JOIN OUR MAILING LIST:

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/g2eFp7v

Welcome to our new Parent to Parent staff member!

Shaunte'

Hello Families, 



My name is Shaunté Johnson and I am thrilled to join the P2P Team! I'm a wife of 17 years, a homeschool mother of 3 exceptional children, Kaine-Carter (9yo/boy), Apollo-Kahn (6yo/boy), and Blade-Milan (4yo/girl who's going on 14).

Apollo-Kahn is our enthusiastic ball of energy who is autistic. We see autism as one of the greatest gifts to our family and have enjoyed riding his wave of neurodivergence.

I am thrilled to meet you all individually and collectively and serve you as the new staff member.

See you soon! 

SJ 

About Your Sexuality

a puberty and sexuality course designed for youth on the spectrum

Mondays for 8 weeks: Oct 16, 25, 30, and Nov 6

Time: 4:45 - 6:30 pm

Children’s Village - 3801 Kern Road, Yakima, WA 98902

Appropriate for Middle School/early High School aged kids (about age 12-15)

Course provided in English

8 week course, adapted from asdsexed.org

Topics include puberty and sexuality, relationships, self care

Youth must attend in person sessions

There will also be a few parent sessions offered, as well as parent education materials to accompany every lesson.

For more contact: corinnam@yvfwc.org

Dear Families and Friends of Children’s Village:

After serving 26 years as the founding Medical Director at Children’s Village, Dr. Diane Liebe made her final rounds on September 1 before embarking on a new adventure: retirement.

Dr. Liebe began when the doors opened at Children’s Village in 1997 performing developmental evaluations one day per week. Under her collaborative leadership, innovation, and genuine care for patients, access has grown from one day per week with just Dr. Liebe’s care to a full slate of patients being evaluated daily by four providers. "The unique thing about Children’s Village is that it’s not static," Dr. Liebe shared. "It responds and adapts to address the community’s concerns and needs."

Dr. Liebe has ensured kids with special health care needs have access to care, support, and opportunities to thrive through Children’s Village, leaving a permanent mark on the lives of thousands of families across our community and region.

She has led countless families through periods of uncertainty and made a true difference in the lives of our friends and neighbors. "Dr. Liebe was so compassionate and understanding helping not only my son Austin, but me as well, transition and navigate through the challenges of our everyday lives after his 2009 ADHD diagnosis and 2013 autism diagnosis," said Shonna Stroud. "We will never forget the kindness and guidance we received from Dr. Leibe."

We invite you to celebrate with us in honoring Dr. Liebe’s retirement by contributing to support the continuation of her work as a champion for children’s health. You can make a donation in her honor to the overall need for the Children’s Health and Medical Programs campaign which is currently raising funds and awareness to expand Children’s Village and upgrade the Family Birthplace at MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital.

If you are interested in donating, please visit

https://www.memfound.org/dr-liebe-tribute

or call our office at 509-576-5794.

You may also mail a check with "Dr. Liebe Tribute" in the memo to:

 Memorial Foundation

3111 Tieton Drive

Yakima, WA 98902

If you would like to specify a designated area for your gift,

please call our office and ask for Mary Lynne Brewington. 

With Gratitude,

Erin Black 

Chief Executive Officer

Memorial Foundation

OPPORTUNITIES INDUSTRIALIZATION CENTER

(OIC) OF WASHINGTON

Open Enrollment – Energy Assistance Open enrollment for energy assistance is now available! OIC of Washington Energy Assistance provides assistance to eligible low-income households with their heating and cooling energy costs, bill payment assistance, and energy crisis assistance. To be eligible the participant must live within the Upper Yakima Valley, Grant, or Adams counties, fall within the income guidelines, show proof of income for the previous 3 months, and provide proof of identification for every member of the home.

To schedule an appointment please call (509) 955-7100

or please visit one of our locations. Clients of Upper Yakima County can visit us at

815 Fruitvale Boulevard, Yakima, Washington 98902

Talk to your teens and young adults about Fentanyl!

https://wafriendsforlife.com/recognize-and-respond

Stickers - $5.00

Does your car or water bottle need some swag?

Children's Village is raising money for our expansion project

that starts this Fall!

Stop by the Parent to Parent office to pick one up!

https://champscampaign.org/

Book Recommendations from Muffin - the Children's Village Librarian!

This is a free, colorfully illustrated and cheerful online book for children with

Spina Bifida, their friends and families. It not only includes a story about Eddie, a young boy with SB (and his very special stuffed animal companion "Biff"!), but also has several fun activity pages for the kids to enjoy, and a series of related "Tips Pages" for adults on movement, diet, scars and more. These help parents and caregivers take advantage of the natural opportunities created while doing the activities to talk with their young child and answer their questions about

Spina Bifida.

Available to view online in English: ( https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/7405635/my-spina-bifida-book-right-under-my-nose-a-story-for-children-)

View in a printable version (PDF):

English http://www.myspinabifidabook.org/

Spanish http://www.milibrodeespinabifida.org/

DDA Family Advisory Council

The Department of Social and Health Services’ Developmental Disabilities Administration is excited to announce the creation of the DDA Family Advisory Council. This Council reflects DDA’s ongoing commitment to have those with lived experience help guide our work.

The DDA Guiding Values (Inclusion ~ Status and Contribution ~ Relationships Power and Choice ~ Health and Safety ~ Competence) drive the services and supports available in Washington state, and we recognize that family members and self-advocates are at the heart of these values.

The mission of the Family Advisory Council will be to ensure that the programs, policies and procedures of DDA reflect the experiences, wisdom and advocacy of the family members of DDA eligible clients. 

Council members will have opportunities to provide suggestions on how to improve the quality and effectiveness of our programs, while DDA staff will seek input from the Council to ensure robust, transparent, accessible communication with eligible individuals and their families.

Please click the link below for more information and to apply.

https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WADSHSDDA/2023/09/15/file_attachments/2616720/DDA%20Family%20Advisory%20Council%20Solicitation%20LP.pdf

Sharing from the

Washington State Military Department’s Emergency Management Division

Washington EMD has published a Prepare in a Year booklet

https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WADSHSDDA/2023/09/11/file_attachments/2611168/EMD%20Preparedness%20Calendar.pdf

 that will help walk you through 12 important steps for disaster preparedness. It’s as simple as completing one preparedness activity a month. By the end of 12 months, if you do the one activity a month you and your family will be much better prepared for possible emergencies and disasters. By completing the monthly activity outlined in the Prepare in a Year calendar you will also begin thinking of disaster preparedness not as a checkbox, something to do once and never again, but rather a continual process of learning, restocking supplies and encouraging others to be prepared.  One hour of disaster preparedness activity a month, will help you be two weeks ready for disasters. 

https://informingfamilies.org

Supports for Individuals through Waiver Services

Informing Families has a newly updated webpage covering the five Home and Community-Based Waivers from DDA. The Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) offers five Home and Community Based waivers. These waivers offer many different services that can provide to support to individuals and their needs in a person-centered way.

To learn more visit https://informingfamilies.org/waiverservices/

Center for Parent Information & Resources

Least Restrictive Environment

Summarizing LRE In basic terms, LRE refers to the setting where a child with a disability can receive an appropriate education designed to meet his or her educational needs, alongside peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate.

https://www.parentcenterhub.org/wp-content/uploads/repo_items/considering-lre-in-placement.pdf

Get four free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests this fall by visiting this website: https://www.covid.gov/tests

Need help placing an order for your at-⁠home tests?

Call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489)

Every U.S. household may place an order to receive four free COVID-⁠19 rapid tests delivered directly to your home.

Partners for Housing was awarded a project through Dan Thompson funds to make available a FREE Residential Assessment for families

that are beginning the process of identifying housing and residential options for their son or daughter. It’s a fantastic way to help families understand what they need to think about and how to start the process of “moving out”. Pam’s team then offers free consultation that includes a benefits analysis when going over the residential assessment results with families. 

This has proven to be a real invaluable tool for families needing to “make the move” to a loved one living independent from the family home.

Residential Assessment link: https://arcwa.org/partners4housing/