ATTENTION:  All summit participants must first register to attend the Iowa BEST Summit at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-iowa-best-summit-tickets-665657949847

This registration is for those who would like to earn educator licensure renewal credit for attending the summit and completing the online course discussions and surveys.

Join us in Des Moines, Iowa 

October 5 -6, 2022

Iowa Events Center (730 3rd Street Des Moines, IA 50309) 

Creating a culture of caring for Iowa’s educators, students, classrooms, school communities, and families

Join more than 1,600 other education professionals, school mental health champions, and researchers from across the state for the 2023 Iowa BEST (Behavioral, Equitable, Social-Emotional, Trauma-Informed Health in Schools) Summit. This year’s theme is “Creating a Culture of Caring.”

The Summit is your destination for practical solutions around school-based social-emotional-behavioral health.

Come together to bolster mental health supports across our educational system, apply the latest research to address mental health holistically, develop innovative strategies to embed student and educator wellness into the learning environment, and strengthen system capacity for care.

This event is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Center for School Mental Health.

Who should attend? 

• PreK-12 teachers, school counselors, administrators, paraeducators, and school mental health providers
• School district staff and leadership 
• Building leadership teams
• AEA personnel supporting social-emotional-behavioral health and accelerating learning
• AEA personnel supporting specific subgroups (e.g., special education, preschool, English learners)
• Community partners including mental health providers, primary care physicians, Children’s Behavioral Health System Board members, and state medical association members
• University and college staff and faculty
• Policymakers

Why should you attend? 

• Take in the latest research, resources, and best practices to help activate and build mental wellness supports and capacity for your school, district, or region 
• Engage in deeper learning and knowledge sharing that lead to innovative solutions 
• Meet other colleagues and change-makers in the space
• Be a champion for school mental health systems change in your own school or community
• Learn and obtain CEUs (Participants can receive one Iowa Licensure Renewal Unit for attending the Summit and completing all readings and discussions)

Course Requirements: Attend both days of the summit and engage with the learning materials (complete readings and discussions) via the online course platform through the Iowa Center for School Mental Health and the Baker Teacher Leader Center. You will need to attend a presentation or workshop for each session of the Summit. Along with each session, you will be asked to share what you learned and how you will apply this learning to your practice. There will also be 2-3 brief surveys related to the quality of the education you receive.

Course Materials: All course material will be provided via the online course platform you will access after you register for the conference and the course. You will receive an email (sent to the address you used to register for the credit) inviting you to the online course platform.

If you have questions about registration, please contact the Associate Director for the Iowa Center for School Mental Health and the Baker Teacher Leader Center, Mariana Colombo, mariana-colombo@uiowa.edu.