AMITE — Leaders, educators and early childhood team members from across Tangipahoa joined together for a day of collaboration at Tangipahoa Parish School System's Ready Start Tangipahoa Early Childhood Workforce Conference on Friday. 

Participants took part in sessions focused on strengthening strategies and raising the bar for early care and education with the shared goal of providing the highest quality care and education for children in the community.

The event, hosted at Southeastern Louisiana University, was kicked off by motivational speaker Julie Burch, who shared words of encouragement along with a positive message of not being afraid to try something new to impact those around you.