This October 25-27, the Families Learning Conference is back and heading to the Lone Star State! We invite you to join our convening in Dallas to discover innovative strategies, evidence-based best practices, and resources to help families succeed in accomplishing their educational and economic goals.

Attendees at a presentation at the 2019 Families Learning Conference
Attendees at a presentation at the 2019 Families Learning Conference

You may be ready to join us, but how do you help your manager get on board with you attending? Here are some tips to help you make your case:

DO SOME PREPWORK

What are the greatest needs of your organization? Review our schedule and select the specific sessions offered at the Conference that will help you address those needs. Over 80 sessions will be available to choose from in six content strands including Adult Education, Early Childhood Education, Family and Community Leadership, Library, K-12 Education, and Research and Policy. A wide variety of topics will be covered, including family math, virtual learning, and equity and inclusion. 

CREATE A BUDGET OF ESTIMATED COSTS

In your request, include a budget of the estimated costs of registration, travel, lodging, and meals:

  • Registration for three days: $595
  • Airfare round-trip from [your location]
  • Hotel accommodations at Renaissance Dallas Addison: $190/nt plus 13% tax 
  • Ground transportation (from your home to your airport and from the airport to our hotel)
  • Meal per diem for Dallas: estimated at $50/day or less; included in the registration fee are coffee each morning, lunch Monday and Tuesday, appetizers Monday evening, and dinner Tuesday evening

MAKE A PLAN FOR WHILE YOU’RE AWAY

While it may be tempting work remotely while attending Conference presentations, it can be difficult to maximize your in-person experience at the same time as juggling regular responsibilities. As best you can, lay out your plan for what tasks can be accomplished ahead of time, what you can delegate temporarily to other staff while you’re away, and the times you’ll be able to answer emails onsite at the Conference.

Don’t have time to write all of this out? Good news! To save you time, we’ve packaged all of this up in a downloadable template! Click here to download and customize the template, making sure to edit the highlighted portions of text. Good luck making your case to join your peers at the 2021 Families Learning Conference!