Bright Horizons Joins Early Childhood Professionals at Annual NAEYC Conference

bright horizons employees

December 12, 2025 – Last month, Bright Horizons proudly joined thousands of early childhood professionals at the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. As a sponsor and active conference participant, Bright Horizons led and sparked important conversations around the field of early childhood education.

Throughout the conference week, Bright Horizons team members presented and led five sessions:

• A live episode recording of Bright Horizons’  podcast Teach. Play. Love. called “Inspiring a Lifetime of Reading”
Chief Academic Officer Rachel Robertson and Senior Manager, Family Resources and Parent Education Claire Goss hosted the live recording and invited the session participants to participate in the dialogue with them and be part of the episode.

• Feedback, Follow-up & Follow-through: How to Guide Growing Leaders to Success
Regional Manager Erin Hagny and Field Director Monica McCary hosted this session and shared tools for leadership development and creating trust through thoughtful feedback.

• Using Family Resources for Connection and Showcasing Your Expertise
Learning and Development Senior Manager Claire Goss and Senior Education and Development Specialist Julie Jarian explored strategies for building strong family partnerships and amplifying educator voices.

• Coaching for Belonging: A Transformative Approach to Enhancing Educator Outcomes
Assistant Directors Brianna Swan and Amanda Ruth Martinez offered inclusive coaching strategies to foster belonging and support educator growth.

• Accelerate Professional Development with Innovative Tech Tools
Senior Manager, Learning and Development Staci Hitzke, Orientation and Development Director Denise Payton, and Senior Learning and Development Specialist Tricia Conver demonstrated how technology can make professional learning more accessible and engaging.

Rachel Robertson also served as a panelist with other leaders in the field about curriculum and play, where she had the opportunity to share Discovery Driven Learning® with a large audience of educators. Beyond the sessions, the Bright Horizons team networked with conference attendees, sharing conversations about Discovery Driven Learning® and working at Bright Horizons.