The COVID-19 pandemic has caused great upheaval across all of Indian Country, our nation, and all across the globe. It has not substantially hindered our day-to-day work (see our COVID resources, including our at-home learning toolkits and our grantmaking toolkit), but it has caused us to reconsider our 2021 National Academy on Early Care and Education. We have decided to postpone the conference to September 14-16, 2021. While the date has changed, our venue has not. We are grateful for the flexibility offered by the Choctaw Nation at the Choctaw Resort and Casino - Durant and are excited to bring us all together at their family-friendly, activity-filled resort.

We want to reassure you all that our future event will not be cancelled; however, we recognize that the timing of our event still faces great uncertainty due to the future trajectory of the pandemic and its impact on global health, safety, and travel. The Academy will not be cancelled but may be further postponed. If rescheduling of this event is necessary, we will provide maximum notice and issue a definitive statement on conference timing by the spring of 2021. We know your needs are ever-evolving, especially in the face of this pandemic and the structural inequality that continues to plague our nation, and the 2021 National Academy will focus on what your most prominent needs are. If you would like to weigh in on what those might be in the coming year, for both the Academy and other trainings and events, you can share your needs here.

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The next Academy will still feature an exciting program of keynote presentations, in-depth learning intensives, and networking with a rich and diverse cultural program. Please direct any specific inquiries to us at support@nicca.us. Further conference updates will be posted here.

The health and well-being of our communities are of paramount importance to us and our future generations. We urge you to stay safe and take care of yourselves and your communities. And, we look forward to seeing you in September 2021.