CCA’s Annual Family Retreat & Educational Symposium is held each June to provide individuals affected by a facial difference, their siblings and parents an opportunity to interact with others who have endured similar experiences. The unique format of the Retreat allows families to share ideas, problems and solutions and make life-long friendships. The weekend kicks off on Friday with an Educational Symposium and the rest of the weekend allows time and activities to build new relationships and bonds of understanding and caring, which will lend support through both difficult and good times in the future.

Story behind the retreat

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REGISTRATION FOR THE 2026 RETREAT IS ON A WAITLIST.

The demand for the 2026 Annual Family Retreat & Educational Symposium exceeded our expectations and we are working to accommodate as many families as possible, based on budget and capacity limitations. 

You may have some questions about what it means to go on the waitlist and we hope we can help answer those so you can plan accordingly.

What does going on the waitlist do for me?

    • If spots open up because registered families cancel or decline their scholarships, you will be offered the chance to register.
What is the waitlist timeline?
    • We expect to give most waitlisted families an answer by Feb. 28, 2026 if they will be moved off the waitlist and given a chance to register. 
When is the last chance I’ll be notified about a waitlist?
    • We will accept waitlist registrations through March 30, 2026. You will be notified of a final answer if you have secured a registration spot by April 30, 2026. 
What if families cancel after April 30, 2026 and more spots open up then?
    • We will address that on a case-by-case basis. Most of the time, last minute cancellations are done during the week immediately before Retreat and do not allow time for families to properly book travel to attend. 
    • We also have to have time to properly prepare for each family coming, including ordering t-shirts, meal headcounts, prepping session materials, and ensuring all members have taken Safe Spaces training.

Thank you so much for understanding. 

We are excited to announce that our 2026 Annual Family Retreat & Educational Symposium will be held in Orlando, Florida at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, June 26-28, 2026.

Read the full guidelines about the Annual Family Retreat here.

Registration is on waitlist basis and will close March 31, 2026 or when all spots have been filled. We will open a waitlist when spots are filled. We have capacity for ~500 attendees, depending on our final budget.

REGISTRATION PAGE

TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR RETREAT

Scholarships are available for travel expenses. Scholarship applications will open along with registration in October and will close January 5, 2026. 

TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS (OPEN until Jan. 5, 2026)
We also accept scholarship requests. The typical award will cover all or part of your hotel stay, but the scholarship application will ask you what you need covered.

To apply for a scholarship, 

  • Fill out the Registration Application here.
    • The first question asks, “I want to apply for a Travel Scholarship.” Click YES.
  • If you are applying for a scholarship, you can also request your registration fee be waived.
    • Use code SCHOLARSHIP at checkout and your fee will be reduced to $0.
  • Then, finalize your application by filling out the follow up document here.

Both forms must be completely filled out by January 5, 2026 to be considered.

If you have questions, please email Rasheera at [email protected]

FORMAT CHANGE

We have an important format change we wanted to share to help us better serve our CCA families.

Beginning with the 2026 Retreat, we will roll out a 3-day itinerary. We will keep our signature events, but we will be reducing the free time that has previously been structured into the weekend. You are still welcome to participate at your comfort level; but programming will be running concurrently throughout the days.

For the 2026 Retreat, here is a preview of the 3-day Format:

  • Friday will be the Educational Symposium during the day and in the evening our Family Night dinner/ Teen Night activities will roll together as a Kickoff event.
  • Saturday will include Group Meetups, Group Photo, Talent Show, and the beloved Scott’s Dinner and Wipeout Dance.
  • Sunday morning will feature the Farewell Breakfast with the addition of a Closing Ceremony.

The new roll out will allow our families more flexibility and allow CCA to continue serving the same number of families, while minimizing the impact of increased costs for everyone.

We appreciate the loyalty our families and supporters bring to the Children’s Craniofacial Association.

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