Professional Development Committee

The Professional Development Committee helps guide and strengthen MnAEYC’s professional learning opportunities for early childhood educators, leaders, advocates, and partners across Minnesota. This committee plays a central role in ensuring that MnAEYC offers meaningful, relevant, and high-quality professional development that supports the early childhood workforce and advances the mission of the organization.

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Purpose

The Professional Development Committee works to create opportunities for early childhood professionals to learn, connect, reflect, and grow in their practice. Through conferences, institutes, webinars, networking events, and accreditation-focused supports, the committee helps ensure that MnAEYC remains a trusted source of professional learning for the early childhood field.

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The committee is committed to offering professional development that is responsive to the needs of the workforce, grounded in current research and best practice, and aligned with MnAEYC’s values of equity, inclusion, leadership, advocacy, and high-quality early learning.

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Key Responsibilities

The Professional Development Committee is responsible for developing an annual plan for how MnAEYC supports accreditation across the state. This includes identifying opportunities to provide information, resources, events, and partnerships that help programs understand and engage with accreditation processes.

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The committee also leads the planning of MnAEYC’s major professional development events, including the Winter Leadership Institute, the MnAEYC Annual Conference, and the Summer Leadership Institute. These events provide important opportunities for educators, leaders, and partners to come together around shared learning, professional growth, advocacy, and leadership development.

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In addition, the committee helps recruit speakers and presenters for MnAEYC events. Committee members work to identify knowledgeable, engaging, and diverse voices who can offer meaningful learning experiences for participants across a wide range of roles, settings, and communities.

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The committee also plans and leads ongoing monthly professional development opportunities, such as leadership networking events and webinars. These regular offerings help MnAEYC provide year-round support, connection, and timely learning opportunities for members and the broader early childhood community.

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Committee Activities May Include

• Developing an annual accreditation support plan

• Planning the Winter Leadership Institute

• Planning the MnAEYC Annual Conference

• Planning the Summer Leadership Institute

• Recruiting speakers, presenters, facilitators, and panelists

• Supporting monthly leadership networking opportunities

• Planning and hosting webinars throughout the year

• Identifying professional development needs across the early childhood field

• Reviewing participant feedback to strengthen future events

• Helping ensure professional development offerings are accessible, relevant, and aligned with MnAEYC’s mission

 

Why Join This Committee?

Serving on the Professional Development Committee is a meaningful way to shape the learning opportunities available to early childhood professionals across Minnesota. Committee members help identify important topics, elevate strong voices in the field, and create spaces where educators and leaders can grow in knowledge, confidence, and connection.

This committee is a great fit for individuals who are passionate about professional learning, leadership development, accreditation, event planning, advocacy, and supporting the early childhood workforce. Whether you enjoy big-picture planning, behind-the-scenes organizing, presenter recruitment, or facilitating meaningful conversations, there are many ways to contribute.

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Join Us

MnAEYC members are invited to get involved with the Professional Development Committee and help us build a strong, responsive, and inspiring professional development system for Minnesota’s early childhood community. Together, we can create learning opportunities that support educators, strengthen programs, and advance high-quality early learning for all children and families.