Annual Meeting 2026

«Growing Up in Challenging Contexts»

From both a global and local perspectives, children's upbringing is characterised by multiple challenges, crises and vulnerabilities. Such challenging contexts always arise against specific socio-political, economic, ecological, social, psychological, or medical backgrounds. These contexts hold different meanings for individuals, groups, specific milieus, entire societies or the world as a whole, such as the climate crisis, armed conflicts or massive inequalities. How children, their families, early childhood professionals, and researchers experience, perceive and deal with these challenging contexts is at the centre of this year's annual meeting. Therefore, researchers, scholars, students, professionals, and policy makers from all areas of early childhood are particularly invited. 

We are delighted to announce two internationally renowned and interdisciplinary researchers Prof. Dr. Shazly Savahl and Dr. Stephanie Simon as keynote speakers for the conference, who will share some aspects of their broad research on children's subjective well-being, inequalities, health risks, poverty, racism, discrimination, and global social justice. 

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Preliminary Program

On the first day, there will be a keynote speech and parallel sessions, including a poster session, a workshop, or a symposium, as well as an Alliance Enfance session. On the second day, we plan to have a keynote speech, a poster session, multiple workshops and symposia, and, finally, a discussion with top experts from research and practice. Across both days, you will also have many opportunities to network during coffee breaks, lunch, apéro, and Junior Network meeting, or to engage in in-depth exchanges at the meetings of the Special Interest Groups.

Practicalities

This year's meeting will take place on 2nd and 3rd February, 2026 in Fribourg. The conference will be organised by the University of Fribourg.