None of us is on this journey alone. We need each other! We need a community to which we contribute, from which we receive support and with which we learn and grow.
– Pam Boulton, 2024 World Forum on Early Care and Education

Below are excerpts from Pam Boulton’s plenary speech at the 2024 World Forum on Early Care and Education. We invite you to listen in as if she is speaking to you, right now, wherever you may be.

Excellence
We do no service for anyone if we are not dedicated to excellence in the work we do.  Just a note here—we are all human—perfection is impossible, but excellence is achievable. I define it this way: excellence is doing the very best that you know how at this moment, and remaining committed to continuous learning and to changing what you do based on what you discover.

Your learning may be formal, and is also, importantly, experiential. Trust and use your own experience and the experience of others as you grow. Excellence is not only for times or circumstances that are good. It can be even more important when times are difficult. It looks different depending on what we face. There is not just one right way to be – there are always multiple right answers.

Excellence  is not a destination – it is a journey!

Change and community
We all know that change can be hard. Sometimes you choose it, sometimes it chooses you. One of my favorite quotes comes from John Maxwell: “Change is inevitable, Growth is optional.” Each of us has an opportunity to see and be seen, to listen and be heard and to value others and be valued in return. We need each other in a global, connected community committed to excellence in being with young children and their families. This keeps us grounded together and helps us all to reach for the best we can be regardless of our circumstances…

Open your hearts, embrace your passion, choose growth!

Boulton is a leader of the World Forum Working Group on Children’s Rights and a long-time professor of leadership in early childhood.