Key Highlights from the 2025 National Summit:
Centering parent voice remains vital to understanding and supporting families and reimagining systems.
Sharing stories together — and across sectors — helps bridge connections and build community.
Relationships are foundational to advancing Early Relational Health (ERH).
Over 300 Early Relational Health (ERH) champions and advocates from many sectors and backgrounds gathered this month in Washington, D.C., for two days of listening, learning, and reimagining early childhood systems that center the needs and dreams of children and families.
Cosponsored by Nurture Connection and Reach Out and Read in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the 2025 National Summit was a landmark opportunity for pediatricians, researchers, policymakers, funders, systems leaders, and parent leaders — including teams from 23 communities, across 18 states — to connect and reflect together on the work ahead.
“Attending the summit was an inspiring experience for the Alaska team. We were able to connect with other initiatives and ask deep questions about what they are learning and doing through their work, and we were inspired and uplifted by the work happening across the country. It has already led us to have conversations about what our next steps could be, and to share this information with our community partners.”
—Jessica Clarkson, R.O.C.K. Mat-Su, Alaska
Bridging Systems by Connecting in Community
From Alabama to Alaska, and Oregon to Arkansas, there were many familiar stories and refrains. As one participant described, between the uncertain political climate, piecemeal funding, and the need for more unified programs and systems, “it’s hard to dream long term in survival mode.” Yet many attendees spoke of how the opportunity to come together at the summit created a space where participants could step away from their day-to-day work and engage in more expansive thinking and planning — allowing for new partnerships and solutions to blossom.
“It was wonderful to be part of the summit and to connect with so many colleagues advancing Early Relational Health,” says J. Corey A. Williams, MD, who attended as part of the Early Childhood Innovation Network (ECIN), based in Washington, D.C. “I left deeply inspired by the collective commitment to centering family voice and community wisdom in shaping systems of care. I’ve already shared with my team how the summit reinforced for me how much great momentum there is in the field for Early Relational Health, and reminded me to keep pursuing learning partnerships to understand how other teams are codesigning programs with families — as a foundation for equity and trust.”
As Chelsea King from the Upstream Initiative Collaborative in Oregon also shares, “one of the most compelling experiences I had at the summit was the ongoing conversation and exploration in small groups — which included pediatricians, early childhood advocates, and parents with direct experience. I am in a lot of professional spaces, but this was the first time for such intentional dialogue across these three groups.” The Oregon cohort included a physician champion, several early childhood advocates, and a family with lived experience who brought their infant with them to the summit. “It filled our hearts,” says King, “to have an Oregon baby in the nation’s capital, as we all gathered to ensure every baby in our country has vibrant Early Relational Health.”
Community Teams on Our Learning and Sharing Journey:
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- Alaska: R.O.C.K. Mat-Su
- Arkansas: Arkansas TPEC; Excel by Eight
- California: Bay Area Pediatrics Supporting Parents (PSP); Los Angeles Pediatrics Supporting Parents (PSP); Los Angeles TPEC
- Connecticut: CT 359
- Hawaii: ECDHS Implementation Site
- Kentucky: Early Childhood Development Community Health Center
- Massachusetts: Massachusetts TPEC
- Michigan: First Steps Kent; Ottawa Area ISD Early Childhood
- New York: Early Childhood Alliance; Onondaga/PSP
- North Carolina: Durham Pediatrics Supporting Parents (PSP); Mecklenburg County – PN-3 Initiative
- Ohio: Preschool Promise
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma Family Network
- Oregon: Upstream Initiative Collaborative/OHEC
- South Carolina: Spartanburg Academic Movement/Center for Early Childhood Success
- Tennessee: First 8 Years, Memphis
- Texas: People’s Community Clinic Austin
- Vermont: Vermont TPEC
- Washington: Pierce County Pediatrics Supporting Parents (PSP)
- Washington, D.C.: Early Childhood Innovation Network (ECIN)
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Centering Parent Partnership in ERH
One of the central themes of the summit was the crucial role of family partnership in transforming early childhood systems of care. “I appreciated how the summit centered the important role of parent and family advisers in programs and systems building,” reflects Laura Pentenrieder, MPH, who attended as part of a cohort from Transforming Pediatrics for Early Childhood (TPEC), Vermont. “The summit cemented Vermont’s commitment to Early Relational Health as the cross-cutting framework aligning and uniting programs and services for families.” Her team will continue to explore ways to integrate ideas from the sessions in future Family Advisory Council efforts, with overall service delivery, and statewide perinatal and early childhood strategic planning.
In a breakout session on Parent Collaboration and Codesign led by Bryn Fortune (Nurture Connection Family Network Collaborative) and Jessica Clarkson (R.O.C.K. Mat-Su, Alaska), participants had the opportunity to learn more about the parent-centered equity framework that guides Nurture Connection’s Family Network Collaborative (FNC), and how this framework has been implemented to support parent partnership initiatives and advocacy efforts in Alaska.
In addition to Fortune, who is the facilitator of the FNC, four parent leaders from the FNC were also present to share their experiences and connect with other ERH champions and early childhood communities. Hear their reflections in this short video!
Building a Collective Vision of Tomorrow, Together
“What are we going to do tomorrow with what we’re learning today?”
—Claudia Aristy, Parent Leader, Nurture Connection Family Network Collaborative
Advancing Early Relational Health is an ongoing journey rooted in the collective work of building coalitions through connection. These efforts are deeply relational at heart — as American Academy of Pediatrics CEO/Executive Vice President Mark Del Monte, JD, underscored in his summit address, “we don’t do anything alone.”
As a catalytic network for change, Nurture Connection remains committed to creating spaces like the 2025 National Summit for communities to share their experiences, challenges, and successes in order to innovate, find solutions, and authentically engage with families.
Reflecting forward, we hope that the many stories and connections that participants shared with each other will evolve into ongoing conversations that bridge systems, center parent voice in ERH, and support and sustain our efforts to transform programs and policy through a relational health lens. Together, we can continue to build a brighter vision of tomorrow, with the well-being of families and communities at the center.
“We as a network are committed — at every level — to the idea that relationships matter.”
—David W. Willis, MD, FAAP
Founder and Director, Nurture Connection; Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Georgetown University Thrive Center for Children, Families and Communities
Explore More
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- Share your reflections from the National Summit! Drop us a line at nurtureconnection@georgetown.edu.
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