2020
Pennsylvania Family Support and
Home Visiting Conference:
Supporting & Strengthening Families
Family Support Conference Cancellation Notice
In accordance with the Governor’s emergency disaster declaration and based on advice from the Department of Health regarding the mitigation of the spread of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), the March 23 & 24, 2020 Pennsylvania Family Support and Home Visiting Conference at the Hershey Convention Center has been cancelled.
We apologize for any inconvenience this cancellation may cause. Our first concerns are for the health and well-being of conference participants, presenters, and staff.
The Office of Child Development and Early Learning, is committed to providing professional development and information to Pennsylvania’s family support and home visiting staff. We are investigating the option to offer the breakout sessions through live online sessions. More details will be provided in future emails.
Next Steps
– The Hershey Convention Center will cancel all hotel reservations associated with the conference.
– You DO NOT need to contact the hotel directly.
– A copy of this email will be sent out to all those registered through the PaTTAN registration system.
Thank you
Please use the Schedule link in the Menu above to view the Breakout Sessions and to Download Relevant Documents for the Presentations
About the Conference
The Pennsylvania Family Support and Home Visiting Conference is in support of home visiting practices to encourage and educate Home Visitors and Family Support professionals working directly with families as they guide families as their young child’s first and primary teacher. The conference is also designed to improve the skills and competencies of administrators of Family Support and Home Visiting programs. There are sessions designed for new program staff and for experienced supervisors and administrators.
Featured Breakout Sessions
There will be 30 breakout sessions during the two-day conference. Breakout sessions will cover topics on family engagement, fatherhood strategies, families affected by substance use, social-emotional skill development, screening tools, and others.
Some highlights include
Families in Recovery
Strengthening Families Protective Factors (3-hour intensive session)
Breastfeeding with Infants Affected by Substance Use Disorder
Why Doesn’t Everyone Think Like Me: Executive Function Skills for
Administrators
How to Provide an Early Foundation in STEM skills: The Connection Between Early Developmental Milestones and Kindergarten Readiness in learning STEM concepts.
Using Excel for Fiscal Management
Overview of the Be Strong Parent Café Model
Conference Special Events
The Pennsylvania Family Support and Home Visiting Conference will include several special events for participants. Some of the events will be open for both days of the conference, others only at specific times. Make sure you mark your calendar for these events.
Be Strong Parent Café – On Monday evening, March 23rd, participants will have an opportunity to participate in a Be Strong Parent Café. Parent Cafés are interactive forums for engaging family members/family leaders in learning more about the protective factors that support improved outcomes for children and families. Registration is required for this session and space is limited to 25 participants.
Pennsylvania Family Support Data System Help Desk – Do you have questions about entering data into the Family Support Data System? Want to know more about the data that needs to be collected? Have questions about reports that are available? Technology support staff from the Family Support Data System will be available both days of the conference. Drop by with your questions!
Healthy Teeth, Healthy Children dental kit distribution – Healthy Teeth, Healthy Children is a project of the Pennsylvania Medical/Dental Partnership and PA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. OCDEL and the Early Learning Resource Centers are partnering to provide dental kits for Family Support and Home Visiting programs. Dental kits will be distributed to programs during the conference. Watch your email for how your program can register to receive dental kits.
Costs
There is no registration fee for the Family Support and Home Visiting Conference. Lunch will be provided on both days of the conference. A continental breakfast will be provided on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.
Participants are responsible for their own conference expenses including hotel costs, meals not provided at the conference, and other travel costs.
Conference Registration Limits
Due to space limitations at the venue, only 250 participants will be accepted. To allow for equal representation, a maximum of two staff from each Family Support and Home Visiting program may attend. A registration code will be emailed to the administrator of each Family Support and Home Visiting program. This code should be shared with the two participants attending from that program.
Hotel Reservations
The Family Support and Home Visiting Conference will be held at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, 325 University Drive, Hershey, PA.
A group rate of $135.00 (single and double room rate) is available for conference participants on the evenings of Sunday, March 22 and Monday, March 23, 2020. Participants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. Reservations must be made on or before Thursday, February 24, 2020 in order to receive the group rate.
To make your reservation, book.passkey.com/go/Familysupportconf2020. You may also reserve a room by calling the Hershey Lodge Reservation office at 855-729-3108. Ask for the room block for the Family Support Conference.
Continuing Education Credits
Continuing education credits are available for participants who attend both days of the conference and sign in and out on each of the days. No partial credit will be provided for attending only a portion of the conference. Act 48, PQAS, and Early Intervention Infant Toddler Staff Development Hours will be provided. A certificate of attendance will also be available through the PaTTAN registration system following the conference.
Continuing education credits for nurses and licensed social workers will be available through a partnership with the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Nursing and School of Social Work.
Participants who require nursing or social work credits must register for them onsite during the first day of the conference. Look for the Continuing Education sign at in the conference registration area. Participants who require nursing credits will be required to pay an $8.00 fee to the University of 6 Pittsburgh School of Nursing. Participants who require social work credits will be required to pay a $10.00 fee to the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. A total of 9.75 contact hours will be awarded for attendance at both days of the conference. No partial credit will be provided.
How to Register Online for the Conference
Use the link below to register online for the conference. Registration will open on January 31, 2020. In order to register, you will need the registration code which was emailed to the administrator of each Family Support and Home Visiting program.
Make sure you have the conference registration code from the administrator of your family support or home visiting program.
If you have not used the PaTTAN registration system, you will need to set up an account. Visit www.pattan.net and go to the Log In/Register button on the top right of the page and select Create an Account.
Registration-Hints-FS-Conf-01-30-2020If you have used the PaTTAN registration system, sign-in using your username and password.
After logging in, click on Training Calendar at the top left of the page. Use the calendar to find the conference listed on March 23 – 24, 2020.
You will need to register for each breakout session you wish to attend. All the breakout sessions are described in the registration system.
If you have any questions about registration or need assistance in registering for the conference, please email Molly Martz at [email protected].