It is an honour to serve as the Chair of ELLRA as this Association formally comes to life, and with the support of the Governing Committee members, to accompany you over the next three years, as we strive together to ensure that ELLRA is successful in federating and furthering research in early language learning.

While ELLRA is only now an association in its own right, it began its journey just under a decade ago, when Janet Enever and her team organised the Early Language Learning: Theory and Practice Conference at Umeå University, Sweden in 2014. I recall my excitement at meeting like-minded colleagues researching early language learning at that event. Many have continued as firm companions – we reunite at the biennial conferences, cement our common interests and cultivate our collegial friendships. I am sure that this has been the experience for several of you.

The seed of union and solidarity was planted in Umeå and nurtured through the eight years as the AILA Early Language Learning Research Network (AILA ELL ReN) – and it is now the sapling visually represented in our colourful ELLRA logo. These initial years will be vital for our Association – those of us who hold positions of responsibility are all volunteers, but we will continue to do our best to ensure ELLRA grows and flourishes, sustaining the achievements of the original AILA ELL ReN. There is much still to do, and while we have the structure of an association, we need to be proactive in encouraging researchers to both join ELLRA and to contribute to making membership worthwhile.

The Executive Committee will continue developing the Association’s mandate and to tend to the ELLRA sapling, so that opportunities are created in accordance with ELLRA’s objectives. Our three-year action plan includes:

1. Outlining role descriptions for the three Governing Committees by December 2023
2. Launching a dedicated Members' Area in April 2024
3. Preparing a Global Membership Fund for colleagues in challenging circumstances by January 2025
4. Creating guidelines for Governing Committee elections by December 2025
5. Supporting the preparation of two biennial conferences in 2024 and 2026
6. Hosting regular online webinars and seminars for members
7. Procuring sponsorship and funding to benefit the membership

I encourage you, as the new members of ELLRA, to also take responsibility for tending our ELLRA sapling, so it can grow strong, its trunk can thicken and its branches can stretch ever wider. ELLRA needs you to be active, for an association is nothing more than its members. I invite you to likewise invite your colleagues and doctoral and post-doctoral students to join ELLRA, to give webinars for members, upload resources to the website members’ zone, mentor PhD students and colleagues, actively network and finally, when the time comes, to volunteer on one of the Governing Committees.