NAEYC Institute 2018 Welcome Letter

Dear Attendees,

You’re here! Welcome to the NAEYC 2018 Professional Learning Institute (PLI). We are excited to have you join us this year in Austin, Texas. We know you will have a blast—participating in the conference, networking among peers, and hitting the town. Austin is a great city with great food and entertainment, so enjoy yourself.

It is year two of Power to the Profession, and we are excited about the momentum building around this initiative. Power to the Profession has made progress in laying the groundwork for the future of the early childhood education profession. To those of you who are already contributing to this movement, thank you. To all of you, we still need your voice. This is your movement. This is your profession. There are significant decisions to be made that require your input. You will find opportunities throughout the conference to join the dialogue, so please plug in!

Dr. Sonia Nieto opens the NAEYC Institute on Sunday as the keynote speaker. She will discuss “Creating Inclusive and Affirming Environments for Emergent Bilingual Children.” As early childhood professionals, it is our responsibility to deepen our knowledge and hone our competencies in serving children and families with a wide range of cultural backgrounds and rich language diversity. We welcome Sonia as she shares her experience and expertise with us.

This year’s peer-reviewed sessions tackle the topics that confront early childhood educators in classrooms, administrative offices, state systems, and statehouses across the country. We’ve worked hard to ensure you receive current information of the highest quality throughout the Institute. Our peer reviewers undertook a rigorous selection process to bring you relevant and diverse sessions to inform your practice and expand your knowledge. You will return home a stronger and wiser professional.

Have you created your personal agenda yet? We’ve improved the NAEYC Events app to make it easier than ever to personalize your Institute experience and get the most out of your time here.

On behalf of the leadership of NAEYC, we want to express our gratitude for the incredible contributions you make each and every day to children and families, to the field, and to your professional association. Have a great time, learn a lot, and enjoy Austin!

Sincerely,

Amy O’Leary NAEYC Governing Board President

Rhian Evans Allvin NAEYC Chief Executive Officer

Amy O’Leary

Rhian Evans Allvin

NAEYC Governing Board

Amy O’Leary, PresidentTammy L. Mann, Past-President

Crystal Sanford-Brown, Vice President

Steven Hicks, SecretaryCarl L. Hairston, Treasurer

Iliana AlanísIsauro Escamilla CalanDina C. CastroJie-Qi ChenVincent J. CostanzaSebreana DomingueElisa Huss-HageTamara JohnsonMegan MadisonKrista MurphyAlissa Mwenelupembe

Stacia TiptonMichelle WlazloRhian Evans Allvin (Ex Officio)