2026 GBGF Call for Proposals

The conference committee at MT DPHHS invites interested parties to submit a presentation proposal for breakout sessions for the 12th Annual Great Beginnings Great Families Conference.  The conference will be held on August 11-13, 2026. Presentation proposals are due by Thursday, May 21st, 2026, and are selected based on topic relevance and committee approval. An email to notify you of proposal acceptance will be sent by Friday, June 5th.

PURPOSE OF THE CONFERENCE
To improve family and health outcomes by increasing the efficacy of parenting, early childhood, and youth programs and professionals in Montana.  This year’s theme is Nourishing body and mind.

CONFERENCE GOALS
Connect programs, providers, partners, and families in early childhood and maternal, child and adolescent health (MCAH) systems ● Promote sustainability of MCAH and early childhood programming ● Provide quality professional development to MCAH and early childhood workforce ● Enhance and promote strengths-based services for families ● Improve the social, emotional, mental, nutritional, economic, and cultural health of Montana’s families ● Promote preventative and comprehensive care and programming  ● Support families to achieve personal and family goals through increased knowledge and skills.

SESSION TRACKS MAY INCLUDE

· Family Wellness and Support – ACEs and resiliency; challenging behaviors; connecting families to resources; cultural competency and humility; engaging and supporting fathers; family engagement; infant/early childhood mental health; mental health and wellness; preventive healthcare; safe sleep; developmental screening in early childhood; substance use/abuse; transitions in the early childhood years and later; trauma informed care, referral supports; family financial literacy

· Healthy Children and Youth – consent; contraceptive use; delaying sexual activity; emotional intelligence; healthy dating and friendships; human trafficking; physical activity; positive social-emotional skills and development; preventing bullying; screen time; STDs; resources for parenting youth (under 21 years old); Part C Early Intervention; resources for families, screening and well child visits, medical and dental home, resiliency, health equity; suicide prevention; balanced nutrition and meals for young children; basic nutrition for lifecycle(pregnancy, post-partum/breastfeeding, infant and toddler); breastfeeding and inequity; breastfeeding support; childhood obesity; feeding children in group settings; food insecurity; Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) update; gut microbiome; hot topics in nutrition (i.e. fad diets vs. evidence-based nutrition guidelines); infant/toddler to school-age nutrition; general nutrition feeding challenges (i.e. picky eating, division of responsibility); parenting styles and effect on nutrition intake in young children; the science of behavior change; Child and Adult Care Food Program ; financial planning for nutrition including accessing resources

· Policy, Advocacy, and Data - customer service; meeting the unique needs of Montanans; effective communication; enhancing community relationships and referrals; leadership styles; presentations of projects; program collaboration & coordination; reflective practice and supervision; financial systems, budget management; build and sustain internal data capacity; continuous quality improvement; data sharing standards; ethics and data; data visualization; needs assessment(s); implementation science (way of evaluating and assessing your model and fidelity/replication); population health needs assessment and surveillance; program and intervention evaluation; program performance measurement; topical overviews of specific subject areas, data review and use, provider family survey development  

PRESENTATION FORMATS
Presentation proposals must indicate the format of the presentation. Specifically, if the proposal is for a panel, sole presenter, or group presenters.

CONFERENCE AUDIENCE MAY INCLUDE
Parent Educators ● Family Support Specialists ● Parent Liaisons ● Parent Advocates ● Home Visitors ● Public Health Nurses ● Registered Dietitians ● Early Care and Education Providers● Health Educators ● Head Start Program Staff ● Social Workers and Professional Counselors ● WIC management, clinical and/or support staff ● Health Care Providers (MD, PA, NP, IBCLC, RN, LPN) ● Community Health Workers ● Students ● Other service providers working with families, young children or women of reproductive age ● Parents and families

MATERIALS
All presenters will be listed on the GBGF website with a headshot, biography, and short description of the session. Topic-driven or informational materials/handouts can also be added to accompany the presentation. NO selling/solicitation of products or services is allowed. However, you may request attendees to sign up or provide an email for additional information. Materials & questions may be sent directly to pete.lovette@umontana.edu

TECHNOLOGY
The conference coordinator will be available to assist with conference logistics.

SPEAKER FEES
If your agency/organization collects a speaker fee, please indicate this on the proposal form.