Early Childhood Innovation Summit

2026

Looking at the Future of Early Education

Early childhood education and child care stand at a pivotal juncture where innovation is essential. However, for practitioners, the challenge is figuring out how to build the plane while flying. The Early Childhood Innovation Summit (ECIS) is here to bridge this gap, connecting researchers, policymakers, and practitioners and empowering educators to tackle 21st-century challenges head-on.

Each year, we curate an agenda rich in content and rooted in practice, featuring plenary sessions with brilliant thought leaders addressing today’s most pressing issues. We explore the intersections of early childhood education with AI and brain development, delve into pediatric health, and discover trauma-informed tools to enhance social and emotional health for children and families facing adversities.

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About the HeadStarter Network

The HeadStarter Network is NHSA’s sister organization and is a separate nonprofit organization created to provide a nimble, interdisciplinary, and forward-looking engine for driving innovation in early childhood development and education. A frequent collaborator with NHSA, we constantly seek to apply best practices and innovations from technology, business, and academia to shape new models of early childhood education. Learn more.