The State of Early Childhood 2025

What an incredible milestone for Alexandria’s youngest residents! Last week, Kids’ First Years hosted the inaugural State of Early Childhood, bringing together nearly 100 leaders from across our city — businesses, educators, policymakers, and community advocates — all united around one mission: building a thriving early childhood system that strengthens families, fuels our economy, and supports every child’s success.

We are deeply grateful to Mayor Alyia Gaskins for her inspiring opening remarks and to Kathy Glazer for her insightful keynote address.

A heartfelt thank-you to our KFY Collective partners who shared their expertise as panelists and moderators. Your participation and partnership made this gathering not only a success but also a clear statement: early childhood is everyone’s business.

Speakers:

• Alyia Gaskins, Mayor, City of Alexandria
• Kathy Glazer, President, Virginia Early Childhood Foundation

Panelists:

• Soumya Bhat, Portfolio Director, Children’s Funding Project
• Tomashia Cornitcher, Coordinator of Family Connections, Kids’ First Years
• Kate Garvey, Director, Department of Community and Human Services
• Anne Hedgepeth, Senior Vice President of Policy and Research, Child Care Aware of America
• J. Glenn Hopkins, President and CEO, Hopkins House
• Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Superintendent of Schools, Alexandria City Public Schools
• Dr. Tammy Mann, Board Chair, Kids’ First Years
• Barbara McLaughlin, Executive Director, The Child and Family Network Centers
• Marica Cox Mitchell, Chief Program Officer, Bainum Family Foundation
• Lori Morris, President, The Bruhn-Morris Family Foundation
• Melissa Riddy, Director of Eastern Region Government and Community Relations, Inova
• Rebecca Ullrich, Assistant Superintendent of Early Childhood Access, Enrollment, and Policy, Virginia Department of Education

Kids’ First Years thanks the following sponsors for their generous support: