EYC Conference 2024 speakers
As a conference attendee you benefit from some of the brightest minds in the Early Childhood community as they present sessions on various topics on Early Childhood development.
Meet our Keynote speakers
Day One Keynote - Author/ Speaker/ Educational Consultant
Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak is a highly sought-after speaker and accomplished author. With nearly three decades of educational experience, including 16 years as faculty at Kent State University. As an author, speaker, and educational consultant, she is a passionate believer in children’s right to learn through play, inclusive classrooms, and transformative professional development that supports teachers’ wholeness.
Day Two Keynote - Parent Educator/Literacy Advocate/Author
Maya Payne Smart is a parent educator, literacy advocate, and the author of Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six (Avery/Penguin Random House). Her website, MayaSmart.com, publishes new book lists, literacy activities, and other free family resources weekly to help parents play their dual roles as first teachers and educational advocates. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s in social studies with honors from Harvard University. She serves as affiliated faculty in Educational Policy and Leadership in the College of Education at Marquette University.
Day Two Keynote - Dr. Rick known as "the fun doctor"
Dr. Solomon Is a developmental and behavioral pediatrician with 25 years of experience helping (and playing with) children who have behavioral and developmental conditions. He is the Founder of The PLAY Project autism early intervention program.
Capnote - Award winning author and comedian
Megan McCaleb an award-winning author of her autobiography "Not My Plan; Sucking it in Until I Had to Push it Out." She's an award-winning comedian, and the brilliantly kooky mind behind Improv Team Culture and the Ovation Speaker Experience. She’s deeply committed to infusing awesomeness and humanity into the way we communicate as leaders, and in guiding people to use their personal stories and powerful tools as a force for goodness in the world. Her mission is to help individuals and teams transform their "Yeah, but" challenges into "Yes, and" solutions.
She's the host of the "I Hardly Know Her" podcast, and has been the recipient of the Idaho Business Review's Accomplished Under 40 and Women of the Year recognitions. She serves as the Chairman of the Board for A New Beginning adoption agency.
She's the host of the "I Hardly Know Her" podcast, and has been the recipient of the Idaho Business Review's Accomplished Under 40 and Women of the Year recognitions. She serves as the Chairman of the Board for A New Beginning adoption agency.