| |
Navigating Excellence - Parent Center Assistance & Collaboration Team
Region A E-News
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Inspirational Quote
"As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others." ~ Maya Angelou
|
|
Message from Carolyn & Diana
 As Parent Centers, we are in the business of helping others, but we can't do that if we don't take the time to help ourselves. These are challenging times, and while we must focus time and energy on ensuring that families get the information and support they need to navigate early intervention, special education, and transition to adult life, we must also be sure to focus time and energy on taking care of ourselves. So take those early morning walks, luxuriate in a bubble bath, dance and listen to your favorite music, spend virtual time with family and friends, and reach out to us if we can be of any assistance!
|
|
Featuring...
HUNE: The Pennsylvania Department of Education has provided some resources on COVID-19. Click here for more information.
NH PIC: NH PIC is hosting Parent Cafes for parents of young children to connect virtually to discuss the joys, challenges, and lessons learned in their parenting journeys. Find out more.
NH PIC is also hosting "Your Child to the Hospital during Covid-19" Webinar: Do you have questions and/or concerns regarding taking your child to the hospital right now? Wondering how you should prepare them or be prepared yourself? Are you concerned with how your child will be kept safe but also concerned with your reluctance to make a trip to the hospital? Click here for more information.
|
|
Upcoming Events/Dates to Remember
Monthly Drop In Call
: The next Region A Drop In Call will take place on Tuesday, June 2, 10:00am -
12:00pm
. Our regular calls take place on the first Tuesday of every month. Check your calendar invite for additional details. Join the call. Please let us know no later than Monday, June 1 if you have any agenda items.
COVID-19 Drop-In Calls
: The next call will be on Tuesday, June 16, 10:00am - 12:00pm. On these calls we will discuss what is happening in your state, address any new developments, and identify any help you need that we can support. Check your calendar invite for additional details. Join the call.
REACH & NE-PACT Forums:
We're going virtual! Our 2-day in person meetings will be replaced by virtual meetings on the following dates. All sessions are on Tuesdays from 10:00am - 11:15am. More to come!
- REACH: Session 1 - June 9th | Session 2 - June 23rd
- NE-PACT: Session 1 - July 14th | Session 2 - July 28th | Session 3 - August 11th | Session 4 - August 25th
RAISE Transition Summit
: From Surviving to Thriving in our New Virtual Reality. Please join us for professional development, networking, and sharing as we work together to improve transition outcomes for young adults with disabilities. Wednesday, June 10, 2020- 1pm - 4pm ET.
Register here!
|
|
|
Non-Profit Management Resources
Finding the Opportunity in Economic Chaos:
What a challenging time to be running a non-profit! Check out this resource from the First Nonprofit Foundation.
|
| Family-Centered Services Resources
|
|
Staff Development Resources
A Guide to Managing Your (Newly) Remote Workers: How can we manage remote workers more effectively? Check it out.
|
Youth-Centered Services Resources
Kids As Self-Advocates/Youth As Self-Advocates:
This collection of resources was created by youth, for youth, about education. Check it out.
|
Absenteeism
Chronic Absenteeism in the time of Coronavirus:
The spread of coronavirus, the need for "social distancing," and the shuttering of schools in most states leads inevitably to the matter of school attendance. Given that many of the same states closing schools are holding schools accountable for student absenteeism, will the fast-moving virus wreak havoc on this important metric?
Read more.
|
Bi-lingual/LEP
Should we start next school year early, and make it longer? Starting the 2020-21 school year early and lengthening the calendar into next summer may be the best way to provide equity for students and narrow achievement gaps that have w
idened during coronavirus closures.
Read more
.
|
Bullying
Bullying and LGBTQ Youth
: Many suicides by youth who are LGBTQ were preceded by intensive bullying, a recent study finds. Check it out.
|
Child Welfare
Guidance on Caseworker Visits During Teleconferencing
: This letter from the Children's Bureau of the Administration on Children and Families outlines new policy changes to allow videoconferencing for monthly caseworker visits due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to changes related to program improvement plans, title IV-E reviews, and more. Check it out.
|
Cultural Competence
Cultural Competence Learning Guide:
Although this was developed as an individual activity, it can be easily incorporated into team meetings, professional development opportunities, or other departmental work. You may find it valuable to complete the activity portion independently, and come together to offer each other coaching and feedback to collaboratively improve your culturally competent practice. Check out this learning guide by Culture Vision.
|
Data
The Condition of Education: Students with Disabilities: T
he National Center for Education Statistics puts out
The Condition of Education 2020
, an annual report mandated by the U.S. Congress that summarizes the latest data on education in the United States. This report uses data from across the center and from other sources and is designed to help policymakers and the public monitor educational progress. This year's report includes 47 indicators on topics ranging from prekindergarten through postsecondary education, as well as labor force outcomes and international comparisons. Read the Executive Summary.
|
Discipline & Positive Behavior Supports
The Hidden Costs of Suspension: How Can Kids Learn if they are not in School?
Check out this story map
from the National Center for Education Statistics.
|
Dispute Resolution
Due Process Rights: What You Need to Know:
Understood has an easy-to-understand summary of the due process system under IDEA. Check it out.
|
Dropout Prevention
Preventing Students from Dropping Out During COVID-19 School Closures: With high school graduation rates up and dropout rates down over the past decade, educators are concerned that school closures could hurt this progress. REL West's BethAnn Berliner spoke with one of the nation's leading dropout prevention scholars, Dr. Russell W. Rumberger, to discuss students vulnerable to dropping out.
Read about it.
|
Early Childhood/Early Intervention
IFSP/IEP Outcomes Integration
:
The Early Childhood TA Center has resources on integrating IFSP and IEP outcomes. The purpose is to make child and family outcomes measurement more efficient and effective by integrating those processes with IFSP and IEP development and implementation.
|
Equity
Digital Inequality and Low-Income Households: COVID-19 has exposed what many of us have known for some time - that there are huge digital inequality gaps in our society. This article puts facts behind the anecdotal evidence.
|
Foster Care
Foster Children with Disabilities or Medical Issues:
Roughly one-third of the children in foster care have diagnosed disabilities. Once placed in foster care, kids with disabilities can experience further deterioration in their health if their foster care placements aren't able to meet their particular needs. Foster children with a disability tend to be less successful in obtaining a permanent placement, and they're also frequent victims of abuse. Read more.
|
Grandparents as Caregivers
A Child-Focused Paid Parental Leave Policy for the U.S. (Press release) Institute for Family Studies
-
A Child-Focused Paid Parental Leave Policy for the U.S., a new policy brief by the Institute for Family Studies (IFS), is authored by IFS research fellow Lyman Stone, and Center for Public Justice resident fellow and director of the Family Values Initiative, Rachel Anderson. "A Child-Focused Paid Parental Leave Policy lays out a blueprint for a parental leave program that actually works: for families, for employers, and most especially for kids," says report co-author Lyman Stone.
|
Immigrant
COVID-19 Outbreaks May Arise from Immigrant Detention Centers, Doctors Say: More than 4,000 doctors are urging U.S. Immigration and Customs officials to release individuals and families from immigration detention due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Read more.
|
Inclusion
 An inclusive response to COVID-19: Education for children with disabilities: What if the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic served as an opportunity to re-think how emergency education planning can be inclusive of children with disabilities? Isn't this global crisis presenting a unique opportunity to rethink the need for accessible and inclusive education? Here are some of the ways we can move the Post COVID-19 agenda forward to make education truly disability inclusive.
Check it out.
|
Juvenile Delinquency/Juvenile Justice
HEROES Act and Juvenile Justice: National youth justice advocates and stakeholders applaud House lawmakers for including provisions to protect some of our most vulnerable youth - those involved in the youth justice system - in the HEROES Act.
Learn more.
|
LGBTQ
Bullying and LGBTQ Youth
: Many suicides by youth who are LGBTQ were preceded by intensive bullying, a recent study finds. Check it out.
|
Mental Health
How Confinement During the Pandemic Has Affected Spain's Children: Families everywhere can take lessons from Spain as it struggles to help children cope.
Read more.
|
Military Families & Youth
Military Family Moves during COVID-19:
Check out this article on military kids/schools and PCS moves during pandemic.
|
Native American
Student-Centered Digital Learning Activities: The National Indian Education Association has partnered with IllumiNative to create and disseminate digital education tools, lesson plans, and resources for more than 1 million students and families. Resources will be available for free and downloadable.
Click here for more information.
|
Parent/Family Engagement (and Youth!)
Infographics for Parent Involvement:
Check out these 8 infographics on parent involvement including ways that parents can help their children with spelling, reading and math; tips for teachers on facilitating parent engagement; and the impact of parent involvement on academic achievement, among others.
|
| Poverty
Visualizations on Poverty:
The US Census Bureau has developed informative visualizations on poverty. Check it out.
|
Social-Emotional Learning
Parents Struggle to find Resources, Fit into New Role as their Children's Teacher:
Check out this article on the struggles parents are having to support their even more critical role as their child's teacher
|
Technology
Apply the Science of Narrative to Reach Underserved Populations:
Given the inequitable impacts of the current crisis surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, it's more important than ever that we communicate with vulnerable populations. Read more.
|
Transition to Adult Life/Youth
Six Core Elements of Healthcare Transition:
Got Transition, the National Transition TA Center funded by the US Maternal and Child Health Bureau, has developed a table on the six core elements of healthcare transition. Check it out.
|
|
| |
|
|
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) -  located 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.
|
|
|
