An expert storyteller and a leading brain scientist will headline the 2016 Partners in Prevention conference in Austin, September 28-30. As opening and closing keynote speakers, Andy Goodman and Dr. Judy Cameron will bookend nearly 50 breakout sessions, a film screening, an exhibitor gallery and more.

Registration is now open for the largest gathering of prevention and early intervention specialists and aligned professionals in Texas. Now in its 16th year, PIP is an education and networking event for community-based providers, advocates, civic leaders, researchers and professionals with an interest in child welfare, social, emotional and cognitive development, parenting, juvenile justice and prosocial adolescent development.

Pick and choose sessions from the following tracks, and take advantage of numerous opportunities to earn continuing education units.

• Community Collaboration
• Early Childhood
• Family Engagement
• Policy and Evaluation
• Professional Development
• Targeted Populations
• Youth
• Health

Act now to have first pick at the sessions you most want to attend, and take advantage of early bird pricing, which ends September 4. PEI contractors, which now include Texas Home Visiting, have been issued four free registrations per contract. Contractors should contact their PEI contract manager/project manager if they have questions about how to use their discount codes.

Follow us on Twitter @TexasDFPS for exclusive conference updates. Use our conference hashtag #PIPcon2016 to stay connected and share your thoughts. Stay tuned for more information about when and how to download our new conference app for iPhones and Android devices.

As part of its Safe Riders program, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) offers vital training on how to correctly install and use child car seats and provides free car seats to those who qualify. Frank Luera, who oversees the Safe Riders Traffic Safety Program says, "four out of five seats are installed incorrectly."

Texas Home Visiting providers may qualify to join the nearly 100 community groups acting as distribution and education sites. To learn more about becoming a participating site, visit the Safe Riders website.

Safe Riders—a partnership between DSHS and the Texas Department of Transportation—distributes approximately 8,000 car seats per year.

Texas Home Visiting’s tagline “Good People, Great Parents” points to the focus of the program, which is supporting parents in their roles as moms and dads. Child advocacy organization,  Zero to Three, recently completed a national survey that showed parents are only vaguely aware of what their child experiences in the first year of life. Although research shows that the quality of caregiving has a long-term impact on the child from birth, when asked at what age parents begin to have an impact on their child, half of parents surveyed said "six months or older." Zero to Three calls this misalignment of knowledge and expectations the “missing” first year.

THV sites can utilize the results of this survey to educate parents about what children are taking in during their first year of life and what they are learning through daily interactions with caregivers.