By Michelle Kang, Chief Executive Officer of NAEYC

Lifelong Learning Is Crucial

Whenever I visit early childhood programs around the country, I love to ask people, “What’s your story? How did you come into this work?”

My path into early childhood education started outside of it—initially through pursuing a childhood dream of becoming a pediatrician, then working in the juvenile court system, studying education policy and business, and also becoming a parent. What became clear through all of those experiences and put everything into focus was something that early childhood educators know deeply: The earliest years matter more than any other time of life because this is when children’s brains are developing fastest.

While raising three sons with the help of early childhood professionals, my husband and I learned so much, and we realized that many of these educators were earning new credentials and degrees even as they cared for our children. They were focused on gaining the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure children had the joyful, developmentally appropriate learning environments that would give them their best start. I remain grateful to these teachers (some of whom are still educating young children!) for giving my children the foundation for who they have become.

As NAEYC’s CEO, it is my honor to advocate for this essential field that has such an outsized impact on our country and our world. In my role, I can engage with individuals and also take a systemwide view of the field.

During my program visits, if I haven’t gotten joyfully distracted by holding babies or playing with preschoolers, I also ask educators what supports and resources would be helpful as they continue to grow in their profession.

Many mention their Affiliate conferences, NAEYC’s annual Public Policy Forum, and our Annual Conference, where they learn to advocate for the field and gain additional training. NAEYC allows them to tap into a passionate community—in person and virtually through Affiliate meet-ups, HELLO (NAEYC’s members-only online community), and NAEYC’s member-led Interest Forums. They show me dog-eared articles from old Young Children and Teaching Young Children issues and point out their favorite digital resources from Educating Young Children.

Someone who embodies this commitment to the field is Maria-Isabel Ballivian, the executive director of the ACCA Child Development Center in Northern Virginia. For more than 25 years, Maria-Isabel has supported her educators—encouraging them to advance their own education, get active in their NAEYC Affiliate, and find their voice as advocates. She is someone I picture when I think about educators who have boldly claimed their voice to relentlessly support young children.

Recently, Maria-Isabel showed me her worn copy of the “Code of Ethics” brochure, the same one she makes sure every educator in her program receives during their onboarding. It made a significant impression on me: She treats the ethical foundation of our profession as something you hand a new teacher on day one, not just something you frame on a wall. Over the years, she has mentored, guided, and shaped the practice of countless NAEYC members, encouraging educators to take leadership roles within NAEYC and in the broader early childhood community.

I’m so proud that for the past 100 years, NAEYC has built this community, set standards for quality, provided resources and professional development, advocated for change, and supported early childhood education professionals in pursuing their own learning and career pathways. I hope you will continue to take advantage of all the benefits your NAEYC membership offers. You inspire me.

Michelle Kang

Chief Executive Officer of NAEYC

Photograph: courtesy of Petite Maison Montessori. Copyright © 2026 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See permissions and reprints online at NAEYC.org/resources/permissions.