SAVE THE DATE! Please join the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi on February 13, 2025, for our 4th annual Summit, “Heart to Hearts: Conversations on the Changing Landscape of Childhood.” The event will be held at the Thad Cochran Center at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.

REGISTRATION OPENS SEPTEMBER 16, 2024!

We are thrilled to announce that our Keynote Speaker for the 2025 Summit will be Michael Rich, MD, MPH. Dr. Rich is recognized globally for his acclaimed work as a pediatrician, child health researcher, and children’s media specialist. He is the author of The Mediatrician's Guide: A Joyful Approach to Raising Healthy, Smart, Kind Kids in a Screen-Saturated World. Furthermore, Dr. Rich is also the Founder & Director of the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital, the Co-Director & Co-Founder of the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders (CIMAID), a Pediatrician of Adolescent Medicine at the Boston Children’s Hospital, and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Adolescent Medicine Division at the Harvard Medical School. Through his work, he uses a multidisciplinary approach to work with young people and their families on sustainable approaches to engaging with interactive media and technology. Dr. Rich's expertise will provide a road map for raising healthy children in the digital age.

Additional Summit programming will include:

• The release of the 2025 Mississippi KIDS COUNT Factbook and associated materials
• ·Workshop-style breakout sessions:
  • Healing Hearts: How to Talk About the Hard Things
  • United Hearts: Community Resources and Partnerships for Children’s Mental Health
  • Hearts of Resilience: Nurturing Coping Skills in the Next Generation
  • Tender Hearts: Navigating Infant Development and Emotional Health
• Keynote-response panel made up of experts and agency heads

The “Early Bird” Registration fee is $75. Beginning November 1, 2024, the registration fee will increase to $85. Registration will close on January 15, 2025. 

Students may register for $40. Student tickets are limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

We are in the process of applying for social work and early child care contact/continuing education hours. 

Registration begins at 8 AM, and the program will tentatively start at 9 AM.