The Florida Center’s “Childhood Matters” Champions Early Learning and Community Change

Thursday, April 10, 2025 at Art Ovation Hotel, Sarasota

Featuring national policy expert Dr. Dan Wuori, this thought-provoking initiative explores the deep societal impact of early childhood education.

(April 1, 2025) When young children thrive, communities thrive. That belief is at the heart of “Childhood Matters,” presented by The Florida Center for Early Childhood to spark meaningful conversations about the importance of early care and education.

Nationally recognized early childhood policy expert Dr. Dan Wuori—a senior fellow at the Hunt Institute and former director of early learning for South Carolina—will headline the program. Drawing from his groundbreaking book, “The Daycare Myth: What We Get Wrong About Early Care and Education,” Dr. Wuori will challenge common misconceptions and explore why early childhood issues affect everyone—not just parents and educators. The event takes place Thursday, April 10, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at Art Ovation Hotel, 1255 N. Palm Avenue in Sarasota. Tickets are $75 and include lunch, the keynote presentation, and a signed copy of Dr. Wuori’s book for the first 75 registrants.  

Photo captions:

• Image #1: Nationally recognized early childhood policy expert Dr. Dan Wuori.
• Image #2: Dr. Wuori will discuss common misconceptions from his groundbreaking book, “The Daycare Myth: What We Get Wrong About Early Care and Education.”

About The Florida Center for Early Childhood

For more than 40 years, The Florida Center for Early Childhood has been the leading provider of therapeutic services, early education, and healthy development for young children in southwest Florida, offering a seamless delivery of services for the whole child and their family. Today, the agency is nationally recognized for its early childhood expertise in various specialties. The Florida Center provides developmental therapies, mental health counseling, Starfish Academy preschool, the Healthy Families home-visiting program, and the state’s only Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Clinic, with locations in Sarasota and Orlando.