Haven’t attended the Families Learning Conference? Here’s what you can expect.

We’re six weeks away from #NCFL2017 and our team is putting the finishing touches on conference details. Check out our new video to show what the Families Learning Conference is all about, in under a minute:

Whether you’re new to the conference or are a steadfast attendee, the following news and updates will help ensure you have an awesome #NCFL2017 experience:

NCFL ImageThe Families Learning Conference app makes planning your day a breeze. The app will be available for Android and iOS phones and will contain the full conference schedule. Plus, you’ll have the option to bookmark sessions and build your own schedule. Using the app is especially useful for receiving those all-important notifications of changes, saving you time and effort. Attendees will receive download instructions by email in the weeks leading up to conference.

Speaking of sessions…With over 100 concurrent sessions offered over 3 days, you will want to plan ahead for your conference experience! Here are some highlights to consider:

Explore the resources and cutting edge strategies that NCFL offers during NCFL Resources 101. Ascend at the Aspen Institute’s 2Gen in the Copper State will cover how community-based two-generation efforts have significant potential to influence state policy and family outcomes.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Family Ambassador, Frances Frost, will help attendees generate ideas and strategies for bolstering family engagement. Staff from the Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy will explore using data to inform strategy and how universities can connect with family literacy programs.

Toyota’s Eric Polite II will introduce the concept of unconscious bias—the mental shortcuts our brains take to help us make decisions quickly.

Kaye Sharbono, president of COABE, and Sharon Bonney, executive director of COABE, will share the Educate and Elevate Public Awareness Campaign for adult education. GED Testing Service’s® Daphne Atkinson will present Higher-Order Thinking Skills for the 21st Century.

Hear from 9-year-old Olivia Van Ledtje (@thelivbits), the Families Learning Conference’s youngest presenter, on Digital Identity: Books, Bytes, Swipes, and Likes. Wonderopolis Lead Ambassadors will share strategies to encourage wonder and inquiry during On the Wonder Pathway…

Check out the conference’s Spanish-only session, Tú puedes ser un líder. íDescúbrelo!, on helping parents develop leadership skills. Hear from NCFL’s Kim Jacobs on a curriculum for American Indian preschoolers.

When you aren’t engrossed in concurrent sessions, you’ll probably be thinking of food! Meals are a cinch with reasonably priced “grab and go” options for breakfast and lunch at the hotel. Dinner is on us Monday evening at the Toyota-NCFL Banquet Celebration with keynote speaker Magic Johnson. On Tuesday evening we’ll bring affordable local food trucks to the resort while putting on an exclusive viewing of Screenagers. Wednesday’s Closing Brunch, included in your registration fee, will help you fill up the tank before heading back home.

JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and SpaWe’ve planned an action-packed 3 days for attendees, but why not relax and reflect a bit? The JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa is loaded with re-energizing activities such as the Starr Canyon Lazy River, Monsoon Falls Waterslide, hiking trails, and the Hashani Spa.

If you haven’t registered for the Families Learning Conference, do so today! While you’re at it, visit https://aws.passkey.com/go/NCFL2017 to make your hotel reservation with a special discounted rate of $194.00/night plus $1 resort fee/night. (The resort fee is normally $29.) Our hotel room block for attendees will be held until Friday, September 15.