Symposium 2026 Agenda

Child Care Aware® of America’s Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Training of Trainers pre-conference program will provides participants with the resources needed to help the child care providers they serve understand the importance of emergency preparedness specific to child care, describe the typical actions required for different types of emergencies. identify ways to support children’s needs, and develop a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan for their program to keep children safe.

NOTE: Attending Symposium is not required for pre-conference registration, and registering only to the pre-conference will not grant you access to Symposium. To attend both Symposium and the EPRR pre-conference, you must complete two separate registrations.

In partnership with the Riverside County Children & Families Commission, Nava Labs is piloting a carefully-scoped, human-centered AI “Form-Filling Assistant” tool that autonomously navigates multiple databases and benefit portals and then completes application forms.

This session will share our approach and findings from the pilot, including: what tasks are appropriate for AI assistance, where human oversight remains essential, and what design and governance decisions help reduce risk in public-sector and nonprofit contexts. We’ll also share a few lessons from other related pilot AI tools designed to support caseworkers, including an Assistive Chatbot and a Referral Generator.

An introduction to A National Agenda for Tribal Early Childhood Development and Practice: Prioritizing Tribal Leadership in Early Childhood Systems. Panelists will discuss the unique inter-tribe collaboration that led to this work and how this agenda can help tribal leaders, state leaders, and federal leaders support tribal early childhood systems.

 This interactive workshop explores key findings and emerging national trends from the 2023 Child Care Licensing Study conducted by the National Association for Regulatory Administration (NARA). Drawing on data from 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories, the session will examine how child care licensing systems are evolving in response to shifting demand, workforce challenges, and post-pandemic realities. 

Administrators, policymakers, advocates, parents, and providers alike want to understand what it would truly take to strengthen our child care system. We already know part of the answer: payments, from child care subsidies and from parents, must cover the actual costs of providing care. This session will examine findings from a new study of market rate surveys and cost analyses across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Data on the gaps among current market prices, the true cost of providing care, and subsidies will be presented and implications for policy will be discussed.

Alisha’s keynote, “Positive Disruption: Igniting Aliveness in Early Childhood,” will challenge attendees to rethink the status quo and take action to strengthen and innovate child care systems. Drawing on her experience as an educator and consultant, Alisha will share practical strategies for advancing change, supporting the workforce, and improving outcomes for children and families. Attendees will leave with renewed clarity, purpose, and tools to drive meaningful progress in their communities

What does it take to build a high-performing network that delivers results for children and families, and strengthens the system it supports? In this fireside conversation, leaders from Communities In Schools and StriveTogether will share how they align around shared outcomes, scale effective practices across communities, and use data to show progress and drive continuous improvement. Their experience offers a clear vision for moving from connection to consistency, accountability, and impact at scale. Join us to explore what this means for strengthening the Child Care Aware® of America network and the role each of us can play in building a child care system that works for every family.

This session will foster an honest conversation about Indigenous cultures and knowledge, the importance of and possible challenges of strong state-Tribal partnerships, and the path toward trust-based collaboration. Centering Native voices from academia, state, and Tribal governments, panelists will share real-world perspectives and actionable insights for building meaningful, sustained partnerships. Together, they will explore how this foundational work strengthens child care systems and improves outcomes for children, families, and communities.

This session will highlight the journey of several early childhood leaders, business leaders, and advocates in Missouri that got them from Point A to Point Z to launch Missouri Child Care Works (CCW). CCW is an innovative child care benefits model inclusive of Duo Share, Tri-Share, and other child care cost share models, powered in partnership between Child Care Aware of Missouri, Kids Win Missouri, over 20 community leaders, and TOOTRiS. 

With shifting economic outlooks, the long-term impacts of HR-1 on state budgets, and the first full year without federal child care relief funding underway, this session will provide a timely pulse check on how states are navigating fiscal complexity while balancing different priorities, including early childhood education. This interactive session will include dedicated time for peer-to-peer exchange, allowing attendees to share updates from their states, compare advocacy strategies, and learn from one another during a critical moment in the legislative cycle. We’ll also dig into federal rule changes, unpacking key challenges, opportunities, and what it will take to move from policy to practice.

Panelists will share how Oregon’s statewide substitute pool is reducing burnout and improving retention; how Georgia’s Regional Workforce Hub strengthens educator pipelines through coordinated recruitment, credentialing, and partnerships; and how Pennsylvania’s ECHO initiative leveraged $3 million annually in private investment to expand child care supply, launch registered apprenticeships, and support hundreds of early learning professionals. Participants will leave with practical strategies, cross‑state insights, and a clear action step to strengthen the early childhood workforce in their own communities.

Behind every meaningful change is a story that moves people, which in turn drives understanding and action. This keynote will explore how storytelling can be used to strengthen child care systems and elevate the need for sustained investment. Panelists will share strategies for crafting messages that resonate with policymakers, families, and business leaders, and discuss how effective narratives can shape decisions and expand opportunity. Attendees will gain practical tools to use storytelling to shift perspectives and support better outcomes for children, families, and communities.

What does it take to move from vision to implementation in building a stronger child care system for the future? This dynamic conversation will explore how innovative thinking and strategic advocacy are expanding access to affordable, high-quality child care for families, and transforming outcomes. Panelists will share real-world lessons and actionable insights from New Mexico, Vermont, and Montana, highlighting how cross-sector collaboration is driving meaningful progress for children, families, and communities.

During this session, presenters will share recent survey findings that highlight the experiences of early childhood educators across the country, including the effects of policy and funding changes, food insecurity, compensation and staffing challenges, and emotional and financial well-being. Presenters will examine how these data reveal persistent challenges and evolving trends in the field, and how workforce insights can inform and strengthen early childhood policies and systems.

What do we know about the child care workforce today—and what is it telling us about the system meant to support it? This session looks at emerging trends in the child care workforce, including shifts in experience, training, and education. Together, these trends paint a clear picture of persistent challenges in building a stable, skilled workforce. We’ll then share a preview of national findings on how states are organizing their workforce systems—and whether those systems are truly equipped to support the workforce we need. This session will highlight key disconnects between workforce realities and system design—and what leaders can do to close the gap.

In 2025, Connecticut took a historic step to strengthen its early childhood system with the passage of landmark legislation establishing the Early Childhood Endowment, reflecting the state’s long-term commitment to stabilizing, strengthening, and transforming early childhood services for children, families, and providers. This session will focus on the steps the CT Office of Early Childhood took in collaboration with partners to pass this historic legislation and the important lessons learned. Perspectives will be shared by legislators, a parent, advocate, and the OEC.  

San Diego County’s R&R is launching a new childcare hub featuring an updated R&R interface integrating all public and private early education and childcare (0-12) options, a funding eligibility screening tool that integrates all funded childcare options and subsidies, an application wizard to enable direct connections to providers, referral connections for social workers, and connections to additional resources through 2-1-1 all supported by real-life caring, helpful humans. Come hear more from the Long Beach Early Learning Hub and YMCA Childcare Resource Service about how we are integrating supports, resources, information, and relationships to better meet the needs of families and providers. You’ll hear what we’ve done, what we’ve learned, and where we’re going, and we hope to hear more great ideas from participants!  

This session will highlight how strategic state investment has improved both access to and affordability of child care in the state. Business focused training, technical assistance and access to capital can address systemic barriers to child care sustainability and protect and leverage the public investment in affordability. Leaders from Vermont will share how state agency partnerships with advocates and T/TA providers designed and scaled initiatives that build the business acumen of child care entrepreneurs, improve financial stability, and align quality goals with fiscal realities.

Participants will hear directly from the state agency and partners about their policy and implementation journey—what drove their decision to invest, how they structured supports, and what results they’re seeing in their provider networks. 

Strong tribal-state government relations are essential to building stable and quality tribal early childhood systems, particularly for childn and families living off tribal land. Panelists will discuss how their states have effectively built these relationships, with a focus on how tribal-state relationships benefit tribes and sttes and what is needed to build effective and trusting governmental partnerships.

What would it take to build an early childhood system that truly meets the needs of children, families, and educators? This session provides an overview of WeVision EarlyEd, an initiative focused on advancing more equitable, accessible, and sustainable child care systems across the country. WeVision EarlyEd works to shift policies, funding approaches, and public understanding of child care, recognizing it as an essential infrastructure for families, communities, and the economy.