Due to significant interest from local, state, and national leaders, the registration deadline for the 2021 Thriving Children, Families, and Communities Conference has been extended! Attendees now have through Friday, Sept. 24, to register to attend.

Join community leaders interested in learning more about quality early childhood education's important role in community vitality at the free and online conference Monday, September 27.

8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (CT)

During livestreamed sessions and panel discussions throughout the morning, community members and experts will discuss challenges, share success stories, learn from each other, and highlight the importance of high-quality care and education for birth to Grade 3.

1:00 - 3:00 p.m. (CT)*

In the afternoon, representatives participating in the statewide Communities for Kids initiative will engage in further planning efforts. This Nebraska Children and Families Foundation initiative works with communities across Nebraska to advance their early childhood programming and services.

*The C4K Convening will be a two-hour session. It was previously listed as a three-hour session.

The conference will include keynote presentations from two national experts: Dr. Rosemarie Allen, president and CEO of the Center for Equity & Excellence and Bina Patel Shrimali, community development research manager at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Following her presentation, Allen will join community experts from across Nebraska for a response panel discussion and audience Q&A.

Breakout sessions will focus on economic development/community vitality, early childhood research and evaluation, early childhood programs, early childhood policy, communications and outreach, and philanthropy. These sessions include:

Session descriptions can be found on the Thriving Children, Families, and Communities Conference Breakouts page. Each breakout session will be held twice, and recordings will be made available to registrants following the conference.