Mississippi KIDS COUNT 3rd Annual Summit

Working Together for Healthy Children, Healthy Futures

We are pleased to announce the third annual Mississippi KIDS COUNT Summit: Working Together for Healthy Children, Healthy Futures. 

The overall purpose of Mississippi KIDS COUNT is to provide accurate and non-partisan data, statistics, evidence-based practices and original research about the health, education, safety and economic well-being of Mississippi's children to policymakers, educators, health providers, program administrators, parents, economic developers, community and state-wide foundations, caregivers, advocates, and the general public. In doing so, MS KIDS COUNT aims to support decision-makers in determining best practices and return on investment strategies on behalf of Mississippi's children. MS KIDS COUNT is funded, in part, by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Goals for the Summit:

• Share the realities (successes and challenges) about a variety of children's health issues in     Mississippi
• Educate participants on successful strategies used by various communities within Mississippi and other states to improve specific child health indicators
• Demonstrate the use of interactive (user friendly) data from the Annie E. Casey's National On-Line Data Center to assist participants in the use of data in both proposal and report writing
• Create state-wide and community-level networking opportunities among participants on common areas of interest and/or expertise 

Why this is important:

• There is no commission, no "think tank" working on behalf of children within Mississippi that is charged to address solutions in any holistic approach.
• The Mississippi KIDS COUNT Summit strives to be the research and development clearinghouse for information on the best practices on issues pertaining to the health, education, safety and economic well-being of Mississippi's children.  

The keynote speaker this year will be Dr. Joe Thompson, Surgeon General for the State of Arkansas and Director of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's National Center on Childhood Obesity. There will be four breakout workshop sessions and each of them will spotlight both state-wide initiatives and how communities are making differences to improve health outcomes for Mississippi's children. 

Breakout workshop sessions for the 3rd Annual Summit are as follows:

• Birth Outcomes/Infant Mortality and Teenage Pregnancy: Strategies for Change
• Childhood Obesity: Community and State-wide Success Strategies
• Oral Health: Successes and Challenges
• Mental Health: Assisting Children and their Families 

CEU Information: We are in the process of applying for CEUs for the following professional groups:

• Child Care Providers
• Nurses
• Nutritionists and Registered Dieticians
• Social Workers 
   

One copy of the Mississippi KIDS COUNT 2009 Data Book is included with the cost of the ticket, as well as a continental breakfast and networking lunch. The Summit is being held at the Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson, Mississippi. Free parking is available at the Church parking lot.
 

Driving Directions from I-55:

Driving South: From I-55, take Exit 102 (Adkins Blvd/Beasley Rd). Turn left from the frontage road onto Adkins Boulevard. Travel approximately 1.5 miles. Turn left onto Old Canton Road. Travel approximately 0.1 mile. Turn right into the Church parking lot. 

Driving North: From I-55, take Exit 102B (Adkins Blvd/Beasley Rd). Turn right from the frontage road onto Adkins Boulevard. Travel approximately 1.5 miles. Turn left onto Old Canton Road. Travel approximately 0.1 mile. Turn right into the Church parking lot.

To learn more about Mississippi KIDS COUNT, please visit our website here.