Honoring Lifelong Baby Champions

Our Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals who have made substantive contributions of national or international significance to improving the lives of infants, toddlers and their families.

Award recipients are individuals whose research, practice, teaching or advocacy has had a demonstrable impact on very young children and those who care for them.

2026 Lifetime Achievement Award Winners

Dr. Samuel Meisels

For more than 50 years, Dr. Samuel Meisels has been a leading voice in early childhood development, helping transform how young children are assessed, understood and supported. He developed widely used observational assessment tools that help professionals recognize children’s strengths and developmental needs. He has also shaped the field through leadership roles at the University of Michigan, Erikson Institute and Buffett Early Childhood Institute, which he founded in 2013. A longtime leader at ZERO TO THREE, Dr. Meisels served on its board for a decade, including as president from 2001 to 2003, and has authored more than 200 publications throughout his distinguished career.

Dr. Julie Stone

Dr. Julie Stone has dedicated more than two decades to advancing infant and early childhood mental health around the world. Her connection to ZERO TO THREE began in 2003 as the organization’s first international fellow, and her work has since supported babies, families and professionals in communities facing war, poverty and the effects of HIV/AIDS. Across Australia, South Africa and South Asia, including Bangladesh, she has helped strengthen local expertise and build lasting support for young children and their caregivers. In recognition of her contributions to child mental health and psychiatry, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021.