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The early childhood education market continues to gain traction. States invested a record of nearly $14.4 billion in public PreK in 2024-25. Science-of-reading laws in more than 30 states now extend into PreK, and the debate over screen time is shaping what educators expect from the products they use. For companies selling into early learning, understanding what’s happening in classrooms is critical.
Join Holly Kurtz, Director of the EdWeek Research Center, and Melissa Heyeck, Senior Director of Marketing, for a 30-minute session that pairs new research with practical guidance for marketing and sales teams.
Holly will share findings from a recent EdWeek Research Center survey of more than 1,000 PreK and early elementary teachers, program directors, and school leaders. Melissa will translate that data into strategies marketers can put to work right away.
You’ll learn:
- The classroom challenges educators report and how to position your solutions around them
- Where educators and administrators see things differently, and why that matters for your messaging
- How educators’ views on play, phonics, and screen time can inform your positioning
- Who makes and influences purchasing decisions across state-funded PreK, school districts, and Head Start
Whether you’re setting strategy or running campaigns, you’ll leave with insights to sharpen your messaging, target the right buyers, and support your sales team. The session will close with a lightning round of Q&A.
Senior Director, Marketing, Education Week
Melissa Heyeck is the Senior Director of Marketing at Education Week, where she leads the B2B marketing team, working in partnership with the sales teams. Much of her career has been spent serving the education sector, where Melissa has honed her marketing expertise while contributing to companies such as Discovery Education and Teaching Strategies. Melissa writes a bi-weekly newsletter for edmarketers called The WirED Marketer sharing best practices, data and analytics to help other edmarketers lead in this industry.
Holly Kurtz, PhD
Director, EdWeek Research Center
Holly Kurtz directs the EdWeek Research Center, which produces standalone studies as well as analyses for Education Week and special reports such as Quality Counts. Kurtz began working at Education Week in 2014 after earning a Ph.D. in 2013 from the University of Colorado at Boulder’s School of Education and completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado at Denver’s School of Public Affairs. Prior to attending graduate school, she spent 11 years covering education and other topics for newspapers in Florida, Alabama, and Colorado.
Education Week maintains sole editorial control over the selection of the guests and content for this virtual event.
References to products or services in the course of this webinar do not constitute endorsements by Education Week or Editorial Projects in Education.
A transcript will be available for download from the resource list within five business days after the event.
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