Mission Empower: Explore Mission Empower’s virtual video training is designed to help families and professionals strengthen their knowledge and skills. Complete the post-training survey to receive credit in place of attending in-person sessions. Find it here.

Region A Drop-In Call: The next Drop-In call will take place on Tuesday, June 3, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST. Libby Stone Sterling from Maine’s Bureau of Rehabilitation Services will be our featured technical assistance presenter. Join the call.

NEPACT Region A - Succession Planning Webinar: Join us Thursday, June 5, 2025, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM for a webinar led by Diana Autin on best practices and helpful strategies in succession planning at a Parent Center. A calendar invite was shared. Contact Johan Mora Valverde at jmora-valverde@spanadvocacy.org to receive the Zoom link.

2025 Regional Conference - Collective Impact in a Divided and Rapidly Changing Environment: The conference for Parent Center Project Directors/Executive Directors and one additional key staff member will take place Tuesday, October 28, through Thursday, October 30, 2025, at the Courtyard Marriott Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD. The focus areas include: Advocacy and Skill-Building in the Current Landscape, Job-Alike Collaboration, and Using Technology Across Types and Tiers of Services. More details to follow, including a call for proposals.

2025 OSEP Leadership Conference: Save the date. August 5 and 6, 2025, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. This year's conference will span two full days. ONLY ONE PERSON PER PROJECT (it should be the project director)! Registration is live here.

CPIR Calendar: Don’t forget to check out the HUB Central Events calendar at the Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) for more webinars and events.

The Nonprofit’s Guide to Resilience During Periods of Uncertainty: Check out this brief guide to managing your nonprofit in this challenging and uncertain time here.

Empowering Parent Advocates: Strategies for Effective Advocacy: Read or listen to this article on practical strategies for effective parent advocacy here.

Youth MOVE National’s Community Mapping Tool for Youth Engagement: Part of the Telling Your Story to Change the System series includes a powerful activity on community mapping. This tool helps young people identify people, places, and resources in their lives, building a foundation for advocacy, independence, and support. Ideal for use in youth programming or leadership development settings. Find it here.

Free Training and Resources for Community Leaders and Non-Profits: Cultivate offers free webinars and articles for community leaders and non profits here. Just register to access their past webinars!

How a School District is Solving Absenteeism: The pandemic is long gone, but it's having a lingering impact on children. When COVID-19 hit, schools closed and students were taught remotely. When schools reopened, chronic absenteeism skyrocketed. Elizabeth Cook reports on what one district is doing about it. Read more here.

Evidence-Based Practices for Bi/Multilingual Programs: Creating pathways to multilingualism in today’s global society provides students with cognitive, economic, sociocultural, and educational benefits. Start your school district’s journey toward global engagement by reviewing this report from the Region 18 Comprehensive Center that shares evidence-based strategies for implementing, monitoring, and evaluating bilingual and multilingual programs. Learn more.

Helping Kids Dealing with Bullying: Bullying comes in many forms—physical, verbal, psychological, and cyberbullying—each leaving a lasting impact on victims. KidsHealth provides valuable insights into recognizing bullying and offers practical strategies to address it. From setting boundaries to seeking support, the article emphasizes the importance of standing up against harmful behavior and fostering safe environments for all. Read more here.

What will Deportations Mean for the Child Welfare System? The administration has begun to carry out activities connected to its campaign promise of a nationwide mass deportation program for undocumented immigrants. What will this mean for the estimated 5.62 million U.S. citizen children with an undocumented household member, and for the state and local child welfare systems charged with protecting their safety and well-being? Learn more here.

The Dangers of Federal School Vouchers: First Focus on Children offers an article summarizing the dangers of federal school vouchers here.

Five Competency Domains for Person-Centered Planning: Person-centered planning is a dynamic process that helps individuals explore their choices, interests, and vision for a fulfilling life while identifying the services and supports needed. It is not something done to or for a person; instead, the individual leads the planning process, providing facilitation as needed and desired.  Read more.

How to Analyze Data in Seven Simple Steps: Indeed offers this “definitive guide” on analyzing data here.

Will Trump’s School Discipline Order Drive Wider Disparities or ‘Restore Common Sense’? A new White House executive order aims to remove school discipline practices based on “discriminatory equity ideology.” Critics, including EdTrust, warn it could increase racial disparities and disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities. Read more here.

Six Options for Resolving IEP Disputes: When disagreements arise over a child's Individualized Education Program (IEP), there are several ways to resolve them. Understood.org outlines six key options. Each approach varies in complexity, from informal discussions to legal proceedings. Learn more here.

Rethinking Dropout Prevention: The presenter, a former school dropout herself, gives unique insights and strategies to help to effectively reach and connect with students at risk of dropping out. This presentation shares fresh perspectives about the too-often unnoticed underlying causes and will provide several specific approaches to address the school dropout crisis. Watch Video here.

Medicaid Cuts Would Weaken Early Intervention for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and Developmental Delays: Center for Children and Families (CCF) hosted a webinar with the IDEA Infant & Toddlers Association and ZERO TO THREE to raise awareness about how Medicaid and IDEA work together in states. The star of the discussion was Rebecca Amidon, a Michigan parent of two children who received early intervention services. Read more.

Parent and Family Engagement Provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act: The federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), has significant requirements for family engagement, see here.

Trump’s anti-DEI funding threat hit like an earthquake. This is what’s happened since: On April 3, the U.S. Department of Education told state education agencies that they must certify they are in compliance with the administration’s contested interpretation of federal civil rights law. Those who don’t sign were threatened with losing federal funding, including Title I dollars that provide critical resources for high-poverty schools. Read more.

The House Approves Legislation to Improve State Recruitment of Foster Families: Children in foster care are more likely to find a permanent, loving, and stable home after a bipartisan majority in the U.S. House of Representatives advanced new legislation. The Recruiting Families Using Data Act (H.R. 579), introduced by Ways and Means committee members Representatives Randy Feenstra (IA-04) and Brendan Boyle (PA-02), if passed by the US Senate, would improve the recruitment and retention of foster families. Read more here.

Open an ABLE account: The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act enables individuals with disabilities to save and invest in tax-advantaged accounts without affecting eligibility for SSI, Medicaid, or other public benefits. Learn more here.

A Look at Impacts, Opportunities, and Barriers in School-Based Medicaid: The National Association of Medicaid Directors offers this overview of the use of Medicaid by schools to provide services to students. Read more.

How to Help Homeless Students? First, Find Out Who They Are: A recent National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) webinar explored the importance of accurately identifying students experiencing homelessness to better support them. Experts highlighted how schools can improve data collection, build trust with families, and implement effective interventions that support academic success. Find it here.

Trump is Dismantling the Education Department. How That Might Harm Special Education: The President has promised to keep special education intact, even as he dismantles the federal department that has overseen it for nearly half a century.  Read more here.

Trump administration seeks to turn mass deportations into an efficient business ‘like Amazon’: The president’s effort to conduct mass deportations as promised in the 2024 campaign represents a potential bonanza for private prison companies and a challenge to the government agencies responsible for the orderly expulsion of immigrants. Some critics say the administration’s plans also include a deliberate attempt to isolate detainees by locking them up and holding court proceedings far from their attorneys and support systems. Read more here.

6 Tips to create a culturally inclusive classroom: Despite book bans and education policies trying to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools, a culturally inclusive education benefits all students. For marginalized students, an inclusive classroom can give them the opportunity to learn more about their culture and feel valued in school. Learn more here.

The Rising Cost of Ignoring Juvenile Justice Reform: Massachusetts has been a model for juvenile justice reform, but new findings from the JJPAD Board’s 2024 Annual Report suggest alarming backslides. The report highlights inconsistencies in law enforcement training and policies for engaging with youth, what it calls “justice by geography.” Advocates say both youth and officers deserve better.  Read more.

Sports Participation and Health of Black Transgender Youth: Advocates for Youth's policy brief, Sports Participation and Health of Black Transgender Youth, sheds light on the challenges Black transgender youth face in accessing sports and physical activities. The brief reveals that only 9% of Black transgender youth meet the CDC's criteria for physical activity, compared to higher percentages among their cisgender and non-Black peers. Find it here.

Mental Health Resources from the Parent Center Hub: Many organizations and groups deal with Mental Health. This page will help you find the one or ones that offer the type of assistance, intervention, or information you’re seeking. Learn more.

Pentagon Committee Created to Direct Book Banning in Service Branches: The Pentagon has expanded efforts to censor books addressing diversity, anti-racism, and gender ideology across military education institutions. A recent memo orders all service branches to identify and remove materials on about 20 flagged topics from libraries, including at war colleges and service academies, by May 21. Read more.

Sitting Bull Documentary: This month, The HISTORY Channel will debut a two-night documentary event, Sitting Bull, airing May 27 and 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The four-hour film traces the life and legacy of one of the most revered leaders in Native American history, Sitting Bull of the Hunkpapa Lakota. The documentary combines reenactments, historical analysis, and Native perspectives to present a fuller, more authentic portrait of the man behind the legend. Check it out.

Parental Involvement in Your Child’s Education: The Key to Student Success, Research Shows: Check out this blog from the Annie E. Casey Foundation here.

Child Poverty Rates Remained High in 2023: At Least 10 Million Kids in Poverty: The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s blog explores the extent of child poverty in the US, the causes of child poverty, where child poverty exists geographically, the racial disparities in child poverty, and strategies to reduce child poverty, here.

CT Schools See Rise in Restraint, But Lawmakers Not Taking Action: Despite growing concerns from parents and advocates, Connecticut lawmakers have delayed efforts to restrict the use of restraint and seclusion in schools. A 2023 bill that aimed to limit these practices was ultimately weakened and handed off to a special education task force, even as restraint rates continue to rise. Read more here.

What’s Behind the Political Criticisms of Social Emotional Learning? The current administration has expressed concern that social-emotional learning is being used to mask “discrimination” in schools.

While it once enjoyed bipartisan support from the government and was widely accepted by education professionals, SEL faced growing scrutiny during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is a look at what SEL is, and what the current administration’s concerns could mean for its future in schools. Watch here.

How to make digital platforms more accessible: Digital accessibility is about making websites and digital services accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. Worldwide, an estimated 1.3 billion people experience significant disability. There are things you can do to improve the accessibility of your digital offerings, including advice on alt text, color contrast, and clear and concise writing. Learn more here.

Disability and Unconscious Bias in the Workplace: What We Overlook Hurts Us All: Training can be a valuable resource in forming and changing the personal attitudes of nondisabled persons towards those with disabilities. Learn more.

Trauma: Reaction and Recovery: Better Health Channel offers a landing page of resources on the impact of and recovery from trauma here.