Register is Open: State of the South™ Returns This October in Atlanta

October 27–29, 2026 | Atlanta, Georgia
Pittsburgh Yards & Martin Luther King Sr. Community Resources Complex

A conversation about child and family well-being is a conversation about the future we all share.

This October, community leaders, advocates, faith leaders, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, philanthropic partners, and people with expertise from across the South will gather in Atlanta for State of the South™: Child and Family Well-Being, a regional convening focused on strengthening families, advancing community-led solutions, and reimagining what it means for children and families to thrive.

Hosted by MDC and Casey Family Programs, in partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, this three-day gathering will create space for meaningful conversations, new connections, and shared learning rooted in the belief that every child, every family, and every community deserves the opportunity to flourish.

What if child and family well-being wasn’t the responsibility of a single system, but a shared responsibility of all of us?

Together, we’ll explore how history, policy, community, and experience shape opportunities for children and families across the South, particularly Black and Brown families and families experiencing economic insecurity.

This convening will center the voices, leadership, and solutions of those closest to the challenges while creating space to imagine what’s possible when communities, institutions, and systems work together. We’ll explore how to move beyond seeing child and family well-being as the responsibility of a single system and embrace it as a shared community commitment, one rooted in connection, trust, and the strengths that already exist within Southern communities.

Participants will have opportunities to:

• Deepen understanding of child and family well-being through conversations about history, policy, community, and experience.
• Learn from community leaders and people whose experiences and ideas are helping shape a stronger future for Southern families.
• Build relationships across sectors and states to strengthen collaboration and shared learning.
• Explore strategies for narrative, policy, and systems change that advance equitable outcomes for children and families.
• Leave with new connections, fresh ideas, and renewed momentum to help create a South where every child and family can thrive.

We’re honored to welcome participants to two historic Atlanta community spaces, Pittsburgh Yards and the Martin Luther King Sr. Community Resources Complex, for conversations rooted in the history, resilience, and future of the South.

State of the South™: Child and Family Well-Being

October 27–29, 2026
Atlanta, Georgia

Registration Is Open! Learn additional details about speakers, sessions, hotel accommodations, and the full agenda on our registration page.

Whether you’re working in your neighborhood, your organization, your congregation, or your community, you have a role to play in building a South where children and families thrive.

We hope you’ll join us in Atlanta this October.