News

The conference, held on 19 February 2026 at the Speech Arena in Expo Hall 4 of Targi Kielce, was held alongside the 16th International Fair of Toys and Products for Parents and Children, KIDS' TIME. The event was organised by the Świętokrzyskie In-Service Teacher Training Centre in Kielce in cooperation with Targi Kielce.

The meeting commenced with the part for the management staff and teachers of preschool and early school education. The key point of the agenda was the introductory lecture by Dr Aleksandra Piotrowska, “Together for Children’s Mental Health,” which set the tone for the entire conference.

As Katarzyna Pluta, teacher, consultant, and head of the Early School and Preschool Education Workshop at ŚCDN in Kielce, emphasised, one of the most important topics was the child's safety and support for their mental development. The speaker noted that although adults have extensive experience raising children, the modern world presents them with entirely new challenges. This requires a change in how we respond to the needs of the youngest; the theme is moving away from a simple system of punishments and rewards towards wise support for the child. Building a relationship based on closeness, love and a sense of security, while setting clear boundaries, was particularly resonant. Dr Aleksandra Piotrowska emphasised that the so-called "stress-free upbringing" is a myth – there is no upbringing without boundaries. Absence of these does not give the child freedom, but a sense of threat  as wisely set boundaries are one of the foundations of healthy mental development.

The latter part of the conference focused on the principals who participated in panels devoted to, among other things, inclusive education in preschool and primary school in light of current legal regulations and cooperation between local governments and principals of institutions as key to the development of education for the youngest residents of municipalities. The topic of innovative forms of working with children was also discussed – from nature education and outdoor activities, through Froebelian pedagogy and learning through play, to multisensory education as an alternative to excessive screen exposure.

Workshops for teachers were also an important element of the event, as Katarzyna Pluta pointed out; sessions provided an opportunity to look at working with children from a new perspective. Workshop sessions showed how to organise activities not only in the preschool or school classroom, but also outside of it, how to use unusual materials and work creatively with art materials. It was a space to acquire specific, practical tools for everyday work.

The conference showed that educating the youngest today requires mindfulness, cooperation, and courage in seeking new solutions. The child has been placed at the centre of the changes in the modern world, and responsibility for how it will function in it begins with decisions made today.

(BB)