More than 400 attendees participated in the state’s first collaborative conference focusing on innovative approaches to providing home visiting, infant mental health and Part C services to families. Co-sponsored by the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health, Florida MIECHV and Florida Early Steps, the April 23-25 gathering in Orlando featured five nationally-recognized speakers and more than 30 skill-building workshops.
Headlining the Many Paths to Enhancing Parent-Child Relationships conference was Dr. David Willis, Director, HRSA Home Visiting and Early Childhood Systems. Dr. Willis highlighted opportunities for collective impact and systems building in a keynote address and workshop. He also met with home visitors from the three Florida MIECHV-funded home visiting models — Nurse Family Partnership, Healthy Families Florida and Parents as Teachers — to support their work with at-risk families.
Tonier Cain, CEO, Healing Neen, Inc. shared her personal experience as the victim of childhood trauma in a moving presentation closing the conference. She reminded care givers about the importance of never giving up on the families they serve.
Also keynoting the event were Mary Dozier, PhD, Amy E. du Pont Chair of Child Development, University of Delaware; Deborah F. Perry, PhD, Associate Professor, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development; and Sharon Landesman Ramey, PhD, Professor and Distinguished Research Scientist, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute.
Special thanks to Dr. Mimi Graham, Jeanie Hinkle, and the staff of the FSU Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy for their work in planning and organizing the conference!