The 2018 ReadyNation Global Business Summit on Early Childhood convened more than 200 business leaders from around the world in New York City at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on November 1-2. The Summit inspired and equipped these leaders to take action to support young children in order to build the current and future workforce. The event also featured special pre- and post-conference sessions for country teams that wanted to learn more about how to build a network of business champions for early childhood in their country.

The ReadyNation Global Business Summit on Early Childhood was a great success, with more than 230 participants from 16 countries. The Summit inspired and equipped these leaders to take action to support young children in order to build the current and future workforce. More than 70% were attending their first Summit. Social media took off, with more than 38,000 Twitter impressions. In a live audience poll at the conclusion, 94% said the Summit gave them evidence, contacts or other information to help them take action in support of early childhood, and 100% committed to take action in support of early childhood. Of the business leaders present, 94% said they now have the information they need to have a conversation about the importance of early childhood. Summit photos and videos are available now, and all speaker PowerPoint presentations are available on the ReadyNation Summit page here.

ReadyNation thanks the following sponsors for their generous support of the 2018 Global Business Summit on Early Childhood: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Primrose Schools, CME Group Foundation, Bezos Family Foundation, Jim Spurlino, Ecolab, Gary Community Investments, Downing Family Foundation, Scholastic, H-E-B, Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation, Hanover Provident Capital LLC.

Business Champion for Children Award Recipients

• Gideon Badagawa, Executive Director, Private Sector Foundation (Uganda)

• William J. Canary, Chairman, Canary & Company; Ret. CEO, Business Council of Alabama

• Jeff Gardner, Chairman, LaundryCares Foundation; President, The Laundry Doctor

• James Lee Sorenson, Founder & Chairman, Sorenson Media

• Jim Spurlino, CEO, Spurlino Materials

• Brian Wallace, President & CEO, Coin Laundry Association; Executive Director, LaundryCares Foundation

• Jeff Wasden, President, Colorado Business Roundtable

• Douglas M. Baker, Jr., Chairman & CEO, Ecolab Inc.

• Gregory Davis, Chief Investment Officer, Vanguard

• J. Scott McCain, President, JSM Capital Corporation; former President & COO, Maple Leaf Foods Inc.; Director, McCain Foods Limited; Director, Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation (Canada)

• Mariano Montero, Director, FEMSA Foundation; former CEO, Executive President, and General Director of multiple FEMSA companies over three decades

• Mike Petters, President & CEO, Huntington Ingalls Industries