18 SEPTEMBER, 2026 | SINGAPORE

SPEAKERS LINEUP

CONFERENCE AGENDA

1,000

80

60

300

participants

organizations

speakers

community interactions

A ground-up initiative

To Equip, Engage and Empower

Good Start Conference, started in 2022, is a ground-up initiative championing inclusion in Singapore’s preschool sector. Created to equip, engage, and empower educators, the Conference brings together practitioners and leaders to grow in inclusive practice, strengthen their impact, and help every child thrive.

As we celebrate five years of inspiring early childhood excellence, we turn our attention to the heart of child development—social emotional learning.

Because children who understand their emotions and connect meaningfully with others don't just succeed academically; they flourish in every area of life.

"As educators, we shape children not only through knowledge, but through the strengthening of their inner lives so that they can flourish in relationships, classrooms, and the wider world."

Strand 1:

Understanding SEL and Why It Matters

A look into the foundations of SEL — what it is, why it matters, and how it shapes brain development, behaviour, relationships, and a child’s overall flourishing.

Strand 2:

Cultivating an Inclusive SEL Classroom

Exploring how teachers can create emotionally safe, welcoming, and responsive environments that support every child, including those with diverse needs.

Strand 3:

Designing an Effective SEL Curriculum

Building developmentally appropriate, values-based SEL experiences that integrate into existing frameworks while engaging children through story, play, and creativity.

Strand 4:

Building a Healthy SEL School

Embedding SEL into school culture through compassionate leadership, supportive policies, and emotionally attuned staff practices. Strengthening educator well-being, collaborative professional culture, and meaningful partnerships with families to sustain whole-school SEL.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

PROF TAN OON SENG

Professor Tan Oon Seng is Dean of Special Projects and Centre Director of the Singapore Centre for Character and Citizenship Education at the National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. A leading figure in teacher education and educational psychology, he is widely recognised for shaping Singapore’s teacher education landscape—most notably through the Teacher Education 21 model—and for advancing learning innovation, teacher identity, and character and values as foundations of learning. He previously served as Director of NIE (2014–2018), where he strengthened teacher preparation and professional learning, expanded international practicum opportunities, and drove technology-enhanced learning and design-thinking improvements. Prof Tan has authored/edited 20+ books and 150+ scholarly works, is Editor-in-Chief of Educational Research for Policy & Practice (Springer), and has advised governments and international organisations globally.

GUEST-OF-HONOR

MS KU GEOK BOON

Ms Ku Geok Boon is the Chief Executive of the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), Singapore's regulatory and developmental authority for the early childhood sector, shaping the shared vision of giving every child a good start in life. Prior to joining ECDA on 1 May 2025, Ms Ku held the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SG Enable from 2013 to 2024. As the founding CEO, Ms Ku played a pivotal role in advancing disability inclusion in Singapore. She also spearheaded the development of the award-winning Enabling Village as a beacon of inclusion and led strategic collaborations and advisory projects to advance Singapore’s international cooperation efforts and thought leadership. Ms Ku began her career as a teacher, later serving in leadership roles in the Ministry of Education and schools before joining the Ministry of Social and Family Development in 2012. She currently serves on the Board of the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) and chairs its Professional Advisory Committee. She is also a member of the Centre for holistic Initiatives for Learning and Development (CHILD) Policy Advisory Council. Beyond her professional capacity, she serves as Council Member of the Public Transport Council and board member of ImpactSG, a charity that is growing a community of purposeful givers in Singapore and Asia.

Inside Out: What's in ME for YOU?

Good Start Conference 2026 began with a simple idea: to explore what happens inside a child - the formation of character, emotional competence, and healthy relationships - and how these shape the way a child lives and learns in the world.

But as the day unfolded, the theme felt like it turned outward.

Instead of leaving with only notes and frameworks, many of us left with a clearer reminder of what strengthens the early childhood sector in the long run: a community willing to share.

This year, nearly 1,200 participants gathered with close to 80 presenters from across the early childhood fraternity. We were privileged to have Ms Ku Geok Boon, Chief Executive of the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), with us, together with our keynote speaker, Professor Tan Oon Seng, whose insights gave many of us plenty to reflect on long after the conference had ended.

Across sessions and conversations, what stood out was not just the calibre of content, but the spirit in the room. Presenters shared hard-earned lessons and practical ideas with generosity. Participants brought thoughtful questions, honest challenges, and a genuine desire to build on one anothers thinking. It felt less like an event where people came to take and more like a space where people came prepared to contribute.

In early childhood, we often describe learning as social and constructed together. Put children around a pile of blocks and the learning is immediate: ideas collide, plans change, something falls apart, and then they build again together. In a similar way, Good Start reminded us that professional learning is richest when it is communal: when we share what we know, admit what we do not, and allow one another's experience to shape our own.

Pause a little, yours a little

This year, we had 6 Pause Sessions specially designed to give educators a moment to slow down, breathe, and simply be present. Through simple and meaningful activities, these sessions reminded us that while we spend so much of ourselves caring for others, it is just as important to care for ourselves too. Educators were presented with an opportunity to pause, recharge, and reconnect with themselves.

Little Heroes of Inclusion Award

The “Little Heroes of Inclusion” Award celebrates preschool children who have gone above and beyond in caring for and supporting their peers with learning or developmental needs. These young champions help their friends learn, play, and participate fully alongside their peers, both in the classroom and in the wider community. We are truly grateful to all the children who took part, and to their teachers for recognizing and nominating them.

We have been deeply encouraged by all the nominations received - this is a testament to how we have been growing as a community that values inclusivity and the child. A common theme in this year’s stories was how our little heroes showed inclusivity, not through grand gestures or words, but through gentle, consistent actions such as, offering emotional support by just being present. Through these patient, respectful interactions with their peers, these little heroes helped create an environment where their friends felt truly accepted.

Evangeline Ng

Eve Goh Yi Fei

1/11

Concluding Good Start 2026

If there is one takeaway to carry forward, it is this: Inside Out does not need to end when the conference ends.

Bring a story. Bring a question. Bring a half-baked idea. Bring what you have learned and what you have tried.

Share it generously, and invite others to build on it.

Because when a community shows up ready to give, everyone goes home with more.

Good Start Conference 2026 is organised by Presbyterian Preschool Services (PPS), Anglican Preschool Services (APS), Methodist Preschool Services (MPS) and SUSS as a non-profit initiative for the early childhood sector. Our hope is simple: to grow a communal learning culture where resources are shared freely and practice is strengthened together. That’s also why the conference is intentionally no-frills so it can stay accessible and affordable. We believe meaningful professional learning shouldn’t come at a prohibitive cost, and we’re grateful to everyone who contributed their time, experience and generosity to make this possible.

Our Exhibitors:

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Supported By:

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2026 Good Start Early Childhood Conference, Singapore

is co-organized by: