Main content

Join us at the Texas Early Childhood Summit on March 21, 2025 at the Hilton College Station & Conference Center.

Please see full schedule below

9:00 - 9:30 Breakfast, Welcome

9:30- 10:45 Engaging the University Government Relations Office to Contribute to Policy

• Michael Hardy, Texas A&M University Government Relations office
• Ann Bowman, PhD Professor and Hazel Davis and Robert Kennedy Endowed Chair in Government and Public Service
• Erinn Whiteside, PhD Assistant Professor of Special Education, Texas A&M University
• Jennifer Morgan, MEd. Special Education Student representative for the Higher Education Consortium for Special Education

11:00 - 12:30 Early Childhood Policy Matters Across Texas

• Kim Kofron, Director of Early Childhood Education for Children at Risk
• Cody Summerville, Chief Executive Officer Texas Association for the Education of Young Children
• David Feigen, Director of Early Learning Policy for Texans Care for Children

12:30 - 1:30 Networking lunch

1:30 - 3:00 Research Partnerships to Answer Policy Relevant Questions

• Catherine Arwood, Policy Manager, Child Care & Early Learning, Texas Workforce Commission
• Jillian Smith, Program Specialist, Texas Workforce Commission
• Laci Watkins, PhD, BCBA-D, Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology
• Julie Thompson, PhD, BCBA-D, Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology
• April Crawford, PhD, Professor and Co-Director of the Children’s Learning Institute, University of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
• Catherine Davis, Policy Director, Child Care Associates, Inc. Fort Worth, Texas

3:15 - 4:00 Data Visualization and Communicating Your Research

• Bethany Edwards, PhD, Director for Research and Evaluation, Center for Transforming Lives

4:00 - 4:30 Closing and thank you