5th Annual AVANCE Two-Generation Learning Conference Returns to San Antonio August 19–21, 2026
Educators, parents, and community partners will gather for three days of connection, learning, and collaboration centered on supporting children and caregivers together.
SAN ANTONIO — AVANCE, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to walking alongside children and families and building thriving communities, will welcome more than 300 educators, parents, community partners, and early childhood leaders from across Texas to the fifth annual AVANCE Two-Generation Learning Conference, taking place Wednesday, August 19 through Friday, August 21, 2026, at The Westin San Antonio North.
Attendance is up 50% over last year, and this is the first year the conference has opened to parents and community partners alongside AVANCE staff.
The conference will explore how organizations and communities can support children and their caregivers together through parenting education, early childhood education, family engagement, leadership development, and connections to resources. Workshops, panel discussions, and hands-on sessions will provide attendees with practical strategies they can apply in their work with families and beyond.
“Parents, educators, and partners each bring valuable knowledge about what families need to thrive,” said Norma Vargas, AVANCE Director of the Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP). “Bringing those perspectives together allows us to connect, learn from one another, and return to our communities with new ideas we can put into practice.”
The conference comes shortly after the release of findings from a randomized controlled trial of AVANCE’s PCEP by Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The study found lasting benefits for parents and children who participated in the nine-month program. At the end of PCEP, children were approximately four to five months ahead of the comparison group in cognition, language and literacy, and motor development. Parents also showed gains in their knowledge, confidence, and daily engagement with their children’s learning. Dr. Flávio Cunha, a co-author of the study, is among this year’s presenters.
PCEP has been the heart of AVANCE’s two-generation approach for more than 50 years. The program engages caregivers and children simultaneously, pairing weekly parenting sessions with an early childhood classroom for their children. Parents also create developmentally appropriate toys that help turn everyday play into opportunities for learning.
That tradition will take center stage Thursday, August 20, when all conference attendees will build their own signature AVANCE toy together during lunch. A Toy Hall, open August 20 and 21, will feature handmade educational toys from across the program’s five-decade history.
Presenters include Kai-ama Hamer, Director of ParentCorps and Clinical Assistant Professor NYU Grossman School of Medicine; Dr. Flávio Cunha, Director of the Center for Economic Mobility at Rice University; Dr. Iliana Alanís, Professor of Early Childhood and Elementary Education at UTSA; and Maddie Glover, Director of Program Impact and Strategy at Any Baby Can. The full lineup is available at avance.org/2gen26.
The AVANCE Two-Generation Learning Conference begins Wednesday, August 19 with AVANCE Staff Training Day and new staff orientation. Programming for the full conference takes place Thursday and Friday and includes sessions on early childhood learning, family well-being, leadership, advocacy, and more.
Visit avance.org/2gen26 to learn more about the 2026 AVANCE Two-Generation Learning Conference, including the schedule and full lineup of expert speakers. The Rice research brief is available at avance.org/rct/.
The 2026 conference is made possible by Our Lady of the Lake University, Bank of America, Lakeshore Learning, HUB, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, Alamo Colleges District, Carmen and Manuel Berrelez, Allstate, Norman and Oliver, P.C. Real Estate and Business Law Firm, Port San Antonio, Milk Shake Factory, University Health, Ramon Worthington Law Firm, Lone Star National Bank, Palo Alto College, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.