Building Brighter Tomorrows 2026 Conference
ICS and IACH host event highlighting strategies to foster healthy communities
The 2026 Building Brighter Tomorrows Conference, co-hosted by the Institute for Child Success (ICS) and Furman University’s Institute for the Advancement of Community Health (IACH), was held this month at Furman University in Greenville, SC. This year’s conference attracted even more passionate and engaged attendees than we anticipated. The message was clear: our communities are ready – and the research is out there – to support expansive solutions to help our children achieve bright, healthy futures.
“A Pathway to Healthy Communities”
This year’s conference theme was “A Pathway to Healthy Communities.” We featured three conference tracks and twelve breakout sessions. Risa Wilkerson, Executive Director of Healthy Places by Design, delivered the Desmond P. Kelly MD Keynote Address: “The Power of Connection: Building Healthier, Safer, and More Resilient Communities”.
From inspiration to implementation, Risa Wilkerson shared practical strategies in this session for strengthening belonging and reducing social isolation in our communities.
The event featured workshops and presentations across three thematic tracks:
- The Jairy Hunter Community Health Track: Exploring the Social and Environmental Factors that Shape Health Across the Lifespan
- Adversity, Resilience, and Wellbeing for Families & Communities
- The Nurturing Developing Minds Track: Strengthening Families & Supporting Neurodevelopmental Health
Attendees joined sessions hosted by experts on topics related to early childhood, including early relational health, screenings and interventions, resilience, exclusionary discipline, mental health and health care for families.
Other topics focused on fostering healthy communities, including social connection, community justice and safety, community resilience, and innovative financing for communities. Slide presentations from the sessions will be available soon.
IACH and ICS are grateful for all partners who helped make the workshop, reception, and conference a reality, including our conference title sponsors the South Carolina Developmental Disabilities Council and the Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Department of Prisma Children’s Hospital, as well as Integral Leaders in Health, South Carolina Legal Services, and the Bank of Travelers Rest.
ICS hosts events that promote innovation in the early childhood workforce
The Institute for Child Success advances the early childhood field by hosting educational events and convenings like the Building Brighter Tomorrows Conference throughout the year. Through these efforts, we strengthen both the current and emerging early childhood workforce by promoting innovation and best practices, while gathering like-minded individuals to spark connections and deepen knowledge. Learn more about our mission and areas of work here.
View photographs from the event here.
Top of article, left to right:
- Mary C. Garvey (ICS) at the Building Brighter Tomorrows Conference reception.
- Members of the Early Childhood Common Agenda attend the conference.
- ICS CEO Jamie Moon with Kirby Mitchell and Anne Caywood.
- Dr. Desmond P. Kelly MD speaks at the conference.
- Keynote speaker Risa Wilkerson (Healthy Places By Design) with Kerry Sease (Furman University) and Linda Brees (ICS).
- Dr. Blakely Amati discusses early relational health.
- Dr. Mary McKenzie and Dr. Susan Thomson Shi at the conferece.