Hailing a Champion of Children:
In Memory of Maurice Sykes

April 23, 2025

“When you do the right thing for children, you believe in the inherent value of every child, regardless of background,” Maurice Sykes once wrote. And he based his life on this conviction. He began his mission for equity in early learning as a teacher and went on to assume broader roles in the field of education that allowed him to shape policy, launch educators on the path to excellence and put a spotlight on the value of early learning.

Sykes’ commitment to children, families and teachers took him to fields ranging from academia to administration. He served in the District of Columbia Public School System as deputy superintendent at the Center for Systemic Educational Change and as director of the school system’s early learning programs. He advised the U.S. Department of Education on policy and served as director of Tufts University Education Day Care Center, as well as an instructor in its department of child study, where he passed on his passion for innovation in early learning. He also made an impact as a policy fellow at the Institute for Educational Leadership and as a governing board member at the National Association for the Education of Young Children, where he put a focus on equity and social justice.

These are values the Council shares, so we mourn his recent passing and want to pass on a moving message he left behind: “If your life’s work has been about the business of doing the right thing for children, you are a profile in courage. You are a living legend. You are a hero.” And that’s exactly what Sykes was. So, the Council urges our community to hail this champion of our profession. Let the memory of his commitment and his accomplishments inspire us to keep doing the right thing for all our youngest children.

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