Field Convening for Reimagining in Early Childhood, Care & Learning
VISION & CONTEXT
What if we stopped fixing broken systems and built something better, together? What if the future of early childhood could be brighter than we dared to imagine? What if we cast our gaze far enough forward, that the present couldn't hold us back? What if instead of wrestling with what is, we started building what could be?
The What IF Collective is where dreamers, designers, and doers of early childhood and adjacent fields can come together to reclaim, imagine, and begin building a future where our youngest learners and families thrive. This is not another conference. It's a founding moment — for a community that doesn't yet fully exist, but is urgently needed. Invited guests will leave with expanded imaginations, deeper connections to new people and ideas, and a stronger belief in what's possible for young learners. Together, we'll draw on the bold thinking already alive in this field — and ignite what comes next.
The future we're reaching toward is a world where every child's value is rooted in their inherent humanity, not their future productivity. Where care is understood as community, not commodity. Where families have the stability to bond, dream, and thrive — not just survive. Where multiple ways of knowing the wisdom of communities and families, and lived experience sit alongside research and policy in shaping a world worthy of every child born into it.
Are You a Visionary? An Implementer? A Futurist? A Builder?
We're looking for the leaders who've been doing the work, and who know the work needs to go further. High-integrity. Community-rooted. Unafraid to experiment. Ready to ask new questions. Ready to build alongside 45–60 colleagues across, and adjacent to, early care and education. We're bringing together futurists and practitioners, policy architects and community organizers, technologists and storytellers, parents and the next generation — because a future where we all thrive must grow from our collective imaginations.
If you've ever whispered "there has to be a better way"—this gathering was designed for you, especially if:
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You already are, or want to be, part of visioning and reimagining in early childhood.
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You lead at the intersections of learning, equity, care, and systems change.
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You carry and want to share your lived, learned, and practiced expertise.
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You believe transformation is not only possible, but necessary — and you're done waiting for the right moment.
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You want to immerse yourself in inspiration, provocation, new thinking, and new relationships.
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You're eager to build alongside perspectives and experiences different from your own.
The Collective You'll Be Joining:
The What IF Collective is collaboratively designed and delivered by:
Pahara Institute at Lone Rock - brings deep expertise in fellowship design & delivery, and the physical “home base” for collective dreaming.
Promise Venture Studio - brings a firmly rooted understanding of the early childhood field and the leaders who are shaping its bold new vision.
LearnerStudio - brings the strategic foresight expertise that ensures our imaginations and curiosities are trained on realizing a better future.
Imaginable Futures - brings its mix of flexible funding and unwavering collaborative mindset, ensuring partners work toward a shared vision where learning sparks possibility and thriving belongs to everyone.
What We’re Here to Do
This gathering is a design laboratory, a retreat, and a movement in the making. Together, we will:
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Reimagine:
We don't start with what's possible. We start with what's needed.
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Practice:
Ideas without action are just wishes. Participants don't just discuss, we design, test, and explore.
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Connect:
The relationships, trust, and shared language we nurture here aims to sustain collective action over time.
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Fuel:
Systems change is long work. We tend to the people doing it—not just the ideas—by protecting time for rest, reflection, and the kind of restoration that doesn't happen at most gatherings.
How We'll Do It Together
Where we’ll learn out loud
— Immersive Campus Experience
Four-day on-campus convening at Lone Rock Retreat in Colorado designed for deep collaboration, interactive experiencing, discussion, visioning work, and land-based learning.
Where we’ll find our people
— Small Group Connection
Across our virtual launch and in-person convening, leaders will meet in small groups to sustain momentum, work on ideas that give them energy, and deepen relationships.
Where we’ll roll up our sleeves
— Collaborative Design Sessions
Structured time to co-create the tools, networks, and infrastructure the field needs for lasting transformation.
Where we’ll make it personal — Leadership Practices
Integrated frameworks and practices for fueling and sustaining self, team, and community through the long work of systems change.
These four days are a beginning. What we're truly igniting is an ember of collective possibility each participant carries home—and what happens when those embers catch each other again. A network. A fund. A future gathering - a series of gatherings. A field transformed. You are part of what it becomes—and what it lights next.
When and How We'll Meet
Lean into the magic of the Lone Rock setting — 8,600 feet, Colorado mountains, a 7-acre village nestled into the hillside. We’ll engage in land-based learning, trail conversations, and late-night vision sessions under the stars.
The time commitment for this convening is 4 full days on campus to allow time for reflection, community-building, and design experimentation and integration. An opening virtual orientation will take place the month before to maximize our in-person time toward imagining and building.
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What IF Collective Virtual Welcome: July 31, 2026
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2-hour Virtual Connection
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Convening Kickoff & Orientation
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What IF Collective In-Person Convening: August 31-September 3, 2026
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Lone Rock Retreat - 64797 US HWY 285, Bailey, CO 80421
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What You'll Leave with:
Shared or no cost to you or your organization
All participants will receive complimentary airport shuttle, food and lodging onsite at Pahara Institute's mountain campus. Participants whose participation would be limited without travel reimbursement will also be eligible for up to $700 in needs-based travel reimbursement.
A network of 45–60 radical dreamers
who will become your collaborators, co-conspirators, and community for years to come.
A laboratory for your most ambitious thinking
and real time to prototype, experiment, and gather feedback from leaders who get it.
Tangible prototypes, co-created resources, and trusted relationships
you can build on the moment you get home.
A wider imagination
fed by the people, ideas, and possibilities you encounter here.
Additional Information & Logistics
Below you will find information on how to prepare for the What IF Collective Gathering taking place at Lone Rock Retreat in Bailey, Colorado. Additionally, please review Pahara Institute’s health and wellness protocols for in-person gatherings during your time at Lone Rock Retreat:
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Primary Contact
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Convening Readings
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Flight & Ground Transportation
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Review Pahara Institute's Health & Wellness Protocols
