Once a poster presentation on campus, the annual Brock Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (BECE) Symposium is now an opportunity for students to share their expertise and connect with educators around the world.

The online symposium shares the final thesis work of BECE students with the early childhood education (ECE) community and broader public. Showcasing the successful thesis completion of 59 students, the 2023 Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (BECE) Symposium celebrates the largest student cohort to date for the program.

Symposium research topics encompass a range of issues relating to ECE, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and educators, systemic inequities and misrepresentation in educational environments and the impact of well-being and prioritizing mental health for educators.

“Successfully completing the college to university pathway to earn an Honours degree is a major accomplishment. To then mobilize their new understandings through the symposium provides the broader community of ECEs and parents a chance to explore topics of interest that may reveal new information to consider in their personal or professional practice,” said Mary-Louise Vanderlee, Interim Dean of the Faculty of Education.

This is the third year for the virtual format following a move online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and BECE’s shift to becoming a completely online program in the fall 2021, making the program more accessible to educators from across Canada and around the world.