Early Learning Summit:
Innovative Ideas for Little Learners
New York City | September 12, 2024
Begin is honored to be hosting its first annual invitation-only Early Learning Summit.
The Summit will convene 75 of the brightest minds, innovators, and decision makers in early learning and parenting to connect on topics that include the latest research on early childhood education, innovation in learning models, the role of the parent and teacher, the current anxiety epidemic facing our youngest learners, and transformative models for early learning that are working at scale.
The Summit will take place on Thursday, September 12th in New York City and feature industry leaders from Age of Learning, Amazon, Apple, Bright Horizons, Goldman Sachs, Google, GSV, Gymboree Play & Music, LEGO, Lovevery, Mississippi DOE, Owl Ventures, Parent Magazine, Prodigy, Rethink Education, Scholastic, Sesame Workshop, Tyton Partners, and many others.
Featured Speakers + Attendees
-
Abbie Kagan
Business Development at Disney
-
Abby Weinstein
President and COO at Begin
-
Adam Zalisk
EVP, Corporate Strategy at Amplify
-
Alison Bryant
Chief Research, Education, Data, and Impact Officer at Sesame Workshop
-
Allison Hamilton-Rohe
Manager, Strategic Alliances at First Book
-
Arpit Jain
Co-Founder and CEO at SplashLearn
-
Ash Kaluarachchi
CEO at StartEd
-
Azadeh Jamalian
Founder and CEO at The GIANT Room
-
Ben Newton
Co-Founder and COO at Vivvi
-
Breeyn Mack
SVP of Education at Teaching Strategies
-
Charly Visconti
Managing Director at Goldman Sachs
-
Chris Curran
Managing Partner and Founder at Tyton Partners
-
Christopher Doss
Policy Researcher at RAND
-
Dan Cogan-Drew
Co-Founder and Chief Academic Officer at Newsela
-
Dan Mascola
Executive Product Advisor at AWS
-
Deborah Quazzo
Managing Partner at GSV Ventures
-
Gabby Slome
Co-Founder and CEO at Cooper
-
Grace Bastidas
Editor-in-Chief at Parents
-
Hill Harper
Actor, Author, and Entrepreneur
-
Isabelle Hau
Executive Director at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning
-
Jill Dent
Executive Director of the Office of Early Childhood Education for MSDOE
-
Jody LeVos
Chief Learning Officer at Begin
-
Kier Gaines
Public Speaker, Community Leader, and Licensed Therapist
-
Heidi Cho
EVP and General Manager at Everyday Health Group,
Pregnancy & Parenting vertical -
Henry Hsiao
Advisor, Investor, Board Member
-
Jennifer Bailey
Early Childhood Educator and SEL Specialist
-
Jitesh Jeswani
Managing Director at PJT
-
Jaclyn Valley
Director of Early Childhood Initiatives at Stowe Early Learning Center
-
Judy Newman
Chief Impact Officer at Scholastic
-
Julie Cwikla
Distinguished Professor of Mathematics and Director of the Center for STEM Education at the University of Southern Mississippi
-
Kathy Hirsh-Pasek
Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution
-
Kim Boller
Senior Director for Science Innovation at the American Psychological Association
-
Kim Foulds
VP, Content Research & Evaluation at Sesame Workshop
-
Lisa Hom
Chief Product & Merchandising Officer at KiwiCo
-
Lyman Missimer
VP at Owl Ventures
-
Malik Garvin
Executive Director at Ice Hockey in Harlem
-
Matthew Greenfield
Managing Partner at Rethink Education
-
Maurice Ng
Founder and Managing Partner at Tings Capital
-
Max Schapiro
Founding Partner at Wolfson Associates
-
Melissa Field
Senior Advisor at Promise Venture Studios
-
Michael Moe
Founder and CEO at GSV
-
Michael Preston
Executive Director at Joan Ganz Cooney
-
Michelle Miller
Founder at Games & Learning
-
Neal Shenoy
CEO and Co-Founder at Begin
-
Norman Basch
Head of Business Development at Epic!
-
Rachel Robertson
Chief Academic Officer at Bright Horizons
-
Rick Segal
President at AL Mailman Family Foundation
-
Rohan Mahimker
Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Prodigy Education
-
Rosemarie Truglio
SVP of Curriculum and Content at Sesame Workshop
-
Shilpa Shenoy
Chief Marketing Officer at Begin
-
Sid Mathur
Executive Chairman at Begin
-
Steve Kupfer
Partner at Reach Capital
-
Steve Youngwood
Former CEO at Sesame Workshop
-
Sunil Gunderia
Chief Innovation Officer at Age of Learning
-
Suraj Jain
VP, Strategy & Corporate Development at Begin
-
Suzie Domnick
President at Children's Media Association
-
Tali Horowitz
East Coast Education Director at Common Sense
-
Todd Schwartz
CEO at Hooked on Phonics
-
Vivek Kamath
Partner at Tyton Partners
-
Vivian Gao
VP, Corporate Development at Scholastic
Agenda
8:30 am
Breakfast + Networking
9:00 am
Welcome and Opening Remarks from Begin CEO and Co-Founder, Neal Shenoy
9:15 am
Early Learning at the Speed of Light with Michael Moe, Founder and CEO at GSV
9:30 am
Breakthroughs in Early Learning: Spotlight on Innovators and Investors
Join us for an engaging exploration into the forefront of early learning innovation and investment with industry leaders in venture capital, non-profit, and investment banking. This session will address the product and business models in early learning that scale, traditional and non-traditional sources of capital, and the innovations and initiatives that are transforming the landscape of early childhood education. Discover how pioneering entrepreneurs and visionary investors are collaborating to drive meaningful change and create lasting impact in early learning.
Charly Visconti, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs
Deborah Quazzo, Managing Partner at GSV Ventures
Melissa Field, Senior Advisor at Promise Venture Studio
Neal Shenoy, CEO at Begin
Rick Segal, President at A L Mailman Family Foundation
10:15 am
Cultivating Courage with Hill Harper, Actor, Author & Entrepreneur
10:30 am
From TV to YouTube: The Evolution of Children's Media
Celebrated creators of children's media will discuss how content has evolved to capture, entertain, and educate children over four decades. As media consumption continues to grow exponentially, we will explore what responsibility media should play in delivering educational outcomes, how leading content brands balance engagement and efficacy on the screen and off, and how changes in format and platforms enable deep engagement and outcomes for kids.
Sid Mathur, Executive Chairman at Begin
Steve Youngwood, Former CEO at Sesame Workshop
Suzie Dominick, President at Children’s Media Association
11:15 am
Managing Big Feelings: Supporting Social Emotional Skills for Kids & Their GrownUps
In this session, we will hear perspectives on SEL from clinical, researcher, educator, and parent perspectives to understand how SEL has changed over the years, what is unique at this point in time, and how we are uniquely positioned to support SEL interventions now more than ever.
Jennifer Bailey, Early Childhood Educator and SEL Specialist
Kier Gaines, Licensed Therapist and Digital Content Creator
Kim Boller, PhD, Senior Director for Science Innovation at the American Psychological Association
Rosemarie Truglio, PhD, SVP of Education and Research at Children's Television Workshop
12:00 pm
Lunch + Networking
1:15 pm
The Power of Play with Malik Garvin, Executive Director at Ice Hockey in Harlem
1:30 pm
It Takes a Village: A Community Approach to Supporting Early Childhood
This session will explore the ecosystem of institutional leaders, parents, and media organizations and the importance of collaboration across all to deliver sustainable outcomes for all children. As kids navigate multiple spaces in their daily lives, teachers, libraries, community organizations, and online resources serve as critical hubs for families as they support kids in their learning journeys. In this panel, we’ll dive deeper into the criticality of holistic learning environments in early childhood and how communities can work closely with parents, teachers, and caregivers to set kids up for a lifetime of success.
Breeyn Mack, Vice President at Education of Teaching Strategies, LLC
Grace Bastidas, Editor in Chief at Parents
Tali Horowitz, East Coast Education Director at Common Sense Media
Jaclyn Vallely, Principal, Stowe Early Learning Center, an Apple Distinguished School
2:15 pm
The Mississippi Marathon: How One State Soared Amidst the Pandemic
In this Fireside chat, Dr. Jill Dent, Executive Director at the Office of Early Childhood at Mississippi Department of Education, will share how Mississippi soared from the second-worst state in 2013 for fourth-grade reading to the 21st best in 2022. Dr. Dent will speak to the "Misssissippi Marathon" and how she and her determined peers created sustainable literacy models to help students buck the norm and thrive during the pandemic. She'll dive into tangible steps learning champions can take to make significant change in their communities.
2:45 pm
Social Impact in the Digital Era: How Sesame Workshop Brought Learning & Light to the Refugee Crisis
Digital content can profoundly help even our most vulnerable populations and support early learning in hard-to-reach areas of the world. In this session, Kim Foulds, Vice President, Content Research & Evaluation at Sesame Workshop, will present powerful research demonstrating the positive impact that digital content can have on children in crisis.
3:15 pm
The Milestones that Matter with Dr. Jody LeVos, Chief Learning Officer at Begin
3:35 pm
Parents as a Child's First Teacher: Empowering Families to Deliver Early Learning Outcomes
Explore the pivotal role parents play as their child's first teacher and how empowering families can lead to significant early learning outcomes. This session will bring together diverse perspectives across parents, practitioners, technologists, and academics, to provide the latest research on and a comprehensive view of how families can be supported and equipped to foster early childhood development.
Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution
Rachel Robertson, Chief Academic Officer at Bright Horizons
Gabby Slome, CEO and Co-Founder at Cooper
Abby Weinstein, President and COO at Begin
4:30 pm
Cocktails + Networking
