What Events and Professional Development Opportunities Does NAEYC Offer?

NAEYC offers professional development and networking primarily through its Annual Conference, its publications, and a dedicated leadership cohort for school district administrators. The Annual Conference is the largest single event, with registration for the 2026 gathering in Washington, DC now open. A separate School District Leadership Cohort is accepting applications for 2026. Beyond events, NAEYC supports ongoing learning through research-based books and resources, and members get access to a benefits framework the organization calls CARES—Community, Advocacy, Resources, Events, and Support—plus exclusive discounts.

The NAEYC Annual Conference

The Annual Conference is NAEYC's flagship event and the clearest entry point for connecting with peers across the early childhood field. NAEYC describes it as a place to "connect with your peers at one of our events and get the latest research, best practices, and tools."

Key details from NAEYC's site:

• 2026 location: Washington, DC
• Status: Registration is now open
• Audience: Early childhood educators, program leaders, higher education faculty, and other professionals in the field

The conference is designed around the same three things NAEYC says it delivers at events generally: current research, best practices, and practical tools. If your goal is broad exposure to the field and face-to-face networking, this is the event to plan around.

The School District Leadership Cohort

For professionals working at the district level, NAEYC runs a separate, more targeted program: the 2026 NAEYC School District Leadership Cohort. Applications are open.

This is a cohort model rather than a one-time conference session, which means it is built around a group moving through the experience together. It is aimed specifically at school district leadership, so it fits administrators and district-level staff rather than classroom teachers or program directors looking for general professional development.

If you are deciding between the two: choose the Annual Conference for breadth, current research, and networking across roles; choose the Leadership Cohort if your work sits at the district level and you want a sustained, peer-group format.

Publications and Ongoing Learning

Not all professional development happens at events. NAEYC also publishes research-based books and resources for practitioners, and its magazine Young Children releases new issues on a seasonal schedule—the Fall issue is highlighted on the site.

One recent example is No Single Story: Amplifying the Voices of Asian American and Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Early Educators, a book in which AANHPI early childhood educators share how their experiences shaped their professional practice. NAEYC frames it as a way for readers to reflect on their own story, culture, and identities and how those influence their teaching.

This matters if you cannot travel to a conference or prefer self-paced learning: publications are the alternative channel for the same research-based content.

What Membership Adds

Several of the opportunities above are marked Members Only on NAEYC's site, including conference registration, membership renewal, the new Young Children issue, the School District Leadership Cohort application, and the 100th anniversary programming.

NAEYC summarizes member benefits under the CARES categories:

Members also receive exclusive discounts and savings. If you are weighing whether to join, the practical question is which of these you would actually use—conference registration, the cohort, and current publications are all gated behind membership, so the value depends on your participation level.

How to Decide What Fits

• You want the broadest exposure and networking: plan for the Annual Conference in Washington, DC.
• You work at the district level and want a sustained peer group: apply to the School District Leadership Cohort.
• You want self-paced, research-based learning: look at NAEYC's books and Young Children.
• You want access to any of the above: check membership first, since the highlighted opportunities are members-only.

NAEYC's own framing of its role is supporting educators and programs "through research-based resources, professional development, accreditation, advocacy, conferences, publications, and community connection"—so events and publications are two parts of a larger set, not the whole offering. If accreditation or advocacy is your main interest, those are separate tracks worth exploring on the site.