Summit Agenda At-a-Glance
12:00 – 12:45 PM ET
Kindergarten: What Schools and Children Need to Be Ready
Presented by
Dr. Nicol Russell, Chief Academic Officer
Dr. Heather Hennessy, Lead Educational Consultant
Discover how to define and measure readiness so every child has a fair start to third-grade reading proficiency, graduation, and lifelong success.
- How to reframe kindergarten readiness as a shared, reciprocal responsibility between pre-K programs and K-12 schools
- How developmentally appropriate practices, family engagement, and attendance work together to support strong transitions
- How early literacy, math foundations, and a sense of belonging in kindergarten connect to third-grade reading proficiency, high school graduation, and lifelong success
1:00 – 1:45 PM ET
Solving Your Early Childhood Funding and Budget Challenges
Presented by
Anna Edwards, Chief Advocacy Officer, Whiteboard Advisors
David Schryver, Senior Vice President and Co-Director of Research, Whiteboard Advisors
Unlock practical ways to navigate funding challenges while aligning early learning investments with district priorities.
- How to advocate for early childhood programs internally as a district leader
- Ways to leverage state and federal funding to support sustainable program growth
- How to define and communicate return on investment to win continued support for early childhood initiatives
2:00 – 3:00 PM ET
Retaining Teachers and Scaling Quality in Early Childhood Programs
Encore presentation followed by live Q & A
Dr. Nicol Russell, Chief Academic Officer
Darcy Heath, Research Manager
Learn how empowering teachers with meaningful tools and PD not only reduces staffing churn but creates the conditions for children to thrive.
- The interconnection between the two most pressing challenges facing early childhood leaders: teacher retention and child outcomes
- How supporting teachers with aligned professional learning helps both teachers and children thrive
- A practical, evidence-based way to improve workforce stability, educator experience, teacher well-being, and child development
