|
|
Navigating Excellence - Parent Center Assistance & Collaboration Team
Region A E-News
|
|
 |
"A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work"
~ Colin Powell
|
|
|
|
|
Message From Diana & Michele |
The school year is underway and it won’t be long before our students are receiving lessons on Native Americans. October 12th is Indigenous People’s Day and November is Native American Heritage Month. For Native tribes and communities, there is always concern over how their people will be represented in these lessons. To provide you with timely, accurate and culturally responsive resources for our children, we suggest you become familiar with the blogspot, American Indians in Children’s Literature.
|
|
|
|
Parent Network of Western New York for officially becoming a Parent Center again!! |
|
|
|
Advocates for Children of New York (AFC) serves families throughout New York City as a member of the NYS Region 1 PTIC Collaborative. Over the past year, AFC has been celebrating its 50th anniversary, marking five productive decades of providing individual families with advice, assistance, and legal representation; teaching families and professionals how to navigate NYC’s sprawling school system and exercise their rights; and advocating for changes in education policies and practices that often leave students with disabilities and their families behind. To supplement its workshops and individual assistance, AFC has created 282 guides, fact sheets, and tip sheets (180 of them in languages other than English) on topics ranging from Rights of Parents of Children with Disabilities in Charter Schools, to Reading Milestones: What Your Child Should Know and Be Able to Do, to Special Education Recovery Services. All documents, as well as links to videos of virtual trainings, are available on AFC’s website.
Maine Parent Federation (MPF): Advocacy 101: Boston University & MPF are partnering for a study funded by the Spencer Foundation focused on IDEA and legislative advocacy for parents/caregivers and youth. Applicants can submit a pre-survey to be considered. Find out more here.
|
|
|
|
Upcoming Events/Dates to Remember |
Region A Drop-In Call: The October Drop-in call will take place on Tuesday, October 4th, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. The NE-PACT Drop-in calls are on the first Tuesday of every month. Check your calendar invite for additional details. Please let us know if you have any agenda items. Join here.
National Parent Center and F2F Conference: For the first time ever we will bring together the Parent Center and the Family to Family Health Information Center networks for a national conference! We will begin the morning of Tuesday, October 18th and end around noon on Thursday, October 20th. The National Family Leadership Reception on the Hill will be Tuesday at 5:30. RSVP is requested. Also, we hope you will join us for dinner on Wednesday at 6:30, location tbd. You may want to consider staying on Thursday afternoon to visit your elected legislators to share information about your parent center. Click here for information and to view the agenda. See you there!
COVID-19 Drop-In Call: The next COVID-19 Drop-In call will be on Tuesday, November 15th, 10:00 - 11:15am. We will discuss what is happening in your state/territory/community, address any new
developments, and identify any help you need concerning COVID-19. Join here.
|
|
|
|
Non-Profit Management Resources |
8 Essential Online Free Tools and Resources for Nonprofits: Online tools are essential if you want to stay ahead of the game. As shared by Nonprofit Tech for Good, 54% of all nonprofits use an all-in-one online tool for their CRM and online fundraising needs. But you also need other tools either to integrate with your existing system or to use separately for increased productivity, better communication, and a massive impact. Learn more.
|
|
|
|
Family-Centered Services Resources |
National Outreach Guidelines for Underserved Communities: Outreach is a critical function of health centers serving people who are low-income, uninsured, and/or members of underserved populations. The ten Guidelines presented here are grouped into three broad categories: Person-Focused Guidelines, Community-Focused Guidelines, and Program-Focused Guidelines. Under each Guideline, several possible strategies for implementation are suggested. The Guidelines and accompanying strategies are intended to provide direction for how to most effectively use outreach to increase access to and utilization of services in underserved communities. While this guide is focused on outreach to connect underserved populations to healthcare, the tips are useful for parent centers. Learn more.
|
|
|
|
Youth-Centered Services Resources |
Tips for Youth When Working with Adult Allies: A youth-adult partnership is an effective way to engage issues affecting youth and families. Encouraging youth and young adults to be at the decision-making table is the first step in developing allyship with adults and other tips to work with adult allies in the Advocates for Youth tip sheet. Find it here. |
|
|
|
Staff Development Resources |
Establish a Plan for Successful Leadership: Organizations adapting to changes in the way we work will transform faster by helping their leaders - including staff - find their unique path to learn, grow and develop. Torch’s Leadership Development Plan Template 2.0 offers a self-guided, five-week plan filled with exercises, prompts for self-reflection, and targeted recommendations. This template has been updated to accommodate the changes seen in the work world over the past few years, including remote work, economic instability, and e-learning. Download the editable Leadership Plan. |
|
|
|
41% of NYC students were chronically absent last school year: About 41% of New York City students were chronically absent, missing at least 18 days of last school year, according to city data released.
|
|
|
|
How a Visual Language Evolves as Our World Does: Ubiquitous video technology and social media have given deaf people a new way to communicate. They’re using it to transform American Sign Language. Learn more. |
|
|
|
Students Bullied over Mask-Wearing: What Schools Need to Know to Prevent and Address the Problem: Information Brief from the National Center on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments, September 2022. Find it here. |
|
|
|
Child Welfare/Foster Care |
Family Reunification & Engagement in Treatment Helps Parents Sustain Recovery: Check out the September 2022 Issue of The Dialog, Danya Institute Newsletter. The impact of the overdose epidemic on children and families has received little attention (Winstanley & Stover 2020) and our behavioral health care system is largely designed to treat individuals (the parent with an opioid use disorder), offering few opportunities to engage their children and family members in therapy. Find the article here. |
|
|
|
Choice/Charter Schools/Virtual Schools/Voucher Programs/Private Schools |
Post Carson v. Makin: How Can We Protect Public Education? This is the first webinar in a series, co-sponsored by Education Law Center’s (ELC’s) Public Funds Public Schools campaign, with a focus on the national implications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing religious schools to participate in Maine’s public school system and what advocates can do to prevent any further intrusion of religion into the nation’s public schools. Read the ELC/Ubkic Funds Public Schools (PFPS) statement on the decision. Register for the webinar, scheduled for October 6 at 3-4 p.m. ET.
|
|
|
|
Quantifying the Linguistic Demands of the Oral Directions of Preschool Cognitive Assessments: Oral directions for cognitive assessments used with preschool-age children have low linguistic demands overall, researchers at The Ohio State University reported. They found some assessments had subtests with high linguistic demands that could pose difficulty for children with limited word knowledge, such as several subtests of the Woodcock Johnson Test of Cognitive Abilities (WJ Cog-IV). The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC-II), deemed one of the most culturally fair assessments, was found to be the least linguistically demanding for young children. Read the study, by Scott L. Graves Jr., Kyanna Johnson, Shanye Phillips, and Mark Jones.
|
|
|
|
Understanding and Using American Community Survey Data: The US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey is designed to meet the needs of policymakers and others who need good data to make informed decisions. The ACS provides a detailed portrait of the social, economic, housing and demographic characteristics of America’s communities. This handbook provides an overview of the ACS to help data users understand the basics of the survey, how the data can be used, how to judge the accuracy of ACS estimates, and how to access ACS data. It also includes case studies that show how ACS data are being used to help address important policy and program issues. Links to additional ACS resources, including technical documentation for more advanced users, are included throughout. Learn more. |
|
|
|
Discipline & Positive Behavior Supports |
|
|
|
Working Together Series: CADRE, The Working Together Series includes five interactive self-directed courses. These courses provide families and educators with a number of strategies for working together and through conflict. Sessions include: Introduction to the Working Together Series, IEP meetings and Beyond, Listening and Responding Skills, Managing and Responding to Emotions, Focusing on Interests to Reach Agreements. Find it here. Find it en Español. |
|
|
|
How has the pandemic affected high school graduation and college entry? High school graduation and college entry are at least as strong as predictors of long-term life success as test scores. How has the pandemic impacted these outcomes? Learn more.
|
|
|
|
Early Childhood/Early Intervention |
Assistive Technology for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: This Alliance action sheet about assistive technology for the youngest children with disabilities has a Q&A format. It answers basic who, what, where, and why questions and more. These are important, as research shows that assistive technology can help young children with disabilities learn developmental skills (also available in Spanish, Somali, and Hmong). Download the action sheet. |
|
|
|
Math and Reading Scores Plummet on National Test, Erasing 20 years of Progress: Chalkbeat News September 2022. In a grim sign of the pandemic’s impact, math and reading scores for 9-year-olds across the U.S. plummeted between 2020 and 2022. Find it here. |
|
|
|
Pursuing Equity and Moving Beyond a Compliance-Driven Approach to Addressing Disproportionality: Check out this podcast from the National Center for Systemic Improvement as you go on a walk or drive. The podcast addresses what are the root causes of disproportionality?, How can state education agencies support schools and districts to address it?, and more. Click here to listen. |
|
|
|
Grandparents as Caregivers |
Raising and Supporting Grandchildren with Disabilities: Despite the benefits, grandparents lack an automatic legal relationship to their grandchild and without that, they may not be able to access certain services that might help them provide for that child. When these children have disabilities, accessing resources is even more critical. Learn about some of the resources. |
|
|
|
Including All Children: Health for Kids with Disabilities: Children with special needs are about twice as likely as other children to be overweight or obese often due to the related greater likelihood of being sedentary. Some conditions, such as cerebral palsy, increase the difficulty in eating thus leading to underweight but others, such as Down syndrome, may contribute to overeating and overweight or obesity. Find out more. |
|
|
|
Homeless student funding expanded during the pandemic. Will it be sustained? | K-12 Dive (k12dive.com): Until a historic funding influx from American Rescue Plan funds, only 1 in 4 districts received dedicated homeless student funding. That number should be more, advocates say. Read more. |
|
|
|
Questions and Answers on Serving Children with Disabilities Placed by Their Parents in Private Schools, Revised February 2022, this Q&A updates and supersedes the Department’s guidance first issued in April 2011 and includes additional questions and answers that address topics that have arisen as the field continues to implement the applicable provisions of IDEA and its regulations. New topics include:
-
Equitable Services Providers — addressing personnel qualification requirements that apply to the equitable services providers under IDEA.
-
Preschool Children with Disabilities — addressing the use of IDEA Part B funds for equitable services for preschool children with disabilities for whom FAPE has been made available.
-
Children Who Reside Out-of-State or Whose Parents Live in Other Countries — clarifying the requirements that apply to parentally-placed private school children with disabilities from other States and other countries who attend private schools in the United States.
-
State-funded School Voucher and Scholarship Programs — clarifying that children with disabilities who use State vouchers and scholarships to attend private schools are considered parentally-placed private school children with disabilities under IDEA and eligible for equitable services.
-
Extended Public School Closures — addressing the responsibilities of LEAs to provide equitable services to parentally-placed private school children with disabilities just as they have a responsibility to serve children with disabilities in public schools, as appropriate, during an extended public school closure.
|
|
|
|
New Rule Makes Clear that Noncitizens Who Receive Health or Other Benefits to which they are Entitled Will Not Suffer Harmful Immigration Consequences: The rule, which details how the Department of Homeland Security will interpret the “public charge” ground of inadmissibility, will help ensure that noncitizens can access health-related benefits and other supplemental government services to which they are entitled by law, without triggering harmful immigration consequences. Read more. |
|
|
|
Indicators of High-Quality Inclusion: Have you checked out these indicators of high quality inclusion in early childhood? There are indicators for state, community, and local program levels. These four sets of indicators were designed by a group of national partners to support state leaders, local administrators and front-line personnel in the early care and education system providing programs and services to children, ages birth through five and their families. As you read more, think about how we, as Parent Centers, might be able to use them as we work with our state Part C and Section 619 colleagues.
|
|
|
|
Juvenile Delinquency/Juvenile Justice |
Diversion: A Hidden Key to Combating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice | The Sentencing Project: New juvenile justice analysis reveals the system’s unequal and limited use of diversion from court involvement, particularly for Black youth. Read more and download the pdf here.
|
|
|
|
Coming Out: Information for Parents of LGBTQ Teens: “Coming out” is a known term in the LGBTQ community, but every experience differs for an individual. Parents and families can help by creating safe spaces with no judgment or bias. Read more. |
|
|
|
Why Employee Mental Health Should be Part of Your Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Strategy: Many organizations are prioritizing the implementation of effective diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) strategies to better support employees of diverse cultures and backgrounds. One strategy that is often overlooked is employee mental health, a fundamental part of overall wellness. In fact, 45% of people who did not receive mental health care reported workplace issues. Read more. |
|
|
|
Military Families & Youth |
Sesame Workshop Debuts Resources to Support Military Families with “Learning and Growing Together”: New Sesame Street for Military Families content helps build resilience-boosting skills and navigate discovering new routines. The new “Learning and Growing Together” materials join a robust lineup of resources to uplift and support military families through deployments, homecomings, long-term family caregiving, transitions in health care, and much more. The resources are free to families and providers and available in English and Spanish. Check out the resources.
|
|
|
|
Your Tribal Nation by the Numbers: Accessing American Indian and Alaska Native Statistics webinar: During this training, you'll learn how to access demographic, socio economic and housing data about American Indian and Alaska Native populations, reservations and trust lands. This workshop will teach novice data users, grant writers and planners to navigate and use Census Bureau data products from the recent Decennial Census and the American Community Survey. View this and other webinars from the US Census Bureau.
|
|
|
|
Parent/Family Engagement (and Youth!) |
|
|
|
Remote Learning/School Reopening |
Frequently Asked Questions: Civil Rights and School Reopening in the COVID-19 Environment: USDE OCR May 2021 - This question and answers document provides answers to common questions about schools’ responsibilities under the civil rights laws the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces. Read more.
Back to School 2022-2023, Road to Success for the 2022-2023 School Year: To help make this school year the strongest yet, the U.S. Department of Education is focused on four priorities along the Road to Success: Health and Safety, Building School Communities and Support Students’ Social/Emotional/Mental Health, Accelerate Academic Achievement and Support Educator and Staff Stability: U.S. Department of Education's. Learn more.
|
|
|
|
Social-Emotional Learning |
Restoring what the pandemic took: Social and emotional learning for kids: Experts note that many children, in addition to being behind academically, have also experienced what might be thought of as a social and emotional learning loss. For some, it means clinical anxiety and depression. For most, it means small to medium setbacks in kids' ability to do things such as taking on new responsibilities, trying new things or making friends. Learn what parents and caregivers can do.
|
|
|
|
Expert Tips For Color Accessibility On The Web: To promote inclusive excellence for a brand, digital technology professionals, web developers, and graphic designers should focus on building inclusive and accessible digital platforms. Color accessibility is one of the vital elements in digital accessibility that deserves more attention. Here are some valuable tips to improve color accessibility on the web.
|
|
|
|
Transition to Adult Life/Youth |
Autism Dating Show Wins Emmy Award: A documentary series following the dating experiences of young adults with autism is the winner of multiple Emmys. Read more about the show.
|
|
|
|
How Toxic Stress Affects Child Development: Toxic stress increases a child’s risk of developing emotional, behavioral, and cognitive problems. It can also trigger serious disease. How? Recent research reveals how sever, chronic stress “gets under the skin” - dis-regulating hormones, turning genes “on” and “off” and altering a child’s brain. Read more.
|
|
|
|
ABOUT THE REGION A PARENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER
The Navigating Excellence-Parent Assistance and Collaboration Team (NE-PACT), the Region A Technical Assistance Center, provides technical assistance to federally-funded parent centers -- Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs) - NEPACT Logolocated in the states of CT-AFCAMP, CT-CPAC, DC-AJE, DE-PIC, MD-PPMD, ME-MPF, MA-FCSN, NH-PIC, NJ-SPAN, NJ-ASCF, NY-AFC, NY-CIDA, NY-LIAC, NY-UWS, NY-Starbridge, NY-INCLUDEnyc, NY-Sinergia, NY-PNWNY, PA-HUNE, PA- ME, PA-PEAL, PR-APNI, RI-RIPIN, VI-DRVI and VT-VFN. These Parent Centers are independent non-profit organizations. We also provide support to emerging parent centers and parent organizations serving families of children with or at risk of being identified as having disabilities. In addition, we work with early intervention and education agencies (local, state and federal level) seeking information regarding best practices in involving parents of children with disabilities in systems improvement.
The center activities are specifically designed to:
- Enhance the capacity of parent centers to provide effective services to families of children with special needs and to work effectively with their states to improve special education and early intervention systems; and,
- Facilitate their connections to the larger technical assistance network that supports research-based training, including educating parents about effective practices that improve results for children with disabilities. For more information click here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
