AVANCE Houston Celebrates 
Its Fifth Parent Conference
2007
PARENTING TODAY'S CHILDREN

A wet, damp day didn't chill the spirits of our Head Start and Early Head Start parents for the grand opening ceremony of the Fifth Annual Parent Conference on February 24 at the Sheraton Brook Hollow Hotel. 

The two-day, in-depth conference "Parenting Today's Children" benefited parents offering them an opportunity to explore important trends and new approaches in the field of education, early childcare and parenting. In addition, participants network with distinguished members of the Head Start community, Houston Independent School District and experts in the field of early childhood education.

The event included almost 30 inspiring, parent-driven educational sessions organized in different tracks both in English and Spanish. Some of the sessions included Play for Healthy Development, Parenting from a Distance, Preventing Family Violence, Adolescent Development, Obesity Prevention Program, Loving Discipline for Children, Peer Pressure, etc. In addition, AVANCE and The Houston Healthy Marriage Coalition sponsored a Hispanic Healthy Marriage Track and an African-American Healthy Marriage Track focused to promote healthy relationships among couples

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The exhibit hall opened doors on Saturday at 9:00 AM. Parents gathered to network and trained by representatives from various agencies, which included Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Police Department, Texas Department of Health and Human Services, Collaborative for Children, MHMRA and CHIPS. 

On Sunday, the closing general session highlights included keynote speaker Bill Medina from Harris County Department of Education, volunteer awards, ceremony festivities and some parents danced away the afternoon to the music and dance performed by the Houston Salsa Dancers.

Professional Ballroom Dancers Performed Beautifully
for the Enjoyment of our Parents and Guests

The Exhibit Hall
AVANCE Family and Education Programs

Among our Distinguished Guests we welcomed Mrs. Mercedes Pérez de Colón (right), from AVANCE National Office in San Antonio, here posing with Carla Bianchi, Healthy Marriages Program Coordinator

AVANCE would like to give special thanks to its staff for their hard work and dedication to the success of this event.

Whether you are an old friend or a new acquaintance, we look forward to your participation in this wonderful event next year!

For more information on this event as well as future parent conferences, please contact Ms. Nilia Jimenez, Senior Director of External Affairs at 713 812-0033 x 177