KAECECON 2026 Canceled as KAECE Looks Toward New Opportunities to Serve Kentucky Educators

-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --

The Kentucky Association for Early Childhood Education (KAECE) has announced the cancellation of KAECECON 2026: Rise Up & Discover, originally scheduled for September 19, 2026.

After careful consideration, the KAECE Executive Committee and KAECECON Planning Committee made the difficult decision not to move forward with this year's one-day conference due to significantly lower-than-anticipated registration.

While registration for KAECECON has traditionally increased during the final weeks leading up to the event, that increase has not occurred this year. Out of respect for the time and travel commitments of our presenters, exhibitors, partners, and participants, KAECE leadership determined that cancellation was the most responsible decision.

For those who have already registered for KAECECON 2026, no action is needed on your part. All registration fees will be fully refunded to the original payment method used at registration. Refunds will be processed by Wednesday, September 9. Please keep in mind that, depending on your financial institution, it may take additional time for the refund to appear on your account.

Although we are disappointed that we will not gather as planned this September, we also recognize that the circumstances surrounding this year's conference point toward some encouraging changes taking place across Kentucky's early childhood community.

More Opportunities for Kentucky's Early Childhood Educators

The number of professional-development opportunities available to early childhood educators across Kentucky has grown significantly. More organizations are providing localized training opportunities closer to where educators live and work, while virtual and on-demand training have become increasingly accessible.

That is good news.

KAECE exists to strengthen early childhood education across the Commonwealth, and more opportunities for educators to learn, grow, connect, and strengthen their practice ultimately serve Kentucky's children and families.

At the same time, this growth has changed the landscape for larger, centralized training events. This year, several early childhood training opportunities have been scheduled during or near the traditional timeframe for KAECECON. KAECE has also heard from other conference organizers who have experienced similar changes in attendance as educators increasingly take advantage of regional, virtual, and on-demand professional development.

Rather than seeing these changes simply as a challenge, KAECE sees an opportunity to listen, adapt, and consider how we can best serve Kentucky's early childhood professionals in the years ahead.

Gratitude for an Incredible Planning Team

The decision to cancel KAECECON was not made quickly or easily.

The KAECECON Planning Committee exhausted every reasonable option before arriving at this decision. Committee members invested countless hours developing programming, recruiting presenters, coordinating logistics, promoting the conference, and preparing what we believed would be an outstanding day of professional learning and connection.

KAECE extends a special word of gratitude to Susan Allen, Vice President of Programming and KAECECON Planning Chair, for her exceptional leadership, dedication, and the tremendous amount of work she invested in this year's conference.

We are equally grateful to each of our scheduled presenters who agreed to share their expertise with Kentucky's early childhood community, as well as our partners, exhibitors, volunteers, and everyone who registered and planned to attend. Your willingness to invest in early childhood education is deeply appreciated.

Embracing What Comes Next

KAECE remains committed to networking, inspiring, and advocating for early childhood education throughout Kentucky. As the needs of our profession evolve, we believe our methods of accomplishing that mission can evolve as well.

In the months ahead, KAECE leadership will be considering new and expanded ways to connect with and resource early childhood professionals across the Commonwealth. That includes opportunities to invest more deeply in initiatives such as the KAECE Mini-Grant Program, leadership development, professional networking, advocacy, and other resources that directly strengthen educators and early childhood programs.

For many years, KAECECON has provided a place for educators to gather, learn, and build relationships. We are incredibly grateful for that legacy.

Thank you for continuing to support KAECE and for the important work you do each day on behalf of Kentucky's children and families.

We look forward to what comes next.