Early childhood educators understand the need to both professionalize our practice and create systems change that will finance, support, and enable that practice. Working on policy and systems change is a critical element of what must happen to advance the field, and to support children and families.

This month, as we think about systems change, we’re highlighting courageous leader Maurice Sykes. Maurice has, for several decades, been at the forefront of advocating for and achieving significant change with both the perception and funding of ECE, as well as legislative inclusion and system integration. Let’s hear how Maurice, along with the next generation of leadership, have accomplished this, and what remains to be done to create systems change that will further advance early childhood education.