The fifth annual Thriving Children, Families, and Communities Conference was held on Monday, Sept. 19, in Kearney, Nebraska. Returning to an in-person format, this year’s conference brought together community leaders from across Nebraska to continue building momentum around quality early childhood education and its connection to economic development and community vitality. Livestreamed keynote sessions were available for those who couldn't attend in person.
At the conference, which is intended for community leaders and elected officials from education, economic development, child care, business, government, health care, higher education, philanthropy and more, community members and experts discussed challenges, shared success stories, learned from each other, and highlighted the importance of implementing high-quality birth to Grade 3 care and education.
Attendees experienced general sessions with Dana Suskind, M.D., New York Times best-selling author, Barry Ford, president and CEO of Council for a Strong America, and We Care for Kids campaign leaders. Dynamic breakout sessions, which were available to in-person attendees only, focused on early childhood workforce recruitment and retention, advocating for change with elected officials, community-school and interlocal partnerships, and much more.