Please join us for a virtual event to learn about successful, collaborative initiatives that help give children the best start possible. This event aims to spark a collective, statewide effort to ensure that every Minnesota child has a healthy start and bright future.

Register Now! 

Event Schedule

• 7:30 - 8 a.m. Registration 
• 8 - 9:30 a.m. Program

Keynote Speaker: Sondra Samuels, MBA, President & CEO of the Northside Achievement Zone

This year’s virtual event will focus on the two pandemics facing our communities: The COVID-19 virus and racism facing people of color, both of which can impact mental and physical health for all involved. These challenges are affecting many of the families we serve, and we will bring influencers together to discuss how we can support our communities.

We’ll hear from champions of early brain development, like keynote speaker Sondra Samuels, President & CEO of the Northside Achievement Zone and Board Member of HealthPartners, who will be discussing the intersection of race, equity and early brain development. Sondra will discuss the impact of the racialized trauma on our youngest Minnesotans caused by COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd, and why adaptive leadership is needed more than ever to support young families.

Angela Davis of Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) News will also moderate a panel discussion with parents and caregivers - expanding on Sondra Samuels’ keynote presentation. Child health and development experts, as well as a North Minneapolis parent, will talk about how to protect kids’ and families’ mental and physical health as we take on these challenges. 

 Panelists:

• Dianne Haulcy, Senior Vice President of Family Engagement, Think Small
• Dr. Krishnan Subramanian, MD, Pediatrics, Hennepin Health and Pediatric Consultant, Redleaf Center for Family Healing
  
• Wilbert Bettie, Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) Parent    

We encourage you to invite others to attend this event. Please feel free to share this registration page with your contacts.