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Join us on Friday, November 7, 2025 for the second Housing Innovation: Children’s Edition Summit in Columbia, SC. This gathering, co-hosted by the South Carolina Early Childhood Common Agenda, focuses on addressing the intersection between the housing crisis and its impact on young children and their families.
The 2025 summit brings together a diverse group of community members, including nonprofits, businesses, government agencies, public sector organizations, community advocates, and students, all united by a shared commitment to ensuring that young children and their families have access to safe, stable, and affordable housing.
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Claressa Hinton Thompson
University of South Carolina
Regional Family Engagement Liaison & Project Lead - Lowcountry
Claressa Hinton Thompson received a Bachelor’s degree at Morris College and received her Master’s degree at Webster University. Claressa has served as CFEC’s Low Country liaison serving Allendale, Hampton, Jasper, Beaufort, Colleton, Dorchester, Berkeley, since 2020, as well as Lexington Two, Before joining the CFEC Team, she served as the Parent Family Engagement Specialist in Richland One School District. Claressa's special expertise is in mentoring new family engagement liaisons at the school level and developing practical tools for parents to use, such as the Student Success Toolkit.
| | Deborah DePaoli and Pam Bryant at the first annual Housing Innovation: Children's Edition Summit in 2024. | | |
This event will feature several exciting panels of experts discussing the challenges of this crisis and potential solutions.
Whether you're a policymaker, service provider, or concerned community member, this is a space for people who care deeply about housing for children and are ready to take action. Together, we will explore innovative opportunities, share best practices, and build the partnerships needed to drive real change.
Friday, November 7
10am - 3pm EST
Phillips Market Center
117 Ballard Court West Columbia, SC
Click here to learn more and to register for the event.
Learn more about ICS's partnered initiative,
the Early Childhood Common Agenda.
| | The Honorable Merl Code and Minor Shaw announce the launch of the ICS Sweet 16 Campaign and Innovation Fund. | | |
On September 17, ICS celebrated 15 years of catalyzing child success during the "A Toast to ICS!" celebration in Greenville, SC. The event reflected on ICS's legacy of innovation for the sake of children and families across the nation. The evening also featured the unveiling of our 2026 "Sweet 16" Campaign and the launch of the ICS Innovation Fund, to help ICS remain at the forefront in creating innovative solutions to complex challenges.
Minor Shaw, Honorary Chair of the ICS Sweet 16 Campaign, shared that the innovation fund “will provide the capital that allows ICS to develop bold new solutions, to step in when there's an urgent need, and to continue to serve as a mission-aligned bulwark for critical work.”
To support ICS's work on behalf of children and families across the nation, visit our website or click the button below.
| | Founders of the Institute for Child Success gather at A Toast To ICS! (Left to right) The Honorable Merl Code, Linda Brees, Ann Robinson, Tami McKnew, Dr. Susan Shi, and Dr. Desmond Kelly. | | AI and Early Childhood Education: A Need for Robust Safeguards | | |
“For AI to serve children, robust safeguards are needed. AI can be a force for good when developed and used responsibly. Addressing ethical issues and ensuring that AI complements—not replaces—human interaction is essential for supporting healthy development in young children.”
-Bo Viktor Nylund, UNICEF 2024
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Artificial intelligence (AI) is all around us, and is increasingly used in all aspects of our daily lives. This applies not only to adults but to children as well, with AI being used frequently both in the classroom and at home. With over 30 million children currently living in the United States, the possible impacts of AI use on young children are widespread and significant.
However, researchers are only beginning to understand the potential positive and negative effects of AI use on our youngest learners. While many are optimistic about the educational potential of AI for young children, these aspirations are accompanied by concerns of the consequences of AI use during this crucial period of rapid development.
Read on to learn about the opportunities and challenges of AI use with children, as well as policy recommendations to provide robust safeguards to ensure AI is used safely and ethically in early childhood settings.
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Has ICS helped empower you to change the lives of children?
We'd love to hear from you!
Click the link below to share your experiences with ICS.
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ICS works on behalf of children from prenatal to age 8.
You can support our work by helping to
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