Childcare Resources Hosts Advocacy Event on the Economic Power of Early Childhood Education

Rachel Ludwig, VP of Talent Development for the Future of Work at the Florida Chamber Foundation, Shannon McGuire Bowman, Childcare Resources Executive Diretor, and Tracy Sorzano, Childcare Resources Board President.

Childcare Resources hosted its annual advocacy event, The Landscape of Early Childhood Education: A Conversation with the Florida Chamber Foundation, on December 1 at Windsor Beach Club. The gathering brought community leaders and stakeholders together to reflect on the growing need for high-quality early learning and its impact on the economy, continuing the organization’s tradition of convening partners who believe early education is essential to a thriving community.

Advocacy event hosts Ned and Suzu Neithercut alongside Carla Meyer and Vincent Ryan at Windsor Beach Club.

The evening featured guest speaker Rachel Ludwig, Vice President of Talent Development at the Florida Chamber Foundation. She shared strategies to strengthen Florida’s workforce by showing how investing in early learning helps address challenges long before they reach the workplace. 

Trish Essick, John Moran, and Vero Beach City Mayor John Cotugno.

“Access to quality early learning isn’t just an education issue, but an economic imperative for Florida,” says Ludwig. “When our youngest learners build strong foundations, families can work, employers can grow, and our state’s talent pipeline becomes stronger. Investing in early learning is investing in Florida’s future prosperity.”

Susan Blaxill-Deal and Scott Deal.

The program also highlighted how Childcare Resources is already tackling these barriers. With its upcoming move to a new downtown campus and growing programs, the organization is positioned to reach more children and strengthen support for working families.

“Our community understands that early education is not only a family issue, but a workforce issue,” says Executive Director Shannon McGuire Bowman. “This event underscored how essential it is to ensure that every Indian River County child has access to high-quality learning from the start.”

Indian River County Chamber of Commerce President Andrea Beam and Caryn Toole.

The evening was graciously hosted by Christine and Christian Hammarskjold and Suzu and David Neithercut, and underwritten by Carole B. Brown, Marie Ek, Jean and Jim Kelly, and Linda and Mel Teetz.