The Alabama Project LAUNCH Early Childhood Summit will be held on May 3-4 at the Bryant Conference Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Summit will focus on strengthening adult capacities to ensure children’s optimal development and is open to all early childhood professionals, mental health practitioners, physicians, educators, home visitors, or any other professionals across the state working directly with children birth to eight years old.

Project LAUNCH, which stands for Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health, promotes the wellness of young children from birth to eight years by addressing the physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of their development. The Alabama Partnership for Children partners with the Alabama Department of Mental Health, the Alabama Department of Public Health, and Child Development Resources of The University of Alabama for Project LAUNCH’s local implementation in Tuscaloosa.

The May 4th Project LAUNCH Summit includes keynote addresses from David Willis, M.D., FAAP, the director of the Division of Home Visiting and Early Childhood Systems Maternal and Child Heath Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Nancy Fishman, the deputy director of the Ready Nation/Council for a Strong America, and Jessica Richards, MS, MSW, LCSW, a licensed psychotherapist specializing in early childhood mental health.

Registration is available online at http://training.ua.edu/launch. Registration costs $30 for the Professional Development Institute, $35 for the Project LAUNCH Summit, and $60 for both days. CEU certificates are also available.

For more information about Alabama Project LAUNCH at the state level, please contact Marguerite Johnson by calling toll-free 1-866-711-4025 or by emailing mjohnson@smartstartalabama.org. For information about Alabama Project LAUNCH in Tuscaloosa, please contact Amy Crosby by calling 205-348-4036 or by emailing acrosby@ches.ua.edu.