Arkansas department of human services

The 2026 AHVN Annual Conference, themed "Hope in Every Home: Planting Seeds for Brighter Futures," supports home visiting professionals in Arkansas by providing training opportunities and equipping them with tools and insights to foster hope in families. It focuses on strengthening their impact within their organizations and the communities they support. The conference covers critical topics such as maternal and infant mental health, child development, parent-child interaction, healthy habits, and leadership development. It targets professionals from various evidence-based home visiting programs like Following Baby Back Home (FBBH), Healthy Families America (HFA), Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), Parents as Teachers (PAT), Early Head Start Home Visiting, Family Connects Union County, and SafeCare Arkansas. These programs aim to improve school readiness, increase positive health outcomes, and decrease child maltreatment for Arkansas families from pregnancy through kindergarten. The project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and funded by the Arkansas Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and Department of Education.