Strong Families. Strong Futures. | |
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Greetings to our VFN Family and Friends.
In my over two decades of practice in education and mental health, it has been clearly documented in research and in best practices that there is a strong, positive relationship between family engagement and improved outcomes for children and youth. Early on in my career, the phrase was parent involvement, and I can assure you that varied from state to state, district to district, and program to program. In 2009, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) proposed a different paradigm for family engagement that continues to be supported today. It emphasizes engagement rather than involvement and it takes a strengths-based perspective that all families are involved in their children’s learning and well-being. As parents, we want to be partners in our child’s education, services, and supports.
The issue, however, often lies in the ability of programs to engage families so that they can effectively work together on behalf of children. High levels of engagement often result from strong program family partnerships that are co-constructed and characterized by trust, shared values, ongoing two-way communication, mutual respect, and attention to each party’s needs. Some of us as parents might have our own challenges in fully engaging, whether it’s physical (such as access to transportation/opportunities which conflict with busy schedules) or emotional (such as not having a positive experience in one’s own education history/not feeling heard/jargon and acronyms).
Family engagement is a practice in which families and providers/school personnel collaborate to support and improve the learning and development of children. In the social and academic development of children, both educators/service providers and families play integral and overlapping roles. When families and schools work together to help children grow in these areas, they are more likely to be successful. Because parental engagement has demonstrated many significant benefits, federal law encourages schools to implement the practice within educational systems.
But family engagement means more than simply informing parents about their child’s progress or challenges, where communication is primarily one-way from the teacher to the parent. Rather, family engagement happens when families are actively encouraged to participate in meaningful ways, and families are given tools and guidance to support their children at home as well as at school. At Vermont Family Network, our staff is dedicated to supporting families through the education, mental health, and health systems, which are often complicated and overwhelming. We know that family engagement among parents/caregivers and providers is an integral part of educational, health, and wellness outcomes and we are here to help make those connections, generate ideas that will help families engage with their service providers, and get those two-way conversations started. We are here to help you understand your rights, responsibilities, roles, approach to engaging with systems and providers. We stand by best practices in family engagement and are committed to sharing perspectives, tools, resources, and lessons learned across Vermont.
From the heart,
Jacqui
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Self-advocacy, the ability to speak up and advocate for your own needs, is a key ingredient to the success of students with disabilities transitioning to adulthood. High school students with disabilities should have opportunities to learn and practice self-advocacy skills as part of their education. Parents and educators usually are the ones who advocate for a student’s program, services, and rights. Given a chance and time to practice, students can learn to become good self-advocates and to help themselves throughout their lives.
Watch this VFN-sponsored workshop: How to Become Your Own Best Advocate with Alexina Federhen, Self-Advocate, Graduate of Cornell University, Creator of the non-profit “The Feel Better Way,” and former Miss Vermont 2022, to learn about her experience of self-advocacy through school, the healthcare system and professional work.
For more information on transitioning to adult life, call VFN Family Support at 876-5315 or check out our Transition Toolkit for Youth with Disabilities.
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News from the Puppets
Puppets in Education Receives AOE Funding
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The puppets have received some amazing news! For the 2023-2024 school year, the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) has generously funded puppet programming for 25 schools across the state.
We know the puppets aren’t the only ones grateful to the Agency of Education for funding these shows. After we notified schools of this amazing opportunity, we had over 100 show requests in just 24 hours!
It’s very rare that we go into a school year with a request list as long as this (we’re currently up to 145 requests for just 43 performance slots). This shows us just how much schools need our programming, and how important it is to remove the obstacle of cost.
Our first show courtesy of the AOE was on October 5th in Brighton, Vermont. We performed our Anxiety puppet program and debuted our reformatted Anxiety workshop. The puppets were excited to travel to Essex County, Vermont - a historically underserved county for puppets and VFN. We were excited to meet new people and saw some beautiful fall foliage!
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Grant Funds Available!
Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism
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Flutie Funds are still available! This fund will provide direct financial support to families who are eligible. Families who have children (from birth to age 22) with an autism diagnosis may request up to $200 for needed equipment, respite, camp, therapies, emergency childcare, or to attend a conference related to their child's diagnosis.
We encourage families from rural areas (e.g. Bennington, Essex, Orleans and Windham counties) to apply. First time applicants will be prioritized for receiving a grant. One grant per household.
The Doug Flutie Jr., Foundation for Autism based in Framingham MA, awards grants annually through a competitive application and review process. The signature grants that the Flutie Foundation distributed this year support traditionally under-served, under-funded, culturally diverse communities reflected in the Foundation’s area of interest by providing a path for educational and vocational skills, supporting recreational and active lifestyles, and ensuring people with autism are safe, supported and informed.
Please visit Get Support to complete an application. If you have questions or need support in completing an application, please email laurel.sanborn@vtfn.org or call 802-876-5315.
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Bullying and Harassment in Schools | |
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Bullying happens when a child is ridiculed, humiliated or intimidated repeatedly. Harassment occurs when a student is bullied based on their disability, race, color, etc. These behaviors can look like: name-calling and insults, including those that happen in writing on social media, through email or texts, and threats of physical harm or actual harm.
VFN is part of a coalition of organizations who are launching a storytelling project. Vermont Narratives for Change: A Storytelling Campaign Against Harassment & Bullying, works to shed light on harassment, hazing and bullying in schools and ultimately hopes to reduce these behaviors. This project seeks to raise awareness about the impact of these negative behaviors and advocates for positive change within schools statewide. The coalition believes that by sharing collective stories, together we can create connections and validation that support a healing process for affected students.
If you have any questions regarding schools’ obligations to protect students with disabilities who are harassed in school, please contact the VFN helpline at 802-876-5315 or info@vtfn.org.
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Sibshops
September Kick-Off!
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Saturday, September 16th felt like a family reunion for the ten children and their parents who gathered at the Essex Teen Center for the first Sibshop of the year after the summer break.
Sibs greeted each other and quickly set off to explore the game room with staff while parents mingled for a brief orientation by facilitators, Mindy Deibler and Marie Fetterhoff.
Each month has a different theme that focuses on having fun along with interactive activities to share the experience of having a sibling with a disability or a special health need. This month’s theme was “Sibs are Super." Sibs had the option to decorate a Sibshops t-shirt, play pool, air hockey, foosball or board games, and ask the Magic 8 Ball deep questions such as, “Will I have ice cream for dinner?” Lol! The Magic 8 Ball predicted "Not very likely"...but it is not always right! Snack and “sibchat” rounded out the two-hour session.
Sibshops is a national program that offers fun and sharing for children ages 8-13 who have a sibling with a disability and/or special health need. If you have a child who you think might enjoy Sibshops, you can find information and registration information on the VFN website or contact marie.fetterhoff@vtfn.org.
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Upcoming Events for
VFN's Parent Match Program
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Would you like to support other parents that have a child with a disability or special health care need? Could you draw on your own experience to offer empathy, inspiration, and a listening ear in times of need?
Becoming a Support Parent provides a unique opportunity to encourage a parent who is walking a similar path. We’re always looking for parents who are at a place in their journey to support another parent who requests a one-to-one parent match.
Support Parents might mentor families who are navigating a new diagnosis, health care systems, mental health challenges, behavioral issues, special education, sibling and family issues, community resources, and life transitions.
Support Parent Trainings:
These Zoom meetings comprise Part 2 of the Support Parent Training. Please complete the Support Parent Volunteer Application if you are interested in becoming a trained Support Parent and to receive Part 1 of the training.
2023
- Thursday, October 19, 12-2:00 p.m. OR
- Tuesday, October 24, 6-8:00 p.m.
2024
- Wednesday, January 17, 12-2:00 p.m. OR
- Tuesday, January 23, 6-8:00 p.m.
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Healthy Apple Muffins
Support our local apple orchards and give this easy muffin recipe a try. Yum!
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- A pinch of salt
- 1 cup grated apple
- 1 cup apple diced into ¼” cubes
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup plain or full-fat yogurt
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of raw sugar for sprinkling on top (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. If necessary, grease all 12 cups of your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add the grated apple and chopped apple. Stir to combine.
3. Combine the oil and maple syrup and stir. Add the eggs and beat well, then add the yogurt, applesauce, and vanilla. Mix well.
4. Pour the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined (lumps are okay).
5. Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with raw sugar.
6. Bake muffins for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
7. Place the muffins on a cooling rack to cool. Eat and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from cookieandkate.com
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Upcoming Events - Register today! | |
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Free Workshops
Stay tuned! Dates and registration coming soon!
We are currently in the process of scheduling new workshops for November and December. Topics include:
- what parents of a child with a disability need to know about working with first responders
- the role of the family in transition planning for a student with a disability
- the top ten topics about transition to adulthood based on questions from families
Registrations will be posted under Upcoming Events on the landing page of our website and in our November E-newsletter.
In the meantime, please take a look at the full list of recent workshops on our VFN website.
We save workshops on our website and YouTube channel.
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VFN Workshop Topics/Speakers Survey
We want to hear your ideas for our upcoming online workshops. What topics interest you? Are there presenters you would recommend?
Let us know your thoughts.
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Contact Us. We Will Listen! | |
Helping Vermont Families thrive for more than 30 years | | |
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Office
600 Blair Park Rd, Ste 240,
Williston, VT 05495
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