Welcome to the Table Talk newsletter from The Arc of New Jersey's Children's Advocacy Program. Our October edition is filled with valuable advocacy resources as well as exciting opportunities and experiences for your family. For more information, please visit our webpage.

Advocacy with Adara on Facebook Live Update

Season Two is in full swing! Don't forget to view our archived episodes on Facebook.

New to the series? Each episode offers a friendly 10-15 minute chat on special education or services for children with IDD and their families. Tune in every other Monday during the school year at 12 pm on our Facebook page. No sign-ups needed, just drop by, watch, and don't forget to share your thoughts in the comments. We look forward to having you join us!

View Archived Facebook Live

Upcoming Webinars

Community Spotlight with The Arc of Essex County

Did you miss this webinar? Click below to hear about the various programs for Essex County residents age 0-21. The Arc of Essex is home to Stepping Stones school, StudioArc, and Camp Hope just to name a few.

Click to watch

Interview with Trinity Jagdeo, Founder of We Can't to We Can

Next Up: Tune in on November 12th to hear more about the mission of this wonderful organization. Trinity will walk us through experiences for families of children with disabilities from inclusive fashion shows, photography, and book series to their Resource Recycler program.

Link to register.

Children's Advocacy Virtual Office Hours

Virtual office hours are here to stay! Due to anticipated volume, sessions will be limited to 20 minutes and given on a first come, first served basis to ensure that we can accommodate as many families as possible.

Upcoming Virtual Office Hours :

November 7th, 14th, & 22nd 12-2 pm

Click to sign up

Student-teacher Ratios in New Jersey Schools now updated

Overall in New Jersey, the average student to teacher ratio is 11:1. Using data from the Department of Education for the 2022-2023 school year, NJ Advance Media has compiled these ratios per school. This data shows that the lowest ratios are in special education schools, elementary schools, and magnet schools. Keep reading.

Severe Autism, Frantic Families

This article written by Susan K. Livio for nj.com highlights the excruciating waits one mother has experienced while trying to find services for her daughter. These struggles are similar to the families of the nearly 17,000 children in New Jersey with severe or profound Autism. Click to read.

It's Not Too Late to Support The Arc of New Jersey!

Thank you to everyone who supported The Arc of New Jersey through our 75th Anniversary Gala and Ad Journal. The funds raised enable us to make tremendous progress as we continue to grow and expand our advocacy and support services for people with IDD and their families.

But the need still exists.

From now until December 31, 2024, The Arc of New Jersey's 75th Anniversary Campaign is looking to raise $75,000 to support our information, resources and advocacy for individuals with IDD and their families. Your donation, no matter the size, will contribute greatly to our

ability to help the increasing numbers of individuals and families who call upon us for assistance. Click here to donate today and thank you for your support!

"This Stinks" Rally Cry for Change

In this tapinto.net article, Paul Hooker explains how this statement from a young girl with special needs who was upset that she could not play baseball propelled him to create RallyCap Sports (RCS). This program has been creating inclusive sports opportunities for children and young adults in Monmouth and Ocean Counties with IDD for 34 years. Read more here.

Is Your Child Planning for College?

In this article, DisabilityScoop found that only 10% of high schoolers with disabilities enrolled in public school during the 20-21 school year took the SAT or ACT. Though this low number has been noted for over a decade, researchers believe that these statistics from were impacted by the pandemic. There is a significant disparity between the number of students with disabilities capable of learning on grade level and those applying to colleges. Continue reading here.

Newark Public Schools' Compliance Monitoring Ends

Jessie Gomez reports for NJ Spotlight News that after 12 years of monitoring, Newark Public School district is now meeting all federal and state schedules for identifying and evaluating their district's students for special education services. Read more here.