Wisconsin Family Connections Center

Parent/Caregiver Coffee Meet-up at The Gingerbread House: Muskego
2025-11-18 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | The Gingerbread House, S63W16147 College Ave., Muskego, WI, 53150
Foster, adoptive, guardianship, kinship, and reunified caregivers, join us to connect, learn, and share! Join the Wisconsin Family Connections Center for this opportunity to meet with other caregivers and make connections! We will meet at The Gingerbread House in Muskego, WI. Each registrant will receive a food or drink purchase of up to $15.
You can view their menu here: https://gingerbreadfarmhouse.com/
Registration is required for this event. Contact Jamie at jsocolick@cclse.org with any questions. Please note: This is an adult-only event, and no childcare will be available on site. Please make arrangements accordingly. A $25 childcare reimbursement, per family, is available for folks who must secure childcare in order to attend, if not already covered by another funding source.
Cancellations for events must be made at least 72 hours in advance. If 3 or more late cancellations or no-shows occur within a six-month period, the household’s event registrations in the following six months will default to a waitlist.
This event is limited to Wisconsin residents impacted by adoption or out-of-home care and their immediate household.

Family Play " Flat Stanley Jr." at Racine Children's Theater: Racine
2025-11-16 12:00 - 14:00 | Racine Children’s Theater, 2519 Northwestern Ave, Racine, WI, 53404
Adoptive, foster, guardianship, kinship, and reunified families: join the WiFCC at The Racine Children’s Theatre for “The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley Jr.” at 12:00 pm! The show will last approximately 1 hour, and each family can register for up to 5 tickets (for adults and children four and older).
Based on the best-selling book series, Stanley folds his way around the world with his flat-tastic hijinks. Stanley Lambchop is your ordinary, everyday ten-year-old until the bulletin board on the wall above his bed comes loose and falls right on top of him. The next morning, Stanley wakes up flat. In a whirlwind musical travelogue, Stanley—the ultimate exchange student—scours the globe for a solution to his unusual problem. He’s stamped, posted, and cancelled from Hollywood and France to Honolulu and beyond, all in an effort to become a three-dimensional boy once more.
The Packy Play Experience
At the performances, Packy, our friendly elephant mascot, welcomes the audience and introduces the show. The plays are family-friendly, fun-filled, with action, humor, audience participation, imaginative storylines, and catchy tunes to keep kids interested and involved.
Packy’s Theatre Rules
Plays are appropriate for children ages four and older. Children younger than 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Please do not bring babies.
No eating or drinking allowed in the theater. Concession sold at the performance should be consumed in the lobby.
The taking of pictures and the use of recording devices are prohibited during the performance.
Children with distracting behaviors will be asked to leave the auditorium.
Additional information can be found on their website at: https://racinetheatre.org/
For any questions or accommodations, please reach out to Christy at ctimm@cclse.org.
Cancellations for events must be made at least 72 hours in advance. If 3 or more late cancellations or no-shows occur within a six-month period, the household’s event registrations in the following six months will default to a waitlist.
This event is limited to Wisconsin residents impacted by adoption or out-of-home care and their immediate household.

3rd Annual Rock County Foster Care Conference
2025-11-15 08:30 - 16:30 | Dr. Daniel Hale Williams Rock County Resource Center, 1717 Center Avenue, Janesville, WI, 53546
The Third Annual Rock County Foster Parent conference will be a day that promises to be both informative and engaging for all attendees!
Our day will kick off at 8:30 a.m. with check-in and morning refreshments. The Welcome and Opening Remarks will be given by Shelbey Shelton, CPS Lead Supervisor. There will be a conference icebreaker for all attendees. We are pleased to welcome Emi Nietfeld as our morning keynote speaker. Emi is a Harvard graduate, software engineer, journalist, public speaker, and award-winning author! Her memoir, Acceptance, tells her personal journey of her time in foster care and periods of homelessness. She will speak on the true meaning of Resilience.
There will be opportunities for small breakout sessions during the day; covering topics such as internet safety, first aid/cpr, managing risky behaviors, LGBTQIA+, and stress management. Attendees will be able to rank their preferred breakout sessions.
Lunch will be catered by Hacienda Real of Janesville!
Our closing keynote will be given by Patricia Carroll, UW Extension, Associate Professor in the Department of Family Development. She specializes in Human Development and Relationships. Professor Carroll will speak on The Importance of Parental Confidence.
Please see the Conference booklet for more information about the speakers and their presentations.
The conference is a great opportunity to obtain 8 hours of ongoing foster parent training credit, network with other foster parents, and gain insights from experts in the field!
Please see the PDF booklet of available break-out sessions, information about the presenters, and the detailed schedule.

Healing Centered Families Wisconsin 2025 Conference
2025-11-15 08:00 - 17:00 | Chula Vista Resort, 2501 River Rd, Wisconsin Dells, WI, 53965, United States
A free conference for reunified, adoptive, permanent guardianship families, and foster families who are on the path to permanency.
Healing Centered Families is a free statewide conference for reunified, adoptive, permanent guardianship families, and foster families who are on the path to permanency. This all-day conference will feature a dynamic keynote speaker, experts within the field, time to connect with other caregivers, as well as a resource room.
Keynote:

Attaching to Heal or Healing to Attach/Jaclyn Skalnik, founder of Adoption Wellness, LLC

Presentation Topics:

Attachment (Keynote Follow-Up Presentation)/Jaclyn Skalnik
Children’s Mental Health (OCMH)/Andrea Turtenwald
Navigating the School System/Julie Quigley, Autism United of Wisconsin

A block of rooms has been reserved for both Friday night, November 14, 2025 and Saturday night, November 15, 2025. To reserve a room, call the Chula Vista Resort directly at 1-833-509-1665. Please refer to booking ID#: K94459 Coalition for Children & Families for the “Healing Centered Families Conference.” Please make your reservation by November 1st to receive the special group rate of $98 for a single occupancy room or for $139 for a double-quad occupancy room . *We cannot guarantee waterpark hours and/or operation.
Please note- The conference is for adult attendees only. Children will not be admitted to the conference. Please arrange for childcare.

Healing Centered Families Conference 2025
2025-11-15 | Chula Vista Resort, 2501 River Rd, Wisconsin Dells, WI, 53965, United States
Save the Date!

A conference for guardians, adoptive parents, foster parents, reunified parents, or any family on the path to permanency.
