You're invited to celebrate the 31st annual Children’s Week Florida taking place in the capital city, February 22 - 27, 2026! Join us for a meaningful week of advocacy, connection and interactive enrichment opportunities that unite young children, teens, families, teachers, legislators, community leaders, and dedicated professionals.

Together with our partners, Children's Week Florida helps to deliver the message to our state leaders that every child deserves to thrive!

You can learn more and register for Children's Week events and activities using the buttons below — We look forward to celebrating with you in February!

Advocacy Dinner & Awards Ceremony

Monday, February 23, 2026

5:00-8:00 PM

Donald L. Tucker Civic Center

Children's Day

Storybook Village

Storybook Garden

Teen Day

The TEACH Early Childhood^® Scholarship Program provides scholarships and comprehensive support to early educators, directors, family child care educators and owners, out-of-school-time professionals, and child care facility owners. Funded by the Florida Division of Early Learning, TEACH is designed to increase the education, compensation and retention of our state's early learning workforce.

TEACH is honored to help early educators reach their professional development goals, including earning credentials and degrees. Join us in celebrating some recent TEACH Graduates!

Congratulations to Joemmy L. of Hillsborough County who completed her Associate Degree in ECE. Joemmy is set to continue her educational journey with TEACH as she begins working toward her Bachelor's Degree this spring. She is grateful for the support she received from TEACH. "Thank you for always being so responsive throughout this process," said Joemmy. "I appreciate it more than you know and I’m excited to see what I will be able to accomplish next."

Hats off to Tasheba B. who obtained her Bachelor's Degree in ECE. She is thankful for her TEACH counselor who helped her along the way. "Your support and acknowledgment over the years have meant so much to me, both personally, as I’ve grown in my family child care home program, child care center, and now leadership journey in advocacy," she noted. Thank you, Tasheba, for your dedication to the early learning field!

We're so proud of Mariela G. for earning a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in ECE! We are humbled by what Mariela had to say about her experience: "TEACH did more than support my education. It strengthened my confidence, expanded my knowledge, and reaffirmed my purpose," she stated. "Everything I have learned through this journey directly impacts the way I lead my center, mentor my staff, and teach my students." Way to go, Mariela!

For the past 80 years, Highlights has helped children discover the joy of learning by meeting them exactly where they are—curious, playful, imaginative, and brimming with potential.

We are proud to celebrate Highlights as a member of the Forum Forward Corporate Membership program!

Through Highlights Early Learning, we bring this legacy into early childhood settings with resources designed to help today’s educators, families, and caregivers nurture capable, confident children who truly love to learn.

At the heart of our work is a simple belief: Children thrive when the adults in their lives create moments that matter—those small but powerful interactions that spark connection, joy, and discovery. Whether it’s a shared story, a kindness conversation, or a hands-on activity, these moments build trust and emotional security. And in the first five years of life, those bonds form the foundation for resilience, curiosity, strong relationships, and long-term academic success. Our resources are intentionally designed to make it easy—and fun—for adults to create more of these meaningful moments every day.

We are also deeply committed to helping children understand and practice kindness. Decades of experience engaging directly with children have shown that kindness is not just a feel-good concept—it’s a core part of school readiness. Skills like empathy, listening, responsibility, gratitude, teamwork, and compassion help children enter kindergarten with the confidence to navigate new challenges, collaborate with peers, and contribute to a positive, productive classroom environment. In Florida especially, where programs place increasing emphasis on well-being, resilience, and readiness, we’ve seen how kindness learning resonates with educators and families alike.

Kindness Connections, a flagship resource from Highlights, is built around this belief. With simple, flexible lessons and engaging materials, it helps teachers and caregivers nurture these foundational skills through joyful, play-based activities that fit seamlessly into daily routines. Our collection of educator and family resources—like custom cover-wrapped High Five magazines and kindness book collections with teacher and grown-up guides—continues to expand, and often in direct response to what Florida’s devoted educators share they need.

Across everything Highlights creates, our mission remains the same: to honor children’s natural ways of learning and to support the educators and families who guide them. We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with The Children’s Forum and to continue bringing more learning, more joy, more delightful play, and more moments that matter to young children throughout Florida.

Thank you for all you do to ensure Florida’s little learners have bright futures.

We’d love to meet you! Please feel welcome to reach out anytime.

Warmly,

Emily Hawkins

General Manager, Highlights Early Learning

emily.hawkins@highlights.com

In early December, the Florida Early Childhood Advocacy Fellowship fellows made their first visit to the Capitol, putting their advocacy training into action. With the support of Representative Dana Trabulsy and her legislative aide, Sasha O’Kane, Fellows met with legislators to discuss key issues impacting the early learning field. This visit marked an important step in applying the skills and tools they have gained through the fellowship program.

Our team is incredibly excited about the meaningful advocacy underway. Stay tuned for the Fellows’ return to Tallahassee during Children’s Week for their final Capitol visit and their graduation ceremony.

Be sure to follow all of our Children’s Forum socials to stay up to date on FECAF events and news!

We’d love to hear what you enjoy about the amazing work you do to prepare young children for success in school and in life.

Click on the image below to share what you value most and see how others voted too!

We’re happy to share the 2024-2025 Children's Forum Annual Report, highlighting the incredible impact we've made together over the past year. This report showcases key achievements and the collective efforts of advocates, families, and partners dedicated to supporting Florida’s children and youth.

We invite you to explore the report and celebrate the milestones we’ve reached, the challenges we’ve overcome, and the continued commitment to creating a brighter future for all children.