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Donations are used to support Colorado's adoptive families.
In This Issue
Smile & Donate!
Sensory Friendly Events
Members of Congress
Adoption Data
Adoption Awareness Month
CDHS Survey
Sibling Relationships
PEP Conferences
Openness in Adoption
Adult Autism
Autism Blood Test
Run/Walk 5K Run
Support Groups

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CLASSROOM

It's the Most Wonderful Time 
of the Year 
Workshop & Party
Friday
December 7, 2018
9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Unity Spiritual Center
3021 S University Blvd
Denver CO 80210
Contact CSFPA for more info at 303-463-7989 or by email at [email protected]

TBRI® Caregiver Training

 
Correcting Principles - Addressing Fear-Based Behaviors
December 7, 2018

2019 TBRI® Caregiver Training
TBRI® Intro & Overview

January 25, 2019
May 17, 2019
August 2, 2019
November 15, 2019


TBRI® Caregiver Training 
Full Series

March 13-15, 2019
June 19-21, 2019
September 18-20, 2019
December 4-6, 2019


WEBINARS

The Nuts & Bolts: 
Parenting for Attachment
Wednesday
November 7, 2018
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Kinship Dynamics
Wednesday
November 28, 2018
Noon - 1:30 pm.

CONFERENCES

Relatives Raising Children
Building Your Caregiving Toolkit
Friday
November 16, 2018
8:30 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Adams County Government Center
4430 S Adams County Pkwy
Brighton, CO
Breakfast & lunch included

Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools 2019 Conference
February 17-19, 2019
Washington Hilton
Washington, D.C.

NACAC 2019 Conference
July 17-20, 2019
Las Vegas, NV

AMC Autism Logo  
Sensory Friendly Films
  
AMC Theatres (AMC) and the Autism Society have teamed up to bring families affected by autism and other disabilities a special opportunity to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment on a monthly basis with the "Sensory Friendly Films" program. 

Participating theatres:
 
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Saturday
November 10, 2018

Bohemian Rhapsody
Tuesday
November 13, 2018

Dr Seuss' The Grinch
Saturday
November 24, 2018
 
Fantastic Beasts:
The Crimes of Grindelwald
Tuesday
November 27, 2018



Sensory Friendly Events 

Longmont Get Air Trampoline Park
2251 Ken Pratt Blvd, 
Longmont, CO 80501
Every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Big Air - $13, Little Air - $9
Dedicated time just for jumpers with special needs. Music is played at a lower volume and the park's atmosphere is calmer. One parent or guardian can support jumpers on the trampoline for free. Siblings of jumpers are welcome to jump for the same price but should be more careful during this time.

*A Special Time Just For You is not available during blackout dates or holidays.
 
Chuck E Cheese Sensory Sensitive Sundays
Sunday, October 7 (1st Sunday of every month)
9:00 - 11:00
Select Chuck E Cheese locations below will be open 2 hours early on the first Sunday of every month, specifically for children with autism and other special needs. 
 
* Reduced lighting and noise
* Food and games offered
* Trained and caring staff 
 
COLORADO SPRINGS
2925 GEYSER DRIVE

FT COLLINS
105 W PROSPECT RD

LITTLETON
7510 PARKWAY DR

SUPERIOR
305 MARSHALL ROAD
 
CO Springs - SF Storytime Pikes Peak Library District: 21C
2nd Monday of every month
1:30 - 2:00pm
 
1175 Chapel Hills Dr., 
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
 
Sensory Story Time : Interactive story time that is especially welcoming for children on the autism spectrum and families who are looking for a smaller, more adaptive library experience. Call 719.884.9800 x6310 if you have any questions.
 
 
Denver Aquarium Low Sensory Morning
2nd Sunday of every month
8:30 - 9:45am
 
Downtown Aquarium
700 Water St
Denver, CO 80211, USA

Denver Aquarium has started offering a low-sensory morning with our ambient sounds and the flash flood exhibit turned off and lights turned up for a calmer, quieter time for any families that need it.  Sounds and lights get turned back on at 9:45am for the regular business day. 

The cost is the regular ticket price at our box office. 
Adults (12 - 64) are $20.50, Seniors (65+) are $19.50, Children (3-11) are $14.50
2 and under are free

 
Resources for Contacting Members of Congress

Find your legislators online:


Call the U.S. Capitol Switch Board to Connect with your legislators office by phone:
(202) 224-3121

A switchboard operator with connect you directly with a legislators office that you request. 
Adoption Data

Using information collected through various monitoring and reporting systems, the Children's Bureau analyzes and reports data on a variety of topics, including adoption, foster care, and child abuse and neglect.

FREE RESOURCES
Looking for books or movies about adoption?  Or how to deal with school-related adoption issues?  

 
VOTE!!!

Your child's safety and welfare depend on you...vote to ensure the best for YOUR children.

To see your polling places and your voting status, click here, and enter your information.

Hoping for a bright future for everyone,
Colleen Tarket, 
COCAF Board of Directors
Adoption Awareness Month 2018 

I ts Adoption Awareness Month 2018 #NAM2018. The  2018 National Adoption Month website is now live-and full of outreach tools and resources to help professionals and families support the initiative this November. 

This year, the  Children's Bureau, in collaboration with  Child Welfare Information Gateway and  AdoptUSKids, is focusing on elevating the voices of teenagers with experience in foster care. They aim to amplify the empowering work that many young people are already doing in their communities to help raise awareness and influence adoption practice and policy. See how teenagers can use their voices to shape the future of child welfare with their  Resources for Youth.

CDHS Survey 

Congress passed the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) in February. This Act will change the way that child welfare works by putting more emphasis on preventative services. Specifically, FFPSA:

~includes historic reforms to help keep children and youth safely with their families and emphasizes the importance of children and youth growing up in families. 

~helps ensure that when foster care is needed, children and youth are placed in the least restrictive, most family-like setting appropriate to their needs.

~emphasizes that serving children and youth should include the people who are important to them, including siblings, birth parents, kin, foster and adoptive parents. 

~will offer a way to get funding through grants to help find and keep foster families.

~encourages extending or expanding services to older youth who are in the independent living program

~supports kin by encouraging programs that help them navigate the system.

Colorado wants your perspective on how we can improve the child welfare system. Please take 10-15 minutes to complete this survey. Colorado will be considering all recommendations. 

Your responses will be kept anonymous and confidential. There will be an opportunity to be entered for a drawing for 1 of 4 $25 gift cards at the end of the survey by entering your email address. Your answers will be anonymous and confidential even if you choose to enter your contact information to be entered in the drawing.
 

Sibling Relationships 
From the Child Information Gateway

Recognizing that sibling relationships play a relevant role in a child's social, emotional, and behavioral well-being, Federal law requires child welfare agencies to make a "reasonable effort" to place siblings together in foster care, kinship care, or adoption. Indeed, research has consistently highlighted the benefits of sibling placement, which is generally associated with more positive outcomes. Children who share a foster home with a brother\sister tend to experience more stability and a have a greater chance for adoption, guardianship, or reunification.    

However, even when this guiding principle for placement is not in a child's best interests, protecting these ties and safeguarding family relationships remains a priority. Similar studies have also documented the positive effect of regular ongoing contact between siblings that are separated. If connecting is safe and appropriate, caseworkers and foster parents can help build, support, and preserve these bonds by arranging for regular visits, fun activities, or other types of contact (emailing, messaging, video chatting, etc.). Encouraging children to identify, express, and address feelings of grief or other emotions that may arise from these interactions may also help overcome challenges and improve the quality of the sibling relationship. 

A number of products in the published literature have focused on practice guidelines and strategies to assist professionals in meeting the needs of siblings in foster care. The following resources provide an overview of these issues from various perspectives:
 

 
PEP Conferences 

Colorado families who have a child with a disability and directors of special education, principals, special education teachers, general education teachers, related service providers, health care and other Colorado professionals interested in the family and school partnership who work with children or youth with disabilities are invited to attend the 2018-2019 Parents Encouraging Parents (PEP) Conferences!
 
PEP Conferences are designed to promote family and school partnerships that are essential in supporting students with disabilities and their families in schools and the community. PEP brings families and professionals together by sharing ideas, discussing concerns, celebrating successes and obtaining information related to parenting, educating and partnering to support student learning. PEP is a non-specific disability conference that focuses on commonalities. PEP Conferences are offered at no cost to attendees.
 
Each PEP conference is held from 5:30 PM Thursday through 3:30 PM Saturday. The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) pays for lodging for registered participants, but does not pay for meals. In order to enable more families and professionals to participate, PEP Conferences are scheduled throughout Colorado.
 
Sessions:
  • Parenting a Child with a Disability and Rebuilding Dreams 
  • The Law and the Education of Children with Disabilities 
  • Living with a Disability 
  • Individualized Education Program (IEP) 
  • Early Childhood Supports and Services 
  • High School Transition IEP and more!
 
2018 - 2019 PEP Dates:
  • January 24 - 26, 2019 - Grand Junction, CO
  • March 7 - 9, 2019 - Colorado Springs, CO
 
To learn more about PEP Conferences and to register, please click on: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdesped/PEP.asp, or call the PEP Hotline at (303) 866-6846. Please contact Kari Easterly at (720) 634-6886, for more information.
Openness in Adoption 

The Donaldson Adoption Institute has created a training curriculum on openness in adoption. This 7-hour training program is free. 

 
Adult Autism and Access to Services 
From disabilityscoop

As more children with autism enter adulthood, new research finds that residing with family may predict more than anything how much access they have to services.


Autism Blood Test 
From disabilityscoop

Starting in November, the first blood test for autism will be available to the public.

NeuroPointDX is commercially launching its NPDX AA test, a blood plasma test that screens for certain metabolic markers that the company has linked to autism spectrum disorder.
 
The biomarkers show a variation in the way the bodies of children with autism process certain amino acids. They can be found in children as young as 18 months, NeuroPointDX president and CEO Elizabeth Donley said.
 

EVENTS 
2018 Denver Fall Feast
Saturday, November 10, 2018, 10:00 - 2:00 p.m.
National Western Stock Show Complex
4655 Humboldt St, Denver, CO

Enjoy free lunch, haircut, health services, clothing & backpack giveaway, kids activities, and entertainment! Everyone is welcome.
 

Support Groups

Sometimes our children provide us with challenges that we're just not quite ready to handle.  And sometimes support groups can help us find the answers we need, or at least make us feel okay about the unique challenges we're facing.  Here are some support groups that might be helpful.

Boulder Valley Christian Church
Support group for foster and adoptive moms
Tuesdays, 10:00 am to noon
Facilitated by Lisa Firle, MA., LPCC
Boulder Valley Christian Church, 7100 S. Boulder Road, Boulder.
For more info or to register: [email protected]

Parents of Children with PTSD
First Friday of the month, 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
464 Inca St, Denver, CO 80204
$25 per person or $40 couple
Some scholarships are available.
For more information, contact Jan Tomski at [email protected] or by phone at 303-881-7630.

Adult Adoptee Support Group
Every 1st & 3rd Thursday, 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sondermind, Suite 12, 100 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, CO 80302
Cost $25-$35

Jefferson County Kids Group
Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian, 11500 W. 20th Ave, Lakewood 
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.. 
RSVP to Mindy Beckler at 303-432-5205

North Adams Grandfamily Support Group
Third Thursday of the month 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Zion Lutheran Church, Fellowship Hall, 14th & Skeel, Brighton, CO RSVP to Elaine Riedl at 303-912-8337.

Fathers Forever
2nd & 4th Thursdays
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Resilience Center,  1298 Peoria St,  Aurora, CO  80011
For more information, contact Don Reynolds (720-353-6103) or Aaron Lockwood (303-901-4486).
 
Grandparent & Kinship Support Group
2nd & 4th Wednesdays
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Aurora Mental Health Center, Viewpoint Office, Lotus Room
11059 E Bethany Dr., Aurora, CO  80014
For more information, contact Aline Ratliff (303-885-5163).
 
Foster Care & Adoptive Parents Support Group
Last Sunday of every month from 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Discovery Church,  2605 W 144th Ave, Broomfield, CO  80023
For more information, email [email protected] . 
  
Online Support Group for Adoptive, Foster, & Kinship Parents
Second Tuesday of the Month
Morning session 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Evening session 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Session includes a short presentation followed by a discussion.  
Email Deb Felio at
for the toll-free number and access code.
 
Adoptive Parents Support Group
1st Tuesday of the month   
5:30pm-7:00pm
Supervised activities and group therapy for children
Lakewood Nazarene Church
Lakewood, CO
RSVP to Family Support Specialist, Mindi Bekler, 720-251-5876

Teen & Tween Adoption Support for Parents
Potluck
2nd & 4th Monday of each month
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Resilience Center
1298 Peoria St
Aurora, C O 80011

Young Adult Mental Illness Support Group
For ages 18-28
1st & 3rd Thursday of every month
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
1st week Classroom F-G
3rd week Classroom E
St Anthony Hospital
11600 W 2nd Dr
Lakewood, CO 80228
Contact Courtney at 720-369-2629 for more information.  
  
Welcome Child Adoption/Foster Care Support Group
Second Sunday of the month
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Timberline Church, Room 214
2908 S. Timberline Road
Fort Collins, CO  80525
For more information contact Michele Sanner by email at mlsanner@gmail.com or by phone at (970) 481-5749.

Xpress Yourself Art & Play Therapy  
Support groups for internationally adopted children & adolescents
CCAI
6920 S. Holly Circle
Centennial, CO 80112
Call 303-850-9998, ext 22

Called to Adopt Support Group
4th Saturday of the month, 6:00 p.m.,
Christ Community Church, Greeley, CO

The Men's Group for Adoptive Dads
Thursdays, 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m.
Zoe's, 715 10th St, Greeley, CO 80631
For more information, contact Tim Paxton at 970-691-5737 or by email at [email protected].
 
  Sensory Processing Disorder Parent Support Group
Facilitators:  Sarah Ahn and Jenny Burnsed, LPC
Last Monday of every month 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Bixby School,  3750 Table Mesa Drive, Boulder
There is no fee associated with this group, though donations are gratefully accepted.  Contact Sarah at [email protected] for questions.
 
Therapeutic Post-Adoption Support Group
2nd Thursday of the month, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Windsor Timberline Church
360 E Crossroads Blvd, Windsor, CO

Aurora Mental Health
Adoption Support Group
2nd & 4th Mondays of the month
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Aurora Mental Health
11059 E Bethany Drive, Aurora, CO 80014
Contact Sheila Reynolds 303-525-2123 or Stephanie Seriff 303-856-7698 for more information

Colorado Adams County Rainbow Center
3rd Thursday of each month, 6:00 p.m. -  8:00 p.m.
2140 E 88th Ave, Thornton, CO  80229
Contact:  KimNichelle Rivera 303-226-5536

EMPOWER Littleton/Aurora/Englewood
1st & 3rd Thursday, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network
155 Inverness Drive West, Englewood, CO 80112
Contact Carol Villa at 303-790-1055 for more information or email [email protected]

NAMI Connections Recovery Support Group for Adults
Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m.
ADMHN Building, 3rd floor
5500 S. Sycamore St, Littleton, CO  80120
Contact:  Carol 
303-790-1055

NAMI Family Support Group Teleconference
2nd & 4th Tuesdays of each month
Contact:  [email protected] 
 
Louisville Parent Support Group
Second Tuesday of the month  7:00 - 8:30
Art Underground
 901 Front Street, Louisville, CO 80027
$25 per session; reservations required.  
Call 720-352-1743.  
  

COCAF strives to provide Colorado's adoptive families with the information and resources they need to keep their families healthy and happy.  If you have ideas for topics you think we should cover, please let us know.  And if you find a good resource -- definitely let us know.  Please forward your ideas or information to me at [email protected].  Materials received by the 20th of a month will be considered for inclusion in the next month's newsletter.
  
Wishing all families peace, serenity, and a good sense of humor,
Colleen Tarket, COCAF Board Member (and newsletter put-ter-together-er)
 

COCAF does not recommend or endorse any specific book, website, survey, study, or provider of services.  The purpose of the COCAF e-newsletter is to provide families with potential resources.  All information contained in this newsletter is for general informational purposes only and as is without warranty expressed or implied, and shall not constitute legal, medical, psychiatric, educational, or parenting advice.  COCAF is not be liable for any damages arising from using the information in this newsletter, including direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, and/or consequential damages.

 

No information on this site should be considered legal advice.  Laws vary by state, so you are urged to research the specific laws, and your rights, within your state.  If you have specific questions regarding your rights, or the laws in your state, please contact an attorney.

  
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We believe that all children have the right to a permanent loving family. We are dedicated to improving services for every pre- and post-adoptive family and to increasing the knowledge and accountability of public systems. We are committed to advocacy in state and local service planning and delivery, in support of all pre and post adoptive families.

  
Sincerely,
Deborah Cave, Executive Director