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Navigating Excellence - Parent Center Assistance & Collaboration Team
Region A E-News
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“What we must do now is enact change because that is what we do to things that fail: We change them.” ~ Florence Yared, Parkland shooting survivor |
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Message From Diana & Michele |
We are deeply saddened by the senseless loss of precious lives due to gun violence in our nation. We applaud those, including youth, who are trying to make a difference and give voice to the voiceless on this and so many other issues that need our attention. |
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INCLUDEnyc, has begun in-person events. They are partnering with Special Olympics of New York, KEEN New York, Extreme Kids and Crew, and Children’s Museum of the Arts for an afternoon of fun, entertainment, and connection. There will be sporting events, art activities, informational resources, etc. Find more information.
Starbridge: Starbridge would like you to check out their website. They are particularly proud of the resources that are shared on the document and links page, including sample letters that are very helpful in working with families. Under "Special Education Guides and Resources," there is a "Family/Student Meeting Preparation Guide" that is shared with families.
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Upcoming Events/Dates to Remember |
Region A Drop-In Call: The next Region A Drop In Call will take place on Tuesday, June 7th, 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.
REAL Data Webinar: Join us on Thursday, June 16, from 2-3 pm for the REAL Transition Partners Data webinar. Contact Dawn Monaco at dmonaco@spanadvocacy.org with questions. Join here.
COVID-19 Drop-In Call: The next COVID-19 Drop-In call will be on Tuesday, June 21st, 10:00-11:15 am. 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.
Native American and Military Convening will be July 13th and 14th in Philadelphia. More details soon!
Leadership and Project Directors’ Conference: The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) will host its Leadership and Project Directors’ Conference virtually from Monday, July 18th to Thursday, July 21st. The schedule for synchronous activities will be determined at a later date.
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Non-Profit Management Resources |
Race Equity Impact Assessment Tool: One strategy that can be used to develop organizational policies that advance equity is known as a racial equity impact assessment. A racial equity impact assessment is a systematic examination of how a proposed action or decision will likely affect different racial and ethnic groups. Using a racial equity impact assessment process and tool can help jurisdictions assess the actual or anticipated effect of proposed policies, institutional practices, programs, plans and budgetary decisions. Check out the tool from the Center for the Study of Social Policy.
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Family-Centered Services Resources |
De-Escalation Tips: Parent Center staff are often working with families who are in crisis, frustrated, and/or angry and scared. Use these top ten de-escalation tips from the Crisis Prevention Institute.
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Youth-Centered Services Resources |
A Meeting of Minds and Hearts: Connecting with Teens about Racism, Social Justice, Police Brutality, and Protests: Conversing with youth about racism or social justice can be challenging. Find out how to involve, engage youth and inform them on these essential and sensitive topics by clicking here. |
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Staff Development Resources |
Working Effectively with Interpreters: National Disability Services created a workbook to help people work more effectively across cultures, including working with interpreters. Access the workbook. |
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Nearly half of Teachers Had Students Who Never Showed Up to Class Last Year: Nearly half of public school teachers in the U.S. reported at least one student during the 2020-21 school year who was enrolled but never showed up for class, according to new federal data that provides one of the first glimpses from the national level of the major challenges that sidelined student learning and the types of schools they left behind. Check it out.
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From Trauma to Development: A Policy Agenda for an Equitable Future for Young Children of Immigrants reports that, by 2025, children of immigrants will make up nearly one-third of the U.S. child population. More than 94% of children of immigrants under the age of six are U.S. citizens, symbolizing a shift in the face of the nation. Learn more. |
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Resources on Bullying and Cyberbullying of Native Youth: These resources have been compiled expressly for Parent Centers and the Native families and communities we serve. You can use the list to connect with agencies and organizations, publications, bullying prevention programs, and websites that address bullying and cyberbullying. Access them here. |
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Prioritizing Youth Voice: The Importance of Authentic Youth Engagement in Case Planning, Child Welfare Information Gateway December, 2021. In a system designed to promote the safety and well-being of young people, it is essential to prioritize youth engagement in casework. Youth involved with the child welfare system are experts on their respective situations and should be treated as such. This bulletin for professionals outlines the importance of youth engagement and provides caseworkers with key concepts and tangible strategies to apply to their practice. Find it here. |
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Choice/Charter Schools/Virtual Schools/Voucher Programs |
Why the latest fight about charter rules matters — for schools and education politics (Proposed new rules for a federal program that offers start-up money to charter schools.) Chalkbeat News, 05/09/22. The proposed new rules would consider how prospective charter schools affect nearby district schools. The new rules wouldn’t affect existing charters, but for proposed schools looking for federal help, the rules would, among other things:
- Give priority to charter schools that collaborate with school districts. Schools that do things like share best practices or coordinate transportation plans would receive priority for the funds.
- Require a “community impact analysis.” This would delve into whether a prospective charter school has community support and is in response to “unmet demand,” as evidenced by “over-enrollment of existing public schools,” among other things. That analysis would also have to provide evidence that the charter school would not exacerbate school segregation.
- Bar the use of some of the funding until the charter school has a facility and is approved to open.
- Ban charter schools controlled by a for-profit company from receiving a grant.
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Understanding Data: Check out this YouTube video on an introduction to understanding data.
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Deaf-Blind Resources: Tools to Employ and Support an Intervener - Check out this new resource, Tools to Employ and Support Interveners, which describes intervener responsibilities, employment, and training and certification. An intervener provides one-to-one support for a child who is deaf-blind. Module 1 Trailer - Coming soon! The first module of an important new series for educators from the National Consortium for Deaf-Blindness, will provide practical, need-to-know information essential for working with children who are deaf-blind. Make plans now to add it to your Professional Development Program? Access it here. |
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Policy Letter 22-04 April 15, 2022 to Zirkel: OSEP Policy Letter April 15, 2022, addresses requirements related to IDEA’s due process and state complaint procedures including: certain required content for a due process complaint; due process hearings timelines, including expedited due process hearings; the authority of hearing officers to order certain remedies; the authority of hearing officers to issue “summary judgment” on an IDEA due process complaint; and consideration of state guidance and applicable case law in the state’s resolution of an IDEA state complaint. Read the Letter to Zirkel. |
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The Pandemics Impact On At-Risk Students, Schools, and Graduation Rates: The impact of pandemic school closure on students, educators, schools, districts, and communities is likely to be the greatest education challenge of our lifetime. Read more here. |
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Early Childhood/Early Intervention |
The Importance of Identifying Infants and Toddlers with Combined Vision and Hearing Loss: ZERO TO THREE Journal, National Center on Deaf-Blindness in collaboration with the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center. This resource describes how newborns benefit from services offered by state deaf-blind projects, provides data on the number of infants and toddlers who are deaf-blind, and offers resources for families and providers. Read more here. |
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What is the Every Student Succeeds Act? Understood has an easy-to-understand overview of ESSA. |
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Corporal Punishment is Violence: Black communities are working to abolish corporal punishment because of physical injury, trauma, and disproportionate impact on Black students. Read more. |
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Grandparents as Caregivers |
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: This AARP Grandfamilies Guide offers a comprehensive guide related to seeking services. Includes information about how grandparents can obtain assistance from a variety of professionals and organizations. The website also offers a searchable listing of support groups. Read the AARP Grandfamilies Guide.
Love Without Borders: Grandfamilies and Immigration: Child Welfare Information Gateway, (2019). This resource highlights barriers faced by relatives caring for children while their parents are faced with detention or deportation. Read more.
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What are the complications of childhood obesity? As a result of obesity, it is possible that for the first time in history, our children may have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Read more. |
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The Number of People Experiencing Homelessness has doubled in Delaware: This year a third of the people experiencing homelessness were children. This is still believed to be an undercounted number. Housing shortages, affordability, and resources are all major factors. Read more here.
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Letter to Tymeson: OSEP Policy Letter released April 7, 2022 addresses requirements related to the provision of physical education, including adapted physical education (APE), to children with disabilities, including ensuring that each child with a disability participates with nondisabled children in these programs and activities to the maximum extent appropriate to the needs of the child. Read more here. |
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America's labor shortage is actually an immigrant shortage. U.S. employers say it's a hard time to find and keep talent. Workers are decamping at near-record rates, while millions of open jobs go unfilled. One reason for this labor crunch that has largely flown beneath the radar: Immigration to the U.S. is plummeting, a shift with potentially enormous long-term implications for the job market. Learn more. |
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House Panel: Juvenile Justice Reform Need Coordinated School-Community Response: A hearing of the House Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee focuses on GAO report and suggests ways to improve the system for youth involved. Learn more. |
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Navigating Personal Safety while Taking Action as an LGBTQ Young Person: LGBTQ individuals commonly face instances of violence online or in person when taking meaningful action. Read more on tips from the Trevor Project guide on helping LGBTQ youth navigate participating in activism with safety.
LGBTQ+ Data Inclusion: Advancing Intersectional Equity in K-12 Education Systems: This new brief from GLSEN discusses the important role of LGBTQ+ data inclusion for enforcing civil rights protections and advancing racial, gender, and disability justice outcomes in K-12 schools. The brief provides recommendations to the U.S. Department of Education and other federal agencies, SEAs and other state agencies, and LEAs regarding LGBTQ+ data inclusion in surveys of students, educators, and family, as well as K-12 administrative data collection. Read more.
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Talking to kids about mental health. The Child Mind Institute has launched its Dare to Share campaign for Mental Health Awareness Month, featuring role models sharing their own mental health stories. Senior clinical psychologist Jamie Howard joins "CBS Mornings" to discuss the importance of breaking down the stigma around mental health and of talking about it with kids. Air Date: May 2, 2022. Watch the recording. |
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Military-Connected Families |
Military Special Education: A recent GAO report released May 19, 2022 examines Department of Defense Programs and services for Military-Dependent students with disabilities. Learn more here. |
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New Investigative Report on the Federal Indian Boarding School System Released. In addition to feelings of uncertainty, frustration and anxiety experienced by all global residents as a result of an ongoing pandemic, Native communities in Canada and the U.S. have also experienced re-occurring historical trauma during the past year at a level unheard of in decades. Read more.
Massachusetts Commission Unanimously Agrees to Change State Seal and Motto: On May 18, 2022, a 19-member commission formed a year ago agreed unanimously to change the state seal, which currently depicts the arm of Myles Standish brandishing a sword above the image of a Native American. Congratulations to the Commission for voting for respect, inclusion and truth-telling. The Commission’s vote reflects a quote by Joy Harjo, Muscogee/Creek of OK, the only Indigenous and twice-nominated National Poet Laureate, whose term recently ended. “There will be a cultural shift when we understand that ..… equal regard for all races, cultures and all beings is essential to quality of life. We are each a part of everyone’s story.” Read about the commission’s decision.
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Family Engagement in Early Childhood: The National Association for the Education of Young Children has a menu of resources on family engagement in early childhood including articles on family engagement for families of medically-fragile children and for families of dual language learners. Check it out.
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The Basic Facts About Children in Poverty: The causes of child poverty cannot be separated from those of adult poverty. Expenses associated with raising children are one of the many reasons that families fall into poverty, along with job lesses and pay cuts, a transition from a two-parent household to a single one, and a family member with a disability. Read this analysis from The Center for American Progress
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Remote Learning/School Reopening |
Letter to Educators and Parents Regarding New CDC Recommendations and their Impact on Children with Disabilities: (March 24, 2022) Check out Section 1: Leveraging the IEP or Section 504 Processes to Ensure Protections are In Place to Protect In-Person Learning. The pdf is shared in English and Español.
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Restraint & Seclusion Wisconsin Reporting requirements: The percentage of students with disabilities involved in an incident in which they were restrained or secluded during the 2020-21 school year increased over the previous year, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Read more.
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Social-Emotional Learning |
‘Social Emotional Learning Day’: Pandemic puts focus on young students’ mental health: It is actually a pivotal part of curriculums all year long in districts across the state, with the importance of mental health in schools crystalized during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for the youngest of students. Learn more here. |
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Apple previews innovative accessibility features combining the power of hardware, software, and machine learning. Using advancements across hardware, software, and machine learning, people who are blind or low vision can use their iPhone and iPad to navigate the last few feet to their destination with Door Detection; users with physical and motor disabilities who may rely on assistive features like Voice Control and Switch Control can fully control Apple Watch from their iPhone with Apple Watch Mirroring; and the Deaf and hard of hearing community can follow Live Captions on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Learn more. |
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Transition to Adult Life/Youth |
A Job Can Change Everything: New report details the economic impact of employment for people with disabilities: According to a new report from the Rockefeller Institute, nonprofit disability service providers support over 6,000 full-time jobs and generate over $400 million dollars in economic impact in Central New York alone. “The report justifies that the people we serve and nonprofits who do the work, must be prioritized,”. Read the report and more here.
How to Expand Supported Decision-Making and Increase Informed Choices. A key feature of person-centered practices is respect and support for people’s rights to make decisions about their own lives – both small and large. Having agency is important to feelings of self-worth, well-being, and unique identity, but for many people with disabilities who use long-term services and supports, the ability to shape the course of their lives is constrained by the appointment of a guardian. Read more.
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Treating Toxic Stress in Immigrant Children: Despite the varying circumstances preceding their arrival in the US, immigrant children experience trauma caused by separation from parents; housing instability; prejudice and discrimination due to color, religion, or language; interrupted schooling; and poor physical and mental health. Find out more. |
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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.
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