Early Childhood Development Association of Malta

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Early Childhood Development Association of Malta The goal of ECDAM is to strengthen the values, knowledge and skills of all those involved in early childhood education and care.

The Early Childhood Development Association Malta (ECDAM) is an independent and non-profit organisation founded by Dr Anna Baldacchino and Dr Charmaine Bonello in 2016. It comprises and welcomes individuals who are in some way connected to early childhood development and who have the care and education of young children at heart. ECDAM’s primary goal is to strengthen the values, knowledge and skills of all those linked and committed to early childhood education and care (ECEC) so as to promote and support high-quality educational programmes for young children. Also, the association advocates for high-quality ECEC, the professionalisation of the ECEC workforce and the inherent rights, education and well-being of all children by connecting early childhood theory, practice, policy, and multi-disciplinary scientifically-based research. ECDAM aspires to explore and support child learning and development by creating a safe space for participation and dialogue. It fosters an inclusive democratic participatory platform in its search and support of good practices that promote the holistic learning and development of every child. To achieve its vision ECDAM is guided by a dynamic philosophy of education that is responsive and fluid to ensure address of young children’s needs in a changing society. ECDAM endeavours to realise its ethos through clear and structured approaches. It reviews, evaluates and disseminates information and good practice, on child development, through networking and active collaboration between stakeholders connected to the early childhood education sector. Thus the continuous professional development, provided and supported by ECDAM, sustains an ever-growing need for a space where the early childhood professionals and families extend their knowledge-base on what make a high-quality early childhood education and care programme. The association also strives to influence policy and legislation on behalf of young children and all those allied to the early childhood education workforce to ensure that their voices are heard and their rights respected. ECDAM pursues to maintain and advance the rich tradition of childhood development theory while it encourages inquiry into new paradigms, pedagogies and their application in the ever-changing context of child development. ECDAM does this with staunch commitment and passion to realise its collective vision in which children thrive and develop in a democratic society resolute to ensuring they reach their inherent full potential.

Our ECDAM committee member Ms Doreen Barr and her staff at Smart from the Start Childcare Centre, sharing good practice!...
13/09/2026

Our ECDAM committee member Ms Doreen Barr and her staff at Smart from the Start Childcare Centre, sharing good practice! 👏🏻👏🏻🌟🌟 keep it up 👍

12/09/2026
11/09/2026
09/09/2026

Childhood does not need us to make nature magical. ✨️ They already know it is. 💚 Our job is to stop interrupting the relationship.

What might we need to step back from, so children can deepen their own relationship with nature?

🌿Artwork by Birdwings, from our Botanical Watercolour workshops.

08/09/2026

🌟 APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED! 🌟
Child-Care Secretary
📅 Applications are now being accepted until 25th September 2026.
📩 Interested candidates are invited to submit their CV and a brief covering letter to: [email protected]

08/09/2026

🌟 CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – CHILDCARE EDUCATORS (LEVEL 4) 🌟
Il-Crèche tal-Orsolini Childcare is looking for enthusiastic, caring and dedicated individuals to join our team! 💕👶🌈
We are seeking people who are passionate about working with young children and committed to providing a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment where every child can learn, grow and thrive. 🌱✨
We welcome applications from candidates who:
💜 Hold a recognised MQF Level 4 qualification in Childcare / Early Childhood Education and Care, or
💜 Are willing to enrol in and successfully complete a recognised Level 4 qualification.
💜 CV and Digital Copies of Qualifications: Your MQF Level 4 Childcare certificate.
💜 Recent Police Conduct Certificate: Usually must be uploaded immediately.
💜 Paediatric First Aid & Food Handling Certificates
Previous experience working in a childcare centre or educational setting will be considered an asset.
The ideal candidate should:
❤️Have a genuine love for working with young children;
❤️ Be caring, patient and enthusiastic;
❤️Have good communication and interpersonal skills;
❤️Be organised and able to work responsibly both independently and as part of a team
❤️Be committed to providing high-quality care and education for children.
📩 Interested candidates are invited to submit their CV, copy of the above certificates and a brief covering letter by 25th September 2026.
📧 [email protected]
👶 A place to grow, learn and belong, together.
We look forward to welcoming new members to our childcare family! 🌈🧸💕

06/09/2026

It’s us. We’re the grownups.

I come back to this quote by L.R Knost more than almost any other, because that sudden realisation can be hard to accept. There’s no one else coming. Our kids don’t have this yet.

We do. It’s our job.

And what an honour it is.

To be a little person’s safe place. To show them what it looks like to move through big emotions in a healthy way, with another person, through relationship, letting the feelings out rather than bottling them up to fester or erupt. Not scrolling them away, not shopping or drinking them away.

That’s what we get to be for our kids.

The prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that handles impulse control and emotional regulation, isn’t fully developed until the mid to late 20’s, so until then they need to borrow ours.

You are their compass. Their calm in the storm, the steady light they hold onto when they feel like they’re drowning in a sea of wild and unpredictable emotions. We get to teach them how to navigate messy feelings. We get to teach them that they won’t drown.

When my son was really little and big emotions overcame him and he was at his ‘worst’, I intentionally stepped up. I was like “Yes…I get to earn my parenting stripes here! I’m right here, I’m not running away, I’m not shutting down, not shutting him down”.

It became my job to prove to my son that when he was at his worst, for me, nothing changed. If I get the honour of loving him when he’s at his best, I have the responsibility to also love him just as much when he’s at his worst. That’s unconditional love.

It seems simple, yet it’s anything but easy, especially when we have some healing and maturing of our own to do. Some days we join the chaos. We’re human. And it’s never too late to come back, repair, and try again.

One day we won’t be here anymore. But the work you’re putting in now, with your baby, your toddler, your teenager, will be with them forever. Years from now, as Maya Angelou says, they won’t remember what you said, but they’ll remember how you made them feel.

This is the quote I come back to on the hardest days. What’s yours? Drop the words that steady you, I’d love to build a list we can all come back to. 🫶

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