Stronger, Better, and More Impactful for the Next 100 Years
From Our President
NAEYC Is Us
Stronger, Better, and More Impactful for the Next 100 Years
NAEYCNEWS
Tonia R. Durden, President of NAEYC
Last fall, I led the president’ s session at NAEYC’ s Annual Conference. Because this was my last conference as Governing Board president, I found myself looking both backward and forward. Through my interactive presentation,“ Our Sankofa Moment: Together We Will Advance Educational Equity for Young Children,” I wanted participants to do the same. I wanted to center the concept of Sankofa, a philosophy from the Akan people of Ghana that refers to the importance of learning from the past to build a better future. It is literally translated“ to go back and fetch” or“ to go back and retrieve what you have lost or forgotten.”
The 2025 session offered both a reflection on the past and a vision of what is possible. Participants drew on the wisdom of NAEYC elders and the innovation of early childhood educators to reflect on how early childhood change agents have advanced educational equity in the past and how they envision moving forward in the future. However, it is my position that we cannot move forward if we are unclear or have no knowledge of our past and legacy as an organization.
In this issue of Young Children, contributors reflect on NAEYC’ s 100-year anniversary and how the association’ s legacy can inform its future. As we embark on a year of celebration and reflection, I consider how the organization has transformed in just the 18 years that I have been a member.
Spring 2026 Young Children 79