March ICS eNews

Thank You For Attending NDM 2025!

Dr. Desmond Kelly addresses attendees at the Nurturing Developing Minds Conference.

The Institute for Child Success was pleased to host the 2025 Desmond P. Kelly, MD Nurturing Developing Minds Conference (NDM) on February 27th! We welcomed over 230 participants from various sectors of the early childhood landscape for two inspiring days filled with learning, sharing, networking, and systems building. The speakers and the level of engagement among attendees were truly remarkable. NDM also serves the future of the early childhood field by offering continuing education credits to early childhood professionals and professionals-in-training. Slides will be available soon.

We would like to thank our NDM cohost SC LEND, as well as our key sponsors Prisma Health, Prisma Children’s Hospital, and the South Carolina Developmental Disabilities Council.

For the second consecutive year, ICS held the NDM conference in conjunction with the Institute for the Advancement of Community Health at Furman University, combining each organization’s signature event into an aligned two-day gathering. The focus of this year's event was Building Brighter Tomorrows Through Community Health Innovations. Key presentation topics included public health communication.

Dr. Joseph Wright delivers the keynote at this year's NDM Conference.

ICS was thrilled to welcome Dr. Joseph Wright as our keynote speaker. Dr. Wright serves as the Chief Health Equity Officer and Senior Vice President of Equity Initiatives at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). His opening remarks set a wonderful tone for the conference, emphasizing the critical importance of centering equity and inclusion in our roles as leaders in the early childhood sector.

ICS VP of Policy Research Megan Carolan, ICS CEO Jamie Moon, ICS Senior Fellow Linda Brees, and ICS Board Chair Emerita Susan Shi.

The event was truly a team effort including several ICS staff members. For the past six years, Megan Carolan (ICS Vice President of Policy Research) has been the key ICS team member responsible for all aspects of the conference—from guiding the Planning Committee to developing the agenda, communicating with speakers, and directing staff. She also presented on "Expanding Access to Doulas to Improve Birth Outcomes for Families in Rural South Carolina" with ICS Associate Director of Equity and Innovation Alexis Herschkowitsch. ICS Senior Fellow Linda Brees organized a wonderful evening reception that was well-attended as well as spearheading fundraising efforts for the event.

ICS would like to thank ALL who attended and contributed to the success of the NDM event! Together, we continue to lead the way in early childhood!

New Blog Post: The Early Childhood Assessment Rollercoaster

Culturally relevant, valid, and reliable early childhood assessments are a crucial part of high-quality early childhood systems. Unfortunately, navigating early childhood assessments can often feel like riding a rollercoaster. For many, assessment literacy is full of hidden turns, sudden drops, and never-ending spirals. Even the most seasoned early childhood practitioners sometimes find themselves upside-down and backwards, desperately trying to re-orient themselves, and wondering how to make heads or tails of the assessment data in front of them. Thankfully, just as rollercoasters use minimum height requirements to ensure riders’ safety, many early childhood assessments use cut-off scores to aid in interpretation.

Upcoming Webinar: "Nature for All"

Dr. Steph Dean provides outdoor education to students.

NATURE FOR ALL: Addressing Inequities in Outdoor Access for Young Learners

Presented by: ICS Merl Code Early Educators Fellow Dr. Steph Dean of Clemson University

Not all children have equal access to outdoor learning opportunities. Socioeconomic status, racial inequities, and geographic location create barriers that limit young learners' ability to engage with nature. Urban communities often lack high-quality green spaces, rural areas face infrastructure and distance challenges, and systemic inequities leave many children without safe, accessible outdoor environments. This webinar will explore these challenges and highlight practical solutions, such as school-based outdoor learning and green schoolyards, to promote equitable nature access in early childhood education. Join us to learn how we can create inclusive outdoor spaces for all young learners.

WEBINAR INFORMATION:

Date: Tuesday, April 1^st

Time: 4:00-5:00pm EST

View as Webpage

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