AVANCE-Houston’s Parent Summit 2024 was full of interactive, engaging activities

The ninth edition of the Parent Summit was just as enjoyable and informative as in previous years. The Come Play with Me summit had 98 participants and included three interactive sessions where parents and children could participate in fun activities.

• The first session, Come and Make Music with Me, taught parents how to build on children’s instincts while discovering how music impacts their child’s development.
• The second session, Come Read with Me, taught parents how to support their children in early literacy development.
• The third session, Come Relax with Me, taught parents how breathing techniques, mindful physical play activities, and yoga-inspired stretches direct positive energy into their children by helping them calm their minds and bodies.

Parents received instrumental resources after each session to continue practicing with their children while making lasting connections.

Special thanks to our community partners: Dyani Banda, Healthy Minds, Healthy Communities, and The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD; Robin Charles, from the Bureau of Community & Children’s Environmental Health & Houston Health Department; Alanis Olivarez with DePelchin Children’s Center, and Yvone Leal, a realtor for providing many free resources to the families who attended the summit.

This year’s parent summit was organized by Julia Wesley Douch, Manager of Training and Technical Assistance, with the support of other agency departments, who ensured that every family left the summit with helpful resources.