Prices start at
$199!
Registration opens
October 5
ECPBL Conference 2026:
Centering Young Learners
May 8-9
Boston, MA
Registration Opens October 5!
About the Conference
The Early Childhood Project Based Learning (ECPBL) Conference is a gathering for teachers, coaches, school leaders, and anyone committed to honoring young children’s thinking, nurturing inquiry, and building strong practice in community. Whether you’re new to Project Based Learning (PBL) or ready to deepen your expertise, you’ll leave with tools, inspiration, and strategies to expand opportunities for young learners in your setting.
Now in its third year, the 2026 conference will take place at The Croft School in Boston, Massachusetts. This year’s theme, Centering Young Learners, reflects our shared commitment to child-centered, inquiry-driven education. We believe that Project Based Learning doesn’t need to be simplified or adapted for young children—instead, it must be intentionally designed with young children at the center. Over two days, participants will engage in experiences designed to spark creativity, strengthen practice, and connect with a national network of early childhood educators.
Conference Experience
Day One: Two Learning Pathways and Croft Classroom Tour
Participants choose between two pathways based on their experience with ECPBL:
ECPBL Essentials (for new participants): A hands-on introduction to the unique ECPBL Project Planning Process designed especially for teachers of young children. This pathway supports educators in understanding the foundations of early childhood project work, exploring examples from classrooms, and gaining the tools to design projects with clarity and confidence. Participants will leave with both a plan-in-progress and the inspiration to bring meaningful, inquiry-driven projects to life with their students.
Collaborative Project Studio (for returning conference or ECPBL workshop participants): A studio-style pathway for educators ready to go deeper with their practice. Participants bring a project idea, question, or challenge from their own setting and refine it through shared inquiry, collaborative planning, and constructive feedback. Alongside peers and facilitators, educators will experiment with new strategies, problem-solve real classroom dilemmas, and leave with a more fully developed project and renewed energy for facilitating PBL with young children.
In addition to the separate pathway sessions, all participants will be together for community-building, project idea generation (“Inspiration Circles”), collaborative feedback, and guided Croft classroom visits.
Day Two: Breakout Sessions & Panel
Everyone comes together for a full day of learning, beginning with a panel featuring Croft teachers, children, and families. Breakout Sessions —led by Sara Lev, the lead-author of Implementing Project Based Learning in Early Childhood and co-founder of ECPBL — alongside educators from The Croft School and across the country.
Sessions will highlight key practices such as:
Project documentation
Emergent literacy and PBL
Reflection, Feedback and Revision practices with young children
Arts integration, STEM and design
Embedding Social and Emotional Learning into PBL units
Playful learning and PBL
Lesson design
Research and fieldwork
Weaving Anti-Bias Education Goals into projects
Leadership in Early Childhood PBL
Together, we’ll explore how to create and sustain the conditions for meaningful, authentic projects with young children.
Conference Location
The 2026 ECPBL Conference will be hosted at The Croft School in Jamaica Plain, MA - a vibrant learning community known for its emphasis on curiosity, belonging, and meaningful relationships. Throughout the conference, Croft’s early childhood classrooms will serve as both inspiration and learning spaces, offering attendees a chance to see PBL in practice.
Schedule Overview
Participants may register for the full two-day conference or for a single day.
Day One (Friday, May 8, 2026)
Choose a pathway: ECPBL Essentials or Collaborative Project Studio
Inspiration Circles: project idea generation + peer feedback
Classroom visits
Closing reflections
Optional evening social gathering
Day Two (Saturday, May 9, 2026)
Morning panel with Croft teachers, children, and families
Three rounds of breakout sessions by national presenters and Croft teachers as well as time for conversation and reflection.
Closing reflections and celebrations
Detailed schedule coming soon!
“All of the sessions were engaging and meaningful to my work with young learners. I have so many takeaways and new strategies that have sparked my goals as I move forward.”
“We are so thankful we came to this conference. It was inspiring, informative, and motivating for all three of us. We are so excited to take what we’ve learned back to our building and begin more PBL work in our classrooms. One part we weren’t expecting was connecting with other educators. We met so many amazing teachers who were so willing to share their work or ideas with us. Thank you for such a wonderful experience.”
Registration Opens October 5
Spaces are limited - we recommend registering early!
Daily Rate
(Friday or Saturday Only)
$199
Early Bird
October 5-December 31
$399
Standard
January 1-April 25
$499
Preferred Hotels:
We have reserved a block of rooms for May 7-10
Booking Link: Residence Inn Boston Dedham
Rate: $179.00/night +tax - (Suites include a Queen bed, fold-out couch, and breakfast.)
259 Elm Street, Dedham, MA 02026
Booking Link: Residence Inn Boston South End
Rate: $289.00/night +tax (Studio suites include breakfast) - Must be reserved by March 20, 2026.
2001 Washington St, Roxbury, MA 02119
Visit our FAQ Page for additional travel details.
Join Us!
-
Breakout Sessions
These 90-minute sessions bring participants together to explore new concepts, reflect on current practices, and gain strategies for creating authentic, enriching learning experiences. While all sessions are still being finalized, they will most likely include topics inspired by last year’s participant feedback, such as inquiry and documentation, arts integration and STEM, reflection, feedback and revision, emergent literacy, and Social and Emotional Learning. Options will engage both new and experienced PBL practitioners and spark fresh ideas for your classroom. Check back here for full session details soon.
-
Common Threads
Relaxed, conversation-based sessions where participants come together to explore shared questions, themes, and insights that have emerged throughout the conference.
Past topics have included:
Building a Classroom Culture for PBL: Supporting Independence and Collaboration
Creating inclusive PBL Classroom Environments
Integrating curriculum and standards into projects
Reflection, Feedback and Revision practices with young children
-
Exploring Learning Environments and PBL at Croft
Conference attendees will have the unique opportunity to visit the Croft School classrooms (PreK—2) rotating through distinct early childhood learning spaces. Each space will highlight a different aspect of creating thoughtful, engaging environments that foster deep learning and exploration in early childhood PBL.
-
Inspiration Circles
These small-group sessions bring participants together in circles of 5–7 to share high-level project ideas to give and receive feedback. The goal is to spark creativity, inspire reflection, and leave with new project ideas or practices to carry back to your own planning.
-
Collaborative Project Studio (for returning conference participants or those familiar with the ECPBL approach)
In this two-part session, you’ll bring a project idea, question, or spark and deepen your thinking in a studio-style space designed for educators who are already familiar with the Early Childhood PBL approach. Through shared inquiry, collaborative planning, and thoughtful provocations, you’ll try out strategies for building out projects and brainstorm ways of extending children’s learning to refine your project work and stretch your practice. You’ll leave with fresh insight, next steps, and new perspectives to carry back to your classroom.
What people are saying about past conferences…
“It was great to finally look at PBL through the lens of early learners. I also appreciate getting to experience this with practiced PBL teachers who can answer many of our basic logistic questions.”
“I hope this event continues to evolve and grow! I would attend again and again.”
“The presenters were amazing, the school was incredible, hearing from teachers was amazing during the tour, the educational leaders were inspiring and very knowledgeable, and the food was amazing. Overall, it was a great conference! I loved the break-out sessions and having the opportunity to share with other educators.
“This was my favorite training yet. My team and I felt like we learned so much and the rest of our team wants to attend next years already.”
CONNECT with like-minded educators in breakout sessions about how to expand possibilities for young children when implementing PBL with children ages 3-8.
ENGAGE in rich discussions that highlight diverse perspectives of PBL and the impact of PBL in a variety of early childhood settings.
IGNITE new ideas that you can take back to your school communities through engaging workshops, classroom tours and discussions.
The Croft School - Jamaica Plain
3815 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02131
