Laughing, Loving, and Leading Your Kids

Saturday, March 15, 2025
8 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.

Clinton County RESA
1013 South U.S. 27, Suite A
St. Johns, MI 48879

What: This conference is for all parents and others who love and care for kids including: Foster Parents, Grandparents, Adoptive Parents, Childcare Professionals, Teachers and YOU. Participants will receive a certificate for 4.5 training hours.

NOTE: If you are a registered childcare provider and would like Continuing Education Unit training hours, you will receive MiRegistry instructions in the confirmation email after completing this registration process. MiRegistry registration will be a separate and ADDITIONAL step for child care providers. 

Accommodations for persons with disabilities may be requested by contacting at 989-224-5241 by March 1, 2025, to make arrangements. Requests received after this date will be fulfilled when possible.

SORRY, CHILDCARE IS NOT AVAILABLE.

Cost: $20 per person (includes lunch)

Conference at a Glance:
8 - 8:30 a.m.         Check-in
8:30 - 8:45 a.m.         Welcome and Overview of the Day
8:45 - 10:15 a.m.       Keynote: Autism 101
10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.    Breakout Sessions (choose one)
   A. Restorative Practices: Facilitating Healing & Building Resilience
   B. Stress Busters & the Social Emotional Megaphone
12 – 12:45 p.m.    Lunch Break
12:45 – 2:15 p.m.      Breakout Sessions (choose one)
   C. Pillars of Parent & Family Leadership
   D. Be Strong Families: Parent Café

Keynote: Staying Safe On-line 8:45 - 10:15 a.m. 
Speaker: Kierra Jones
Participants will gain a basic understanding of autism and its core characteristics, early signs and indicators and diagnostic process, as well as neurodiversity and best practices for supporting autistic individuals.

Breakout Sessions 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.   (Choose One):
A. Restorative Practices: Facilitate Healing & Build Resilience  
Speakers: Brooke Albert
Participants will learn about basic sensory processing and typical language development. Practical ideas and strategies for putting sensory strategies and language starters in place when a child is struggling during daily routines or not meeting language milestones.
B.  Stress Busters & the Social Emotional Megaphone
Speakers: Jody Nelson & Amanda Hardesty
This workshop highlights the need for youth to develop strong social and emotional skills.  Participants will have the opportunity to experience first-hand Stress Busters activities they can use with the youth in their care.

Breakout Sessions 12:45 - 2:15 p.m.   (Choose One):
C.  Pillars of Parent Family Leadership
Speaker: Brooke Albert & Sarah Zybert
During this session learn about working partnerships between families and providers/programs. Develop your own strategies for increasing partnerships and making sure families have choice and voice in decision-making, program design, and improvement.
D.  Parent Café (Be Strong Families)
Parent Café team from Caring & Sharing and CCRESA 
Join us for a shortened version of a Parent Café where parents and caregivers come together and talk about the challenges and victories of raising their family.  This includes conversations about what matters to our families, and how to build strong families based on the Protective Factors; parental resilience, social connection, knowledge of parenting & child development, concrete supports in times of need, and social & emotional competence of children.