Opening Keynote
Mychal Threets
Mychal Threets is a librarian, mental health advocate, and, by his own admission, the library’s number one fan. A lifelong lover of libraries, Mychal was homeschooled and raised among the stacks, receiving his first library card at the age of five.
He began his career as a library shelve at the same library he grew up in, eventually working his way up to become its Supervising Librarian. Mychal is open and honest about his mental health, sharing his experiences in hopes of helping others on their own journeys. He’s known for reminding people—again and again—that he’s genuinely happy they’re here.
He considers it an honor to the library people who influence and inspire him that he is a recipient of the 2024 I Love My Librarian Award from the American Library Association, inclusion in School Library Journal’s 2024 Movers and Shakers, TIME Magazine’s 2024 Next Generation Leaders, a 2024 Webby Award for Social Impact, and a spot on TIME’s inaugural 2025 list of 100 Creators.
Mychal is the author of I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy (Random House Children’s Books), illustrated by Lorraine Nam. He currently serves as Resident Librarian for PBS and PBS Kids—and still can’t quite believe he’s the host of the revival of Reading Rainbow.
Upcoming National Conferences
July 15th-July 17th, 2027
Jacksonville, FL
July 16th -July 18th, 2026
Chicago, IL
2025 NAFCC National Conference Recap – Dallas, Texas
2024 NAFCC National Conference Recap – St. Louis, Missouri
2025 National Conference Testimonials
Conference Attendee
“The NAFCC team has done it again. The conference was amazing”
Conference Attendee
“Wonderful experience. I loved the reunion of people from all over. I enjoyed the variety of sessions.”
Conference Attendee
“I enjoyed my time and learned a lot. The staff was friendly, helpful, and professional. The session instructors for the sessions I attended were very knowledgeable and engaging!”
Conference Attendee
“The NAFCC went above and beyond to have a beautifully inspiring event. All the hours of hard work and passion showed in the phenomenal presentations they created. This was my first time attending and I plan on many more to come.”
Conference Attendee
“I enjoyed myself!! Networking, with different perspectives on different cultures and styles of teaching and communication.”
Conference Interviewee
“I would recommend the NAFCC conference to any homebased childcare providers, also anybody that supports homebased childcare providers. It’s a place where you can level up your skills, you can connect with people, and do a lot of reflection.”
Conference Attendee
“I was so happy to attend and contribute to the pre-conference Global Learning Convening. I learned so much from the other participants. All of us were excited to learn and share, and also to continue this global networking!”
Conference Interviewee
“Every presenter has been very well prepared and brought up information that is valuable for everyone.”
Conference Attendee
“Thank you all for the great work and thought behind such a great conference. Each professional development session provided a roadmap to understanding how to move forward with quality, accreditation, and better business practices for FCC educators/business owners.”
Conference Interviewee
“I am gathering some great takeaways on how to help others in the field, inspire them and empower them to continue doing what we’ve been doing and continuing to take care of the children and families in our program and be the amazing providers that we are.”
Conference Exhibitor
“Most valuable was the audience of FCC educators and organizations supporting them in attendance…all of the interactions were valuable to us as an organization. The booth areas were large and well equipped in terms of what we’d need. It was nice to network with other vendors and FCC organizations inside the hall. I also liked…
Conference Attendee
“I had a great experience at the NAFCC Conference! It was inspiring, informative, and filled with opportunities to grow and connect with other passionate early childhood professionals”
Conference Interviewee
“All I can say is WOW! I’ve never been to a conference this big, but it’s so organized. I haven’t been here for 24 hours and I’m already networking with other family home providers. It’s bright, it’s colorful, I’m excited for what’s going to come for the rest of the weekend.”
Conference Exhibitor
“First time attending and looking forward to many more events.”
Conference Attendee
“I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s conference. The variety and number of sessions provided a wealth of learning opportunities, and I was especially impressed by the quality of the speakers.”
Conference Interviewee
“I love coming to the annual conference. The professional development, the networking, the learning. No other experience comes close to what I get out of this conference every year.”
