New York Zero To Three Network

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New York Zero-to-Three Networks' 2026 Annual Conference Supporting Young Children, Caregivers, and the Early Childhood Workforce: Data-Driven Insights on the Challenges to Well Being and Community-Systems Based Solutions Join us as Walter Gilliam, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute &amp; Board President of the national Zero to Three Organization, Phil Fisher, Ph.D., Director of the Stanford Center on Early Childhood &amp; lead investigator in the ongoing RAPID-EC project,  Bonnie Kerker, MPH, Ph.D., Professor of Population Health and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the Director of Together Growing Strong, NYU Langone, Heliana C. Linares Torres, M.S., Senior Project Manager, Together Growing Strong, NYU Langone,  and Teff Nichols, LCSW, IMH-E®, Maternal-Child Health Clinical Supervisor/ Program Manager, Together Growing Strong, NYU Langone discuss their research and community-based programs addressing childcare systems, caregiver stress, and how to support the well-being of young children and families.  Keynote Speakers: Phil Fisher, Ph.D., Director of the Stanford Center on Early Childhood &amp; lead investigator in the ongoing RAPID-EC project Walter Gilliam, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute &amp; Board President of the National Zero to Three Organization Bonnie Kerker, Ph.D., Professor of Population Health and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the Director of Together Growing Strong, NYU Langone Heliana C. Linares Torres, M.S. Senior Project Manager, Together Growing Strong, NYU Langone Teff Nichols, LCSW, IMH-E® Maternal-Child Health Clinical Supervisor/ Program Manager, Together Growing Strong, NYU Langone A Hybrid conferenceIn-Person NYU Langone Child Study Center1 Park Avenue7th FloorNew York, NY 10016and Online Via Zoom Happening at9:00 am- 1:30 pm8:30 am in-person registration9:45 am start time for our Virtual guests Conference Agenda8:30 AM- In-person registration9:00 AM-9:45 AM- Networking Breakfast10:00 AM- Introductory Remarks10:15 AM-11:00 AM- Phil Fisher, Ph.D.11:00 AM-11:45 AM Walter Gilliam, Ph.D.11:45 AM-12:00 PM- Break12:00 PM- 12:45 PM- Bonnie Kerker, MPH, Ph.D., Heliana C. Linares Torres, M.S., and Teff Nichols, LCSW, IMH-E®12:45 PM -1:15 PM-Q&amp;A/Discussion1:15 PM- 1:30 PM Presentation of Emily Fenichel Award1:30 PM -Closing  <hr /><div>Part 1 with Keynote Speaker Dr. Phillip Fisher  The Chain Reaction of Economic Hardship in Uncertain Times This presentation will focus on data from the RAPID national household data, highlighting the high proportion of families with young children in the US who are experiencing material hardship (difficulty affording basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare), and how this is impacting both adult and child wellbeing. These challenges are being compounded by the high degree of uncertainty in the lives of young children. We will present trends in hardship and wellbeing over the past six years, discuss a conceptual model to guide policy, advocacy, and research on these topics, and emphasize the importance of a community-systems approach to solutions. Part 2 with Keynote Speaker  Dr. William Gilliam The health, mental health, and overall well-being of the early child care workforce during and beyond the pandemic.<div> </div>Young children’s cups are filled to the degree that their caregivers’ cups are overflowing. In this presentation, data are shared from a series of large-scale national surveys of the health and well-being of the early childhood workforce, highlighting health and mental health disparities and key areas of greatest need in protecting the well-being of early educators.  Part 3 with Keynote Speaker Dr. Bonnie Kerker Together Growing Strong: Supporting Families through a Systems Approach This presentation will describe how Together Growing Strong (TGS) -- a place-based, community-academic partnership in an immigrant community -- supports families by utilizing a systems approach to implement early-childhood-focused programs. We will describe two examples of our work from the healthcare and community/social service systems. Collaboration with system partners and users in the development, implementation, integration, and evaluation of programs is a critical aspect of this approach. Findings suggest that approaching program implementation in this way strengthens systems, enhances participant and staff experiences and outcomes, and increases opportunities for sustainability.   Kaplan Early Learning sponsors this event __________________________________________________________________________Keynote Speakers' Bios:  Phil Fisher, Ph.D.Dr. Philip Fisher is the Diana Chen Professor of Early Childhood Learning in the Graduate Schoolof Education at Stanford University, where he serves as founding Director of the Stanford Centeron Early Childhood. He is also a Courtesy Professor of Pediatrics at the Stanford School ofMedicine. His research focuses on (1) developmental neuroscience of early life adversity, (2)supporting community-based early childhood systems to insure that all children thrive from thestart, and on (3) developing tools and identifying pathways to accelerate the pace of earlychildhood research. Dr. Fisher is the recipient of the 2012 Society for Prevention ResearchTranslational Science Award, and a 2019 Fellow of the American Psychological Society. Walter Gilliam, Ph.D.Walter S. Gilliam began serving as the executive director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute in 2023, succeeding Founding Executive Director Samuel J. Meisels. Gilliam, who holds the Richard D. Holland Presidential Chair in Early Childhood Development, also holds a primary academic appointment at the Munroe-Meyer Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center at a rank of tenured professor. Gilliam came to the Institute from Yale University, where he was Elizabeth Mears &amp; House Jameson Professor of Child Psychiatry and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center and director of Yale’s Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy. He is board president of ZERO TO THREE, a past president of Child Care Aware of America, board treasurer for the Irving Harris Foundation, and a director for First Children’s Finance, All Our Kin, and the National Workforce Registry Alliance, and a former senior advisor to the National Association for the Education of Young Children. In 2023, he was named a senior fellow working with the Bipartisan Policy Center's Early Childhood Initiative. Gilliam is a co-recipient of the prestigious 2008 Grawemeyer Award in Education for the coauthored book, A Vision for Universal Preschool Education. His research involves early childhood education and intervention policy analysis (specifically, how policies translate into effective services), ways to improve the quality of PreKindergarten and child care services, the impact of early childhood education programs on children’s school readiness, and effective methods for reducing classroom behavior problems and preschool expulsion, as well as issues of COVID-19 transmission, vaccination, and health and safety promotion in early childhood settings. His scholarly writing addresses early childhood care and education programs, school readiness, and developmental assessment of young children. Gilliam has led national analyses of state-funded PreKindergarten policies and mandates, how PreKindergarten programs are being implemented across the range of policy contexts, and the effectiveness of these programs at improving school readiness and educational achievement, as well as experimental and quasi-experimental studies on methods to improve early education quality.His work frequently has been covered in major national and international news outlets for print (e .g., New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, LA Times), radio (e.g., NPR), and television (e.g., CNN Headline News, NBC TODAY Show, CBS Early Show, ABC Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, FOX News).  Gilliam has actively provided consultation to state and federal decision-makers in the United States and other countries (such as the People’s Republic of China and the United Arab Emirates) and frequently provides testimony and briefings before Congress on issues related to early care and education. Gilliam is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, where he earned a master’s degree in educational psychology and a Ph.D. in school psychology. He grew up in Pikeville, Kentucky. Bonnie Kerker, Ph.D.Bonnie Kerker is a professor of population health and child/adolescent psychiatry at the NYU GrossmanSchool of Medicine and the director of Together Growing Strong, a community-partnered initiative thataims to enhance the health, wellbeing, and development of young children and their families in SunsetPark, Brooklyn. Trained in health policy and epidemiology, Dr. Kerker studies initiatives and policies thatprevent and mitigate the impact of adverse experiences among pregnant women, young children andfamilies, particularly in immigrant and low-resourced communities. Her work emphasizes centeringcommunity voice and equity, creating equitable systems, strengthening community assets, and adaptingevidence-based programs for different populations and settings. Heliana C. Linares Torres is a bilingual Senior Project Manager at NYU Langone Health with over 15 years of experience across research, communications, and strategy. She joined Together Growing Strong (TGS) in summer 2025, where she oversees the CARE Program and leads strategy and sustainability planning for the initiative. In parallel to her work at TGS, Heliana serves as Project Director for multiple research initiatives within the Center for Early Childhood Health and Development (CEHD). She has extensive expertise managing longitudinal studies, randomized trials, and cross-functional teams, as well as building strong partnerships with schools and communities. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication, an M.S. in Strategic Communications, and is currently pursuing an MBA at NYU Stern. Teff Nichols is a licensed clinical social worker, reflective supervisor, and Infant Mental Health endorsed provider. She manages Maternal Child Health Programs at NYU Langone Family Health Centers, including HealthySteps, PlayReadVIP, and perinatal groups. Her prior clinical experience includes supporting families and young children in mental health, early childhood, shelter, and child welfare settings. She previously developed and lead SCO Family of Services’ Infant Mental Health initiative, Wonder With Me. Teff is a CPP rostered provider, former doula and serves as a reviewer for the New York State Association for Infant Mental Health (NYSAIMH). She has developed and presented trainings on IMH and related topics across New York State and is currently focused on embedding infant and perinatal mental health into healthcare settings. Thank you to our 2026 Conference sponsor, Kaplan Early Learning, for all your support. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1777911070/wysiwyg/d4lus5lk3x65y8rkshiz.png" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;padding:0px 1px;max-width:100%" /></div>

Supporting Young Children, Caregivers, and the Early Childhood Workforce: Data-Driven Insights on the Challenges to Well Being and Community-Systems Based Solutions