SAVE THE DATE!
June 18 2026
Summer Leadership Institute
Minneapolis College
We’re already looking ahead to our next professional learning opportunity and invite you to save the date for the MnAEYC Summer Leadership Institute.
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This one-day institute will bring together early childhood leaders, administrators, and emerging leaders for focused learning, reflection, and connection. More details — including session topics, registration information, and speakers — will be shared soon. We look forward to continuing the conversation and building leadership capacity together.
Keynote Speaker: Dan Wuori
We are excited to welcome Dan Wuori, author of The Daycare Myth, as the keynote speaker for the MnAEYC Summer Leadership Institute.
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Dan Wuori is a nationally recognized early childhood policy expert, former kindergarten teacher, and senior leader in early learning advocacy. In The Daycare Myth, Wuori challenges persistent misconceptions about early childhood education and care, offering a research-informed, developmentally grounded perspective on what young children truly need to thrive — and what leaders, policymakers, and systems must do to support them.
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Drawing on decades of experience across classrooms, policy spaces, and public discourse, Dan brings a compelling, accessible voice to conversations about child development, workforce conditions, family needs, and the structural realities facing early learning systems today. His keynote will invite participants to critically examine dominant narratives about child care, reflect on the implications for leadership and decision-making, and consider how evidence, equity, and compassion can guide more effective early childhood systems.
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This keynote will be especially meaningful for administrators, directors, and leaders seeking to align practice, policy, and advocacy with what we know about early development — and to lead with clarity, courage, and purpose in a complex and often misunderstood field.