Early Childhood Innovation Summit: Big Innovation for Little Ones

The National Head Start Association’s first-ever Early Childhood Innovation Summit kicks off in Seattle next week.

Early childhood education innovators, technologists, and venture-capital and social-venture entrepreneurs will come together in Emerald City to explore ways to introduce the early education world to new technologies and and examine new sources of funding.

Association: National Head Start Association

Conference: Early Childhood Innovation Summit

Venue: Cedarbrook Lodge

Location: Seattle

The inaugural—and sold out—Early Childhood Innovation Summit  (opens in a new tab) starts on Monday evening with a keynote by Jim Sorenson, chairman of the Sorenson Impact Foundation and a national leader in social-impact innovation. He’ll discuss how to make innovation a daily reality, rather than a one-time endeavor. Also worth noting:

This event is the result of another. Among the catalysts for the summit was June’s successful Head Start Hackathon  (opens in a new tab), during which early childhood education experts came together in the name of innovation. Rather than code software or build websites, participants used ideation techniques borrowed from the tech world to develop big-picture ideas to pave the way for future generations of the nation’s most vulnerable children. The Innovation Summit will take these steps even further.

There’s a new reality. Virtual reality, that is—and two time slots on Tuesday will give attendees a chance to learn more about it. During lunch, they can even try out VR for themselves. And later that day, VR expert Gentry Lane will lead a discussion of the opportunities the technology presents both in and out of the classroom.

Your proposals must be pitch perfect. What types of projects do funders find interesting, and how can you most effectively tell your story? Attendees will get an insider’s view—from funders themselves—about what topics are of interest, where they can be found, and what kinds of pitches resonate the most.

Follow this hashtag—#eceinnovation  (opens in a new tab)—for the latest happenings around the summit.

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