When the Work Leaves the Room in Chicago, IL

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Today, I had the honor of serving as the morning keynote speaker for Start Early’s Early Learning Network (ELN) 2026 Pre-Service Professional Development Conference in Chicago, Illinois.

I shared From Acorn to Mighty, Mighty Oak Tree™, a story rooted in human development, collective responsibility, and the conditions that help children maximize their personal potential.

While the story is mine, the human experiences woven through it belong to so many people.

Some hear themselves in the autism journey.

Some recognize housing insecurity.

Some recognize adultification.

Some understand what it means to be the child who simply needed one person to see something in them that others had not yet seen.

After the keynote, two mothers of children on the autism spectrum came to find me.

They shared that they heard pieces of their own parenting journeys in my story and that hearing about Ricky II gave them hope for what might be possible for their own sons.

That touched my whole heart.

Then, one of the mothers reached out to tell me that she and some other mothers of children on the autism spectrum are starting a book club to read You Are Not Alone, my book that serves as a blueprint for mothers navigating life with a child on the autism spectrum.

I absolutely love that idea.

I told her to let me know when they get started, and one day I’ll Zoom in and join them for one of their sessions.

Later that day, I had the opportunity to facilitate two Top-Notch Village™ workshops.

One of my favorite parts was watching service providers take the ecological systems theory surrounding a child and make the work their own.

They identified the people, relationships, organizations, and systems surrounding the children and families they serve and began thinking about how those village members can work together more intentionally.

I am excited to see them take Top-Notch Village™ back to their programs, children, families, and communities.

And that is what The Acorn Movement is all about.

Going beyond the keynote.

Going beyond the workshop.

Taking the work back into children’s learning environments, families, and communities.

Mothers of children on the autism spectrum carrying a piece of the story forward to support other mothers navigating the journey.

Service providers taking Top-Notch Village™ back to the children, families, programs, and communities they serve.

This is how the work moves forward.

One person shares what they have learned with another.

One village becomes stronger.

And together, we create the conditions for more acorns to maximize their personal potential and grow into mighty, mighty oak trees.

This is The Acorn Movement. 🌰🌱🌳❤️

#TheAcornMovement #TopNotchVillage #StartEarly #EarlyLearningNetwork #HeadStart #EarlyChildhoodEducation #FamilyEngagement #AutismAcceptance #VillageMatters

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Dr. El Brown is an early childhood keynote speaker, trainer, and engagement strategist who partners with Head Start, early childhood programs, and children and family service organizations to strengthen family engagement, support professional development, and build Top-Notch Villages™ where children and families thrive. ❤️🌰🌱🌳☀️

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