Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services' Early Childhood Programs and Services and non-profit Fairfax Futures held the 20th Annual School Readiness Symposium on April 27, 2024. 

Nearly 300 early childhood educators from centers, permitted county child care homes and public pre-K programs attended the event at the Fairfax County Government Center. This year's theme was "The Brain - Everything Starts Here: Understanding and Fostering Development." See a video of the event from Fairfax Channel 16. 

“Twenty years is a special milestone to reach as an organization, and the Symposium marks the important role that Fairfax Futures plays in our community,” said Sallyann Rodriguez-Sawao, Fairfax Futures’ executive director. “It was wonderful to see so many educators coming out for the event. I also appreciate the dedication from my colleagues to organize this creative and impactful day for our community. We are grateful to our event supporters – the PNC Foundation; Eleccion, LLC; and Truist for joining us this year."

NCS Deputy Director Keisha Dotson welcomed everyone, followed by remarks from Jermaine Johnson, PNC Financial Services Regional President/Greater Washington and Virginia. The keynote was delivered by Dr. Angela Searcy, a teacher, early intervention provider and author of the book "Push Past It!  A Positive Approach to Challenging Classroom Behaviors."  See video of the keynote speech. 

Participants also took part in breakout sessions, workshops and a resource fair. Workshop presenters included: IFEL Early Childhood Specialists Bernice Mayfield and Debbie Weigand; Michelle Saenz from the TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health at the University of Chicago; Early Learning and Museum Specialists from the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center; Fairfax County Library Division representatives Tina Mraz and Renee Edwards; and Pamela Sneed, Early Childhood Education Program Administrative Specialist.

See a photo album of the event on our Flickr page.

Learn more about Fairfax Futures' work in the community and follow on Facebook.