Wanted: Moms Who Make a Difference

WANTED: 51 MORE MOMS WHO HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR CHILDREN’S SCHOOLS

Parenting magazine launches third annual search for one outstanding parent advocate from every state to attend the Mom Congress on Education and Learning® conference in Washington, D.C., April 29-May 1, 2012

Enter by clicking here, through Feb. 15.

Winners will receive roundtrip transportation to and hotel accommodations in nation’s capital for the three-day event

Have you devoted countless hours of your time at school board meetings, or talking with teachers and other school officials to help make your school as good as it can be?  Do you know a mom who has fought tirelessly to protect your school from budget cuts?  Or a parent who stood up to school policy when it didn’t make sense for families?  

Celebrate the achievements of parents who have made a difference in their schools by nominating them to represent your state at Parenting magazine’s third annual Mom Congress on Education and Learning conference in Washington, D.C.  Parenting will select one parent from every state and the District of Columbia to attend the conference April 29-May 1.

Participants will receive round-trip airfare, a two-night hotel stay, and the opportunity to connect with national leaders in education, Parenting editors, and past Mom Congress delegates from across the country to share success stories, challenges, and concerns as they work to improve our nation’s schools.

The theme of the 2012 conference, “Teach Me Something New,” is dedicated to fostering the crucially important relationship between parents and their children’s teachers.  As in each of the previous two conferences, the 2012 delegates will participate in a town hall-style discussion focused on parental engagement in education with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. 

Last year, delegates had the opportunity to hear from speakers including celebrity chef and school nutrition advocate Jamie Oliver and leaders from over 40 prominent education and children’s advocacy organizations including Save the Children, First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, StudentsFirst.org, Reach Out and Read, National PTA, National Education Association, National Head Start Association, PBS, Jumpstart, and NBC Learn.

Empowered and inspired by attending the conference, past Mom Congress delegates have returned to their states to create significant change in their school systems, affecting the lives of thousands of children nationwide. In 2010, delegates worked with Parenting editors at the conference to create the “Lesson Plan for Change”, a blueprint to empower parents to get more involved in their children’s education that appeared in Parenting School Years magazine and the bestselling companion guide to the documentary Waiting for Superman.  

The 2011 class of Mom Congress delegates’ accomplishments include the creation of a nationwide book drive in support of early literacy, Books Make it Better; recognition through The White House “Champions for Change” program; the improvement of several school lunch programs across the country; and the development of new educational resources and programs in nearly every state, from early science education workshops in Florida to a new parental advocacy program, Camp Educate, in California. 

Faculty members from Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies—the Mom Congress educational provider—will lead informative sessions at the conference this year, offering advocacy training workshops to help delegates take what they’ve learned and put it to work in their own communities. 

Driven by the ever-increasing role that parents play in advocating for positive change in the education system, Parenting magazine launched the Mom Congress initiative in 2009 to celebrate and connect parents working to improve our nation’s schools.  Each month, Parenting and Parenting.com give readers and the 25,000+ Mom Congress members updated educational news and resources to help them make a difference and bring about positive changes for students.

Meet the 2011 Mom Congress delegates:

http://www.parenting.com/blogs/mom-congress/kathryn-young-thompson/meet-2011-mom-congress-delegates

Meet the 2010 Mom Congress delegates:

http://www.parenting.com/gallery/Mom/Meet-the-51-Mom-Congress-Delegates

Meet the Mom Congress Advisory Board:

http://www.parenting.com/mom-congress-advisory-board-members

For information on how to apply, visit Parenting.com/MomCongress for the official contest rules.  The deadline for applications is February 15, 2012.

Visit Mom Congress on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MomCongress.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Catherine McManus

catherine.mcmanus@bonniercorp.com

T: 212.779.5315

Victoria Livadas

victoria.livadas@bonniercorp.com

T: 212.779.5312

Stephanie Hipp

stephanie.hipp@bonniercorp.com

T: 212.779.5320

About The Parenting Group

The Parenting Group, home of the Parenting, Babytalk and Conceive brands, reaches moms over 15 million times every month through magazines, digital media, custom content, and events. TPG’s publications include: Parenting School Years, for moms with children in kindergarten through elementary school; Parenting Early Years, for moms of infants, toddlers and preschoolers; and Babytalk, for new moms and moms-to-be. TPG’s other media properties include: Conceive, for women trying to get pregnant, the Babytalk Pregnancy Planner; the Parenting.com and ConceiveOnline.com web sites; MomConnection®, a nationally-representative online research network; and a custom content unit. The Parenting Group is a division of Bonnier Corporation.