Less than one week from today is the 2012 Step Up for Kids Conference in Louisville, KY. National experts on children’s issues – ranging from health, to child welfare, to juvenile justice – will join child advocates and community leaders to discuss the latest research, best practices, and solutions that can improve outcomes for Kentucky children. Cabinet Secretaries J. Michael Brown, Audrey Haynes, and Joe Meyer will talk about what’s happening on the ground in Frankfort during a discussion moderated by Ryan Alessi from CN2 TV’s Pure Politics.

 

What: 2012 Step Up for Kids Conference: Invest in Kids, Grow Our Future

When: Monday, October 8, 2012, 9 AM – 4:30 PM, Eastern

Where: Muhammad Ali Center, 144 North 6th Street, Louisville, KY 40202

Cost: Admission: $60, Student and Sponsor Admission: $40

Registration: Register here

Parking: Parking for the entire day will be available in the Muhammad Ali Center’s Parking Garage for $8.75.

 

The schedule for the day is below. Interested in spreading the word? Print off our flyer and share it with your network.

 

9:00 AM: Registration

9:30 AM: Welcome:“Invest in Kids” – Michael Petit, Every Child Matters

10:00 AM: Session 1: Child Health: Opportunities and Obstacles in the Political Landscape with Tricia Brooks, Senior Fellow at the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Panel discussion to follow.

11:15 AM: Awards Ceremony followed by lunch

12:45 PM: Session 2: Increasing Transparency in the Kentucky’s Child Welfare System with Amy Harfeld and Christina Riehl from the Children’s Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego School of Law. Panel discussion to follow.

2:05 PM: Session 3: Creating a Justice System to Better Serve Public Safety and Address Youth Needs with Jeanette Moll from the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Panel discussion to follow.

3:30 PM:  Closing Panel: Moving Forward: What the Future Hold for Kentucky Children, moderated by Ryan Alessi from CN2, with:

  • Audrey Haynes, Secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services
  • Joseph Meyer, Secretary of the Education Cabinet
  • J. Michael Brown, Secretary of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet

 

Following the Step Up for Kids Conference, attendees and others from the public are invited for an evening with the arts from 5:00-7:00 PM featuring a special photography exhibit on display, Colors of Life, which spotlights the needs of America’s children, as well as the Ali Center’s own painting exhibit, Americans Who Tell the Truth. Kentucky youth from the Sunfish Tumblers Bluegrass Band and the Safiyyah Dance Company will perform, and hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will be available. For more information and to register for this free event, please visit www.kyyouth.org.

 

Thank you to our sponsors:

Brooklawn INC | Children’s Alliance | Children’s Champions of Madison County | Child Care Council of Kentucky, Inc. | Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky | Children, Inc. | Community Coordinated Child Care, 4C | Coventry Cares of Kentucky | Family & Children’s Place | Jefferson County Community Early Childhood Council | Kentucky Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry | Kentucky Alliance of YMCA’s | Kentucky Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics | Kentucky Conference United Methodist Women | Kentucky PTA | Kentucky School Board Association | Kentucky Spirit Health Plan | Kentucky Voices for Health | NECCO | Prichard Committee | Save the Children | St. Joseph Children’s Home | Sunrise Children’s Services | WellCare of Kentucky

Want to learn more tips for engaging your community? On October 9, the Center for  Nonprofit Excellence Nonprofit is holding their Leadership Conference and Awards Luncheon in Downtown Louisville. This year civic sector  leaders and representatives, along with corporate and governmental  executives,  will come together to learn effective ways to better tell their  organization’s story.  Specific break-out sessions will explore how storytelling can work for board members, staff leaders, human resource  professionals, development officers and those expanding their collaborative work. Learn more here