2026 CDS Annual Conference

Child care is the backbone of the workforce, enabling the economy to function. The Recruit, Inspire, Support the Early Childhood Profession in Missouri (RISE-MO) project focused on improving the child care ecosystem in Missouri. This project focused on building supports to recruit and maintain the early child care workforce across the state. This project brought the business community into the conversation through a series of data briefs, webinars, Strategic Doing workshops and an employer toolkit. While businesses and educators both value quality child care, they often speak different languages, leading to miscommunication. This project built bridges between these communities.

Local stakeholders in Dublin-Laurens County, Georgia have identified access to quality childcare as a challenge within the community. Additionally, a discrepancy between the services offered by childcare programs and the needs of families and community employers exists. Through UGA’s Archway Partnership and the Mary Frances Early College of Education, a formal needs assessment was conducted to help aid the Chamber Community Foundation in strategically focusing their efforts to make improvements. In this presentation we will share findings from that needs assessment and takeaways for other communities dealing with similar challenges. 



 

Since 2025 legislative cuts to childcare benefits, state residents have been facing significant challenges securing high-quality childcare, impacting their participation in the workforce and family quality of life. This presentation will address some of the issues facing childcare industries and communities - and what our university’s Community Childcare Team is doing to overcome these challenges. We will specifically focus on ways our university is forging regional partnerships to create solutions that fit local needs through creative cooperatives and funding collaborations. In addition to our state-specific data, the presentation will share a U.S. map of each state’s overall childcare national score.

Building resilience in flood-prone communities requires trusted partnerships. Through a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant, Florida Extension collaborated with the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council to strengthen engagement for the Tampa Bay Coastal Master Plan (CMP). Together, they trained 26 Extension agents and community members to lead listening sessions, piloted in seven counties with 74 residents. Insights were shaped into workshops for 66 local leaders and municipal staff, boosting their confidence and capacity to engage with under-resourced communities. Many participants joined a Community Engagement Committee, which meets quarterly to guide outreach and strategy. This partnership-driven approach ensures diverse voices inform the CMP and future resilience planning.

Wahkiakum County, Washington experiences flooding and erosion that harm property, the economy, and salmon habitat, causing community tension. In response, the Wahkiakum County Marine Resources Committee launched the Wahkiakum Common Ground Workshop Series to build trust and collaboration among local and regional leaders as a foundation for future multi-benefit watershed restoration. Four workshops in 2025 combined presentations, site visits, and small-group discussions using appreciative inquiry and asset-based community development approaches. Thirty-seven leaders participated. Evaluations showed that participation increased trust, connection, confidence to collaborate, and support for shared solutions that reduce flooding and erosion and benefit people, salmon, and the economy.

This case study examines how community leaders in a rural, climate-vulnerable community in North-eastern Nebraska mobilize local resources, social networks, and community involvement to prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate-related disasters. Through in-depth one-on-one interviews with community leaders and members, along with document analysis, the study explores how community leaders identify and leverage local assets and social networks in building resilience, the strategies they use to promote collaboration and shared decision-making during crises, and the challenges they face at each stage of building resilience against climate disasters.
The study aligns with the conference theme, “Community Currents: Navigating Changes Together,” as it demonstrates how a rural community collectively overcomes climate-related disruptions through shared participation and local problem-solving. It highlights how community leaders involve residents, groups, and existing social networks to prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate-related disasters, instead of relying on external experts to handle the situation. The study also fits with the track “Chart Cross-Sector Pathways” by examining how leaders utilize existing relationships to foster collaboration between formal institutions, both locally and externally, as well as with informal networks to coordinate disaster planning and response. The study’s findings offer practical insights into how leaders handle complex challenges to strengthen their communities’ resilience and could benefit other communities facing similar climate-related issues. It could also produce evidence to inform policies to improve the effectiveness and fairness of disaster resilience efforts in rural communities.