If you have used our services, please take our survey! |
|
What is the Center for Exceptional Families?
We are a non profit made up of mentors, parents, and advocates who strive for positive outcomes for those with disabilities, including their families. Some of the services we provide are:
|
|
Knowledgeable Parent Mentors
Our mentors are parents of children with disabilities. They have life and work experiences plus training that make them uniquely qualified to help parents and schools work together to improve outcomes for children with disabilities.
|
|
Information
We provide information for caregivers of children with disabilities like resources, presentations, workshops, and other materials. We also connect with schools and other community organizations.
|
|
Family Fun
TCFEF is proud to present Sensory Cinema in Jonesboro, which allows caregivers, and children and adults with disabilities to watch movies in a sensory friendly environment. We hope to expand this program to more cities.
|
|
A Note from the Director's Desk |
Spring is finally on its way! I am thankful I live in a place that has four seasons. The changes that come with each one gives me a chance to pause, look inward and assess where I am and where I need to be. Spring is my favorite season for this reflection. It is the season of new beginnings, do-overs, and making everything new and fresh.
That applies to my role as a parent of a person with disabilities as well. I constantly assess his situation to be sure, but the springtime brings a different level of urgency to my to-do list for him. As a parent who, for many years, kept an IEP notebook, spring was a chance to begin again; refresh the goals for him and set our mark. A chance to ramp up my advocacy on his behalf. It’s a time to check his records and make changes to his plan of care.
As a parent of a school-aged child with disabilities, consider spring as your time to ramp up as well. Check the IEP and make sure the goals are on track to be met by annual review. Get your thoughts in order so that you can verbalize your desires for the new school year at the annual review. Check the contents of your IEP notebook and get ready to move the out-of-date documents to the filing cabinet for storage. Call your summertime therapy providers and snag that coveted time slot that every mom is after. If extended school year programming is discussed for your student, make sure your schedule can accommodate. Spring brings new beginnings and renewed strength to carry out all that we are called to do. I am thankful for changing seasons.
Welcome Spring!
-Shelby Knight
|
|
|
Spring Tips from Your Parent Mentors |
|
Spring means spring cleaning, the ending of winter, and beginning of warmer weather! But, here at TCFEF, we are thinking about the end of the school year, the beginning of the next one, and what you can do to get organized and be prepared for those IEP meetings! |
|
 |
Michele Lappin
Get prepared by thinking about ESYP (Extended School Year Program). Some children with disabilities qualify for services during the summer. This is not the same as summer school and each school may have a different ESYP program. ESYP is based on whether or not a child needs to maintain progress and lessen the chance of regression by receiving summer services to ensure access to FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education). If you notice your child regressing at school after a holiday, it may be a good idea to see if your child would benefit from these services.
|
|
|
|
Teresa Hendrix
With the beginning of spring, things can get very busy for school staff! There are only 2.5 months left to get everything done! Don't forget to take some time to rest and relax. Keep an eye out for the signs of burnout like exhaustion, low self-esteem, job dissatisfaction, depression, etc. Reach out to your support system at home and school! Know that you are not alone and your physical and mental health matters!
|
|
|
|
|
Karen Lutrick
Get prepared for your child to transition to high school or beyond high school! When developing a youth transition plan for your child remember that it "is based on the individual child's needs, taking into account the child's strengths, preferences, and interests; and includes - instruction; community experiences; related services; the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives; and if appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and provision of a functional vocational evaluation." (IDEA Sec. 300.43a2i-v)
|
|
|
|
Loreena Hegenbart
Get prepared for the annual review and next school year! The Parent Input Statement is vital! An honest to goodness Parent Input Statement should state your hopes and dreams for your child. It should answer some of these questions: Where do you see your child after high school? What challenges or concerns do you have? What are your child’s strengths and weaknesses? What do you do at home to assist your child with homework, computer work, daily living activities, hobbies, etc. Remember your child is precious, unique and unrepeatable!
|
|
|
|
Arkansas State Personnel Development Grant |
|
|
|
TCFEF Parent Mentor Teresa Hendrix will present a pilot training on RTI (Response to Intervention) on March 28th and 29th. Once this is complete, the training will be used to create more trainings that will be accessible to families and school staff across Arkansas! |
|
|
State or Local Disability News |
|
Prepare to Purple Up for April!! |
Purple Up Day is in April and it's a time to show support for the military with different school activities. Our April newsletter will highlight some of them! There are many military families who have children with disabilities. If your school would like to become a Purple Star School, click to learn more! |
|
|
|
The Center for Exceptional Families' Events |
|
|
|
Sensory Cinema in Jonesboro! |
We will be doing our Sensory Cinema on April 9th at 9:30 AM at the Malco Towne Cinema in Jonesboro. We will be watching Sonic the Hedgehog 2! Come join us! Tickets are $11 each and include popcorn and drink. Cash payment only. Adults with disabilities living in a group home or developmental center can watch the movie FREE! |
|
|
|
Arkansas Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities Meeting
March 10th, Time and Location TBD
|
|
Celebrate Developmental Disability Awareness Month with Annual Pie Day
March 14th, 10AM-1PM in Little Rock
|
|
Easter Seals Arkansan of the Year Gala
March 15th, 6 PM-till in Little Rock
|
|
Adults on the Autism Spectrum Meeting
March 26th from 10:30 AM-12:00 PM Little Rock Library
100 Rock Street Little Rock, AR
Call in option: 1-512-647-1431 Pin: 1499 1165 50#
|
|
Webinars, Presentations, Workshops |
|
Supporting Children and Youth with Brain Injury Webinar
March 15th, 2:00-3:00 PM CST
Join The Center for Exceptional Families, Brain Injury Specialist Amy Goddard from the Arkansas Department of Education, and Public Health Educator Kristen Alexander from UAMS for a discussion on brain injury in kids and what support and services are available at school and in the community.
|
|
|
A to Zzzzs of Sleep and Autism
Webinar by (AIR-P) Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health
March 15th, 4-5:00 PM EST
|
|
|
|
Annual Disability Statistics and State of Science Conferences presented by Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics
March 10-11th, 12-1:00 PM ET
|
|
|
|
Project Search Virtual Open House
March 8th, at 5:00 PM CST
Provided by Friendship Community Care, Project SEARCH is now accepting applications for the 2022-2023 program year! Project SEARCH is a 9-month program for young adults (ages 18-34) with disabilities, looking to gain competitive employment within the community. Interns will complete three internship rotations within Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center, along with classroom instruction focusing on job skills necessary to succeed within the workplace.
|
|
March is
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month!
|
|
The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities will celebrate this month with the theme Worlds Imagined. Share the art logo anywhere and share the hash tag #DDAM2022 on social media. You can also help by sharing your resources to be included in their resource guide!! Spread the word and think of ways your family, school, or community can highlight Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month!
|
|
Ways to Support Our Center! |
|
Support TCFEF with a Facebook Birthday Fundraiser! To learn more Click here!
|
|
|
You can support us when shopping for groceries at Kroger! What are you waiting for? Click here!
|
|
Searching online? Use Microsoft Bing and support TCFEF! Doesn't get any easier than that! Click here!
|
|
Want to help more directly? Consider a tax- deductible donation directly to our organization through Paypal! Click here!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
