Session Descriptions
Keynote: "How Safe Families uses Protective Factors in their work to build social and concrete supports for families" -
Dr. David Anderson, Safe Families for Children​​
This session will explore the innovative journey of Safe Families in aligning shared values and protective factors to mobilize a movement to keep kids safe and families together.
Clearing the Smoke: Understanding Marijuana Use During Pregnancy in Today’s Landscape"-
Amy Ronshausen, Drug Free America Foundation
As marijuana becomes increasingly available and socially accepted, many pregnant women are receiving mixed messages about its safety. This session examines the latest scientific evidence on prenatal cannabis exposure, maternal and infant health outcomes, and the growing challenges created by high-potency products and widespread misinformation. Participants will explore current research, discuss common myths encountered in clinical and community settings, and learn practical strategies for communicating with pregnant women and families using nonjudgmental, evidence-based approaches. The session will also highlight successful public education resources and prevention tools that can be adapted for use in healthcare, public health, and community settings.
Stronger Families Start with Fathers; Advancing Prevention Through Father Engagement - Austin Butler & Isaiah Blue, TEAM Dad
​
Safe Sleep Saves Lives; Turning Data into Prevention -
Mindy Taylor & Becky Albert, Juvenile Welfare Board
Safe Sleep Saves Lives: Turning Data into Prevention
Every sleep-related infant death represents an opportunity for prevention. Learn how JWB's Sleep Baby Safely campaign transformed data, research, and community partnerships into a coordinated prevention effort that is expanding across Florida. This interactive session will provide practical strategies for delivering consistent, evidence-based safe sleep education, addressing barriers such as misinformation, unsafe products, and caregiver fatigue, and reinforcing life-saving messages across healthcare and community settings. Participants will leave with actionable tools, educational resources, and proven approaches they can immediately implement to strengthen safe sleep education and reduce preventable infant deaths.
Infant Mental Health - Program Introduction; Part 1 - Laura Girlando & Charlotte Diaz, Tykes and Teens
During this session, presenters will share about Tykes & Teens, a non-profit organization serving children and their families across the Treasure Coast of Florida (Martin, St. Lucie, & Indian River Counties). Since opening its doors over 30 years ago, Tykes & Teens has provided a variety of programming for complex needs pertaining to Children’s Mental Health. Presenters will share specifically about the agency’s Infant Mental Health program, developed in 2015, serving children 0-5 in outpatient and community-based settings. During the discussion, general content surrounding program philosophy, targeted community needs, evidenced-based practices used, and valued partnerships. Join us for this informative session on how Tykes & Teens strives to prevent abuse and neglect and will provide concrete strategies and resources for strengthening families and communities through the power of emotionally and physically safe relationships. Our primary hope is to share AND connect with YOU (our participants) through interactive (but brief) opportunities for audience engagement.
Prevent, Teach, Reinforce for Young Children; A Practical Framework for Early Childhood Prevention & Family Strengthening - Michael Fussner, Fussner Strategic Solutions
This presentation provides a high level overview of the Prevent Teach Reinforce for Young Children model, an evidence based, team driven framework designed to address persistent challenging behavior in early childhood settings. The session will introduce the core components of the PTR YC process and demonstrate how it can be implemented by educators, early learning professionals, afterschool staff, mental health practitioners, and families to promote positive behavior and strengthen child outcomes.
Prevent Teach Reinforce for Young Children is not simply a set of strategies. It is a structured, manualized curriculum and systematic problem solving process that guides teams step by step from referral to intervention planning and progress monitoring. The model includes clearly defined phases, structured meeting protocols, data collection tools, and implementation fidelity measures. As a curriculum, it builds practitioner capacity by teaching adults how to analyze behavior, design individualized supports, and implement proactive interventions with consistency.
The Power of Home Visiting - Rebekkah Sheetz & Caitlin Murphy, Healthy Families Florida
Advanced Infant Mental Health Practices and Interventions; Part 2 -
Laura Girlando & Charlotte Diaz, Tykes and Teens
During this afternoon session, Tykes & Teens presenters will take a deeper look into the work of Therapeutic Interventions for young children and their families. Participants can expect fruitful content Core Concepts of Infant/Early Childhood Mental; Research, Fidelity Strands, and Screeners/Assessments used within the Child-Parent Psychotherapy© Model; and the power of ‘Reflective Practice’ in shaping relationships across systems (the infant/child, the parent/guardian, the therapist, the supervisor, and beyond). Additionally, participants will learn about ‘Angels’ and ‘Ghosts in the Nursery’ (developed by Selma Frailberg et al.): examining how our own experiences of being cared for/parented informs present day relationships. Participants will be encouraged to consider their own unique and valuable perspectives, and how to promote ‘humanness’ in everyday service to children and their natural support systems.
9:15-10:15 AM
10:30-11:45 AM
Breakout Session 1
1:15 - 2:15 PM
Breakout Session 2
Day 1
Safe Sleep for Infants - Protecting Babies, Empowering Families -
Art Howell, Florida Department of Health
Protecting Babies, Empowering Families explores the latest evidence-based recommendations for infant safe sleep, grounded in current guidance from pediatric and public health authorities. This session equips participants with clear, practical strategies families can use to reduce the risk of sleep-related infant deaths, while emphasizing the role of providers in strengthening family resilience through meaningful education and support.
Attendees will learn how to communicate safe sleep practices in ways that are culturally responsive, accessible, and empowering for caregivers. The session also highlights approaches for building trusting relationships, addressing common concerns, and supporting families as they create safer sleep environments for their infants. By the end, participants will be better prepared to guide families with confidence, compassion, and clarity.
Plenary: New Pathways to Supporting
Families -
Christina Romero, PATH & Jennifer Benham
Florida's Abuse Hotline was established to protect children by assessing reports of abuse, neglect, abandonment, and exploitation. This workshop begins with a look at the history and purpose of the hotline, examining statewide data and trends to better understand who is most impacted by reports and the opportunities to strengthen prevention efforts. While the hotline plays a critical role in child safety, many families come to the attention of the child welfare system because they are experiencing significant stress, hardship, or crisis and need support—not surveillance.
Participants will explore new pathways for strengthening families and identify opportunities to connect families with concrete supports before crises escalate, when it is safe and appropriate to do so. The session will examine how poverty, bias, and system culture can influence decision-making and provide practical strategies for responding to families with dignity, compassion, and partnership.
Grounded in parent voice and historical trends from Florida's Abuse Hotline, this workshop examines the unintended consequences of unnecessary hotline calls and engages participants in exploring practical strategies to better support families, reduce unnecessary system involvement, and build a culture where families receive the support they need while children remain safe.
Plenary: Behavior Is the Symptom: A Nervous System Approach to Preventing Escalation, Reducing Caregiver Stress, and Strengthening Families - Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge
What if one of the most powerful child abuse prevention strategies isn't another program, but a better understanding of the nervous system? In this inspiring keynote, Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge introduces the Regulation First® framework, showing how nervous system regulation strengthens protective factors, reduces caregiver stress, and builds the safe, connected relationships children need to thrive. Attendees will leave with practical, science-backed strategies they can immediately apply to strengthen families, support caregivers, and create more resilient children and communities.
Keynote: Stories, Screens and Synapses: How the Brain is 'Wired' for Reading and Empowering Families to Help Children Succeed - Dr. John Hutton, Co-Manatee-in-Chief, Blue Manatee Press
TBD
2:30 - 3:30 PM
3:30-4:45 PM
9:15 - 10:15 AM
Day 2
From Roadmap to Action: How Advocacy Bridges the Gap Between Systems - Debra Dhaity & Daniela Borroto, The Children's Movement of Florida
Florida’s Early Learning Roadmap outlines a shared vision for improving outcomes for young children and families across the state. While meaningful progress has been made, significant gaps remain that directly impact educators, programs, and the children they serve. This session will provide a clear, accessible update on Florida’s Early Learning Roadmap, including key accomplishments, current challenges, and recent legislative activity shaping the early learning landscape. Participants will also participate in the Brain Architecture game to understand the powerful role of experiences on early brain development and why advocating for the early years is important. Building on this foundation, the session will explore how continued progress depends on the voices and experiences of those working closest to children.
How Strategic Communications Inspires Prevention, Builds Trust and Moves People to Action - Lisa Garcia, Sachs Media
Discover how to transform difficult topics into compelling stories of hope that inspire action, build trust, and advance your mission. Through real-world case studies and practical exercises, you'll learn a communications framework you can immediately apply to your own prevention efforts.
Addressing Stigma as a Barrier to Prevention - BJ Develle, LCSW, Strength in You Counseling
This session invites professionals to rethink mental health stigma as a key barrier to child abuse prevention. Participants will learn practical, culturally responsive strategies that make conversations about stress and emotional health feel safer and more accessible for families. The training highlights how stigma shapes help‑seeking, how it connects to cultural norms and historical trauma, and why normalizing mental health as everyday wellness strengthens protective factors. Attendees will leave with simple, effective tools that reduce fear and judgment, build trust, and support early intervention and family stability
Teen Prevention Programming - Kerwyne LaRose & Shampa Davie, MA, LMHC, CCTP, C-DBT, IMPOWER
Supporting teens requires a community effort. This engaging and interactive session will explore the challenges young people face related to mental health and substance use while highlighting practical resources, prevention strategies, and ways to connect youth with support before concerns become crises.
Participants will learn to recognize early warning signs, understand common risk and protective factors, and discover resources available to youth and families. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences, and explore effective approaches for fostering resilience, encouraging healthy decision-making, and reducing stigma surrounding mental health and substance use.
Drowning Happens in the Blink of an Eye -
Arkeisha Reese from Team Kareem
Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children ages 1–4, claiming thousands of lives each year. Many of these tragedies are preventable through swim lessons, active supervision, life jackets, and CPR.
Arkeisha Reese is the founder and executive director of the Team Kareem Memorial Foundation, established in 2015 after the tragic drowning of her five-year-old son, Kareem Angel Green, during a field trip. Determined to ensure no other family experiences the same loss, she transformed her grief into a statewide mission to save lives through water safety education, swim lesson scholarships, CPR training, life jacket distributions, and community outreach.
Since its founding, Team Kareem Memorial Foundation has educated thousands of children, parents, and caregivers across Florida while expanding access to lifesaving resources in underserved communities. Arkeisha has become a nationally recognized advocate for drowning prevention, earning numerous awards and proclamations for her leadership and impact.
Beyond her work in water safety, Arkeisha mentors bereaved mothers and uses her personal story to inspire communities to take action. She is also advocating for stronger water safety legislation in Florida to better protect children during school and organizational water activities.
Her mission remains simple yet powerful: #NotOneMore—not one more child lost to drowning, not one more family devastated by a preventable tragedy, and not one more life without access to lifesaving water safety education.
Plenary: Struggle Well: Strengthening the Prevention Workforce from the Inside Out - Brandy Carlson-Moore, MSW
Prevention professionals spend their days helping families navigate stress, trauma, and crisis, but the work leaves a mark on the helpers, their teams, and the organizations that support them. This session moves beyond burnout and traditional self-care to explore how struggle can become a catalyst for growth. Grounded in the science of Posttraumatic Growth and the Struggle Well framework, participants will learn practical ways to process cumulative stress, reconnect with purpose, strengthen team connection, and create workplace conditions that support wellbeing and long-term workforce sustainability. Participants will leave with a clear framework and usable strategies for individuals, teams, supervisors, and organizations. Because inspired helpers, healthier workplaces, and more resilient organizations build stronger families.