built in silos. It is built together.
Why this conference matters
Early Learning is one of the most complex and highly regulated education environments in Australia. Many leaders responsible for Early Learning services have inherited oversight without ever being equipped with the specific governance, operational, and regulatory understanding this space demands.
The cost of misalignment is growing.
The opportunity for leadership has never been greater.
This conference exists to close the gap between responsibility and reality — equipping those who govern, lead, and operate services with clarity, confidence, and future-focused insight.
Over two focused days, participants will gain:
* A deeper understanding of why standards, policies, and frameworks exist — not just how to comply with them
* Strategic insight into how governance and leadership decisions shape operational outcomes
* Greater confidence navigating complexity without losing purpose or direction
* Practical frameworks to strengthen alignment, culture, and decision-making
* Clarity to move services beyond minimum standards toward sustainable excellence
National speakers shaping the conversation
The CEL National Two Day Conference brings together respected national voices spanning research, governance, design, regulation, leadership, and formation:
McCrindle — Sophie Renton
Presenting Education Beyond 2030, exploring emerging trends, future implications, and strategic opportunities for the Early Learning sector.
Resolve Consulting — Anna Phan
Presenting Next-Gen Board Governance, equipping boards and executives with what they need to know to govern Early Learning services well into the future.
Stanton Dahl
Exploring how physical environments shape wellbeing, dignity, culture, and outcomes — and why space is never neutral in learning communities.
Abby Revill, CEL Executive Officer
Drawing on over 22 years of senior leadership experience across Long Day Care and OSHC portfolios, alongside deep sector insight and lived leadership.
Christina Lane, CEL Relationship Officer
Bringing frontline leadership experience across Educational Leadership, Nominated Supervision, Christian ministry, and formation — connecting faith, mission, and practice.
Janelle Knox CEL, Marketing and Events Officer
Offering perspective on identity, leadership formation, belief systems, and sustainable leadership drawn from decades in not-for-profit communications.
Former NSW Department of Education representative
Bringing regulatory and system-level insight (details to be announced).
Together, these voices offer a balanced, credible, and future-focused lens on what it means to govern, operate, and lead Christian Early Learning well.
A national moment of honour and recognition
The conference includes the Christian Early Learning Sector' First National Awards Dinner — a dedicated evening to honour excellence, faithfulness, innovation, and leadership across the Christian Early Learning sector.
This is not about prestige.
It is about recognition.
Recognition of courage shown in complexity.
Recognition of leadership carried quietly.
Recognition of services and individuals shaping the sector with integrity and vision.
It is a moment to pause, celebrate, and acknowledge the journey — even as we prepare to cross into what comes next.
The outcome
Participants leave with:
* Shared understanding across governance, leadership, and operations
* Stronger alignment between vision and practice
* Greater confidence to lead into the future
* A renewed sense of purpose, responsibility, and possibility
* Because when the sector is aligned, children, families, and communities thrive.
📍 CEL National Two Day Conference, L'Aqua Cockle Bay Wharf, Sydney
🗓 March 20-21st 2026 (9am-2pm Daily)
✨ Including the CEL National Awards Dinner Friday Evening 5-9pm
🎯 For everyone shaping the future of Christian Early Learning
Be strong. Be courageous.
This is our moment to GO — together.