In This Issue:

• 8 Ways to Support Your Child's Return to School
• Sign-Ups Open for Our Parent Empowerment Series
• Shop at Lids to Support The Arc
• New Resource on Medicaid and SNAP Cuts
• What to Know About the Upcoming Special Legislative Session
• Learn How The Arc US Engages in Legal Advocacy

8 Ways to Support Your Child's Return to School

It’s time for the next school year to begin! Parents and guardians of children in special education play a particularly instrumental role in their child’s academic success, which is why our Child & Family Advocates are sharing eight things you can do before and during the school year to support your child. With these tips, you’ll not only help your child feel confident and prepared for the coming year—you’ll also establish a collaborative relationship with school staff by showing you are involved and a supportive partner in your child’s education.

Read on to learn more about what you can do to support your child’s return to school.

• Leading up to the new school year, reestablish your child’s school-year routines such as going to bed at a specific time, waking up at a specific time, and eating breakfast and being ready for school on time. Now is also the time to establish after-school routines. For example, decide where homework will be completed and where your child’s backpack will be kept.

• Review your child’s IEP and highlight anything you’d like to bring to his or her teachers’ attention. You might consider printing copies of the IEP for each teacher and highlighting key sections that you would like the teacher to note. This can also be done in a digital format. Informing the teacher helps them understand how to best support your child from the beginning.

• Determine when your school will be hosting its Back-to-School Night. This event can be a useful time to familiarize your child with the school building (particularly if your child is entering a new school this year). It’s also a great time for you to ask for important information from your child’s teachers, like school rules and any specific classroom rules that your child will need to follow.

• Consider visiting the school building with your child before the first day of school, particularly if Back-to-School Night will not take place until after classes begin or if your child could benefit from exploring the school in a quieter, less crowded environment. During your visit, make sure your child knows where to find his or her classroom(s), nearby bathrooms, the office, and his or her locker, as well as other important locations. This is also a great time to meet, or reconnect with, your child’s special education teacher and general education teacher(s).

• Reach out to your child’s teachers to establish a line of communication. This is a chance to share more about your child beyond what’s in his or her IEP and show that you are collaborative, friendly, and respectful. In this initial reach-out, you might consider sharing more about your child’s strengths, challenges, and strategies that help your child. Additionally, now is the time to provide your contact information and to ask what the teacher’s preferred method of communication is—such as email or a school portal system.

• Share with school staff any changes that happened over the summer that might affect your child’s learning or IEP. This could include positive or negative changes—for example, if you’ve moved here from another state or if your child has had any medical changes, changes in services or treatments, or dietary changes. Depending on the change, you might consider scheduling an informal meeting with key IEP team members to discuss. If you believe the change could require an adjustment to your child’s IEP, schedule a formal IEP meeting.

• Make sure your child’s teachers understand any technology and visuals your child requires, as outlined in his or her IEP—for instance, an AAC device, visual schedule, mobility aids, or social stories.

• Finally, if your child’s Annual IEP Meeting is coming up before Thanksgiving, reach out to get the meeting scheduled as soon as possible. School staff are required to give you advanced notice of a meeting, but reaching out early can give you additional time to adjust your schedule and prepare for the meeting.

As always, please remember that The Arc is here to support you throughout your educational advocacy journey. We hope this school year is the best yet for you and your child!

Please note: Registration priority will be given to participants in Jefferson, Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties, as well as those who can commit to attending all 5 in-person and virtual sessions. Participants MUST attend our mandatory in-person session on September 25 to participate in the remainder of the series. You can learn more about our Parent Empowerment Series here.

What to Know About the Upcoming Special Legislative Session

The Colorado state legislature will convene for a special legislative session on August 21 to discuss how to balance the budget in the face of an estimated $1.2 billion shortfall due to tax changes in H.R. 1.

There are many ways the state government could account for this shortfall, including drawing down reserves, changing state tax policies, or making spending cuts. We will continue to make sure our lawmakers know the importance of disability services for Coloradans—and that we cannot afford any cuts to these programs. If specific proposals are put on the table to cut any disability services this year, we will be sure to let our community know, so please keep an eye on our upcoming communications.

Learn more about the special legislative session here.

Learn How The Arc US Engages in Legal Advocacy

Discover how The Arc of the United States is providing legal advocacy at the highest level: the Supreme Court.

Through a recently published resource, you can read about seven key cases in the Supreme Court’s 2024-2025 term that impacted people with disabilities and how The Arc US engaged in legal advocacy for each case. Click here to learn more about The Arc’s legal advocacy in the past year.