Earlier this week, the Early Intervention Parent Leadership Project (EIPLP) supported twenty-one families, from across the state, to participate in the annual Massachusetts Early Intervention Consortium (MEIC) Conference. These caregivers included Parent Contacts, members of the Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC), participants from the EIPLP's Finding Your Footing introductory leadership series, and other families from the EI community.
Experts presented interactive sessions virtually over the course of two days. Parents had a variety of workshops to choose from on topics like understanding the importance of the foot in young children, examining autism in girls, feeding picky eaters, supporting foster families in the EI system, strategies to take care of yourself and prevent burnout, and music as a tool with children.
In addition to the workshops, participants meet with exhibitors in 1:1 video chat to ask questions or get more information, play games, and attend drop-in networking sessions.
If you are interested in opportunities like this in the future, you are in the right place. As a Parent Contact for your EI Program, you are among the first to know about events like this and attend as a sponsored family by the EIPLP. Keep an eye out for trainings, conferences, and workshops in the near future.
Opportunities & Resources
Transition Workshop
The EIPLP is excited to partner with our colleagues at the Federation for Children with Special Needs to offer Turning Three Essentials to our families! This workshop provides information about the process for transitioning from early intervention (EI) to special education.
Topics covered include:
the differences between EI and special education
transition planning process
special education process
consent and evaluations
special education eligibility
and more!
Registration is FREE for this virtual event. It will be held on Friday, May 13th from 1-3 pm. Please share this opportunity widely with your networks.
If you or someone you know has a child with a disability, check out Exceptional Lives. Exceptional lives encourages and guides families and providers caring for children with disabilities by offering information, advocacy and skill-building tools, and connections to other caregivers. They can help you find services and walk you through processes using personalized online guides. Don't miss their library of brief recorded webinars on a variety of topics that you can watch anytime!
Early Intervention Parent Leadership Project | eiplp.org
