P01
Community & Network Building
Connecting with peers across the country.
Full Collaborative virtual gatherings, the annual in-person R.E.S.T. Conference, and locally hosted events you can bring to your own region.
03 · Our Story & Who Belongs Here
The Collaborative began with listening.
Early childhood leaders of color told us what they were missing — a network of peers, space to rest, room to build power together — and we built this in answer to that.
What we heard you wanted
And what it answers.
Four needs surfaced again and again. The Collaborative is built to meet each one.
Read our full origin story →- A network of peersfor shared learning, mentorship, and care — instead of isolation with nowhere to turn.
- Culturally reverent, equity-centered professional developmentrooted in your lived experience — instead of capacity-building that misses the mark for leaders of color.
- A platform to stand in collective powerwith strength in numbers — instead of a fragmented ecosystem with no shared voice.
- Time and resources for restoration and healingbecause rest is the point — instead of operating in constant burnout.
Who's a member?
Three things make someone an EC LOC member.
01
You work in early childhood.
Any organization serving children, families, or communities from prenatal through age five.
02
You're a leader.
You hold a leadership role, whether C-suite, program director, or founder.
03
You identify as a leader of color.
Black, Indigenous/Native, and/or a Person of Color.
We don't discriminate on the basis of race. Any individual is welcome to join the Collaborative if they're willing to uphold our guiding principles.