MPACT's Featured Webinar Series

Early Childhood Corner

Step 1: Identification- Missouri law requires school districts to locate, identify, and evaluate all students with disabilities including private and home schooled students. This process is called Child Find.

Step 2: Evaluation- Evaluation requests should be made in writing to the local school district. School districts have 5 calendar days from the date of the request to respond to parents with a Prior Written Notice and 60 calendar days to complete the evaluation once the parent provides consent. Click HERE to review the Parent Referral Flow Chart.

Step 3: Eligibility Determination Meeting (EDM)- This meeting is held to review the

evaluation information to determine if the child meets Missouri eligibility criteria for special

education services. If the child is found eligible, the evaluation report is placed in the child's educational file and a copy is provided to parents generally 20 days after the EDM.

Step 4: IEP Meeting- An IEP meeting must be held within 30 calendar days after it is

determined that the child is found eligible to receive services under IDEA. The team, which

includes the parent, will meet to determine appropriate services and supports.

Step 5: The IEP- The IEP describes how the child is currently doing in school (present levels of academic achievement) and how the child’s disability affects his or her involvement and progress in the general curriculum (functional performance). The IEP might include: specialized instruction; accommodations and related services; & assistive technology, if applicable.

Read more about the IEP HERE

Learn more about special education resources HERE

Learn more about Missouri First Steps HERE

MPACT Resources

First Steps is a family-driven program that evaluates all areas of development to determine if a child qualifies for services, identifies the needs of each qualified child and their family and develops an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) that supports the child’s development. Below are two fact sheets that explain timelines for evaluations and implementation of services and the transition from Frist Steps to Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE).



• First Steps Timeline Fact Sheet
• First Steps Transition Fact Sheet

Commemoration Month

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

If you are thinking about suicide, are experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, or are worried about a friend or loved one, reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free and confidential support by calling or texting 988, or chatting at https://988lifeline.org/.

Learn more about 988 in Missouri.

Suicidal thoughts, much like mental health conditions, can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or background. In fact, suicide is often the result of an untreated mental health condition. Suicidal thoughts, although common, should not be considered normal and often indicate more serious issues. Click HERE for suicide prevention resources and information from NAMI

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK(8255)

Parents Supporting Parents Group:  This support group is free and is virtual via Zoom. This group offers positive parenting peer support and is facilitated by trained parents/caregivers, peer support specialists, and family support providers. This group will focus on building skills that support family wellness and parent self-care and wellness. This group meets monthly every second Tuesday beginning on September 13th from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. Our first three groups through November of 2023 will focus on a study of the book The Connected Parent: An expert guide to parenting in a digital world by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser. In September, we will discuss the introduction of this book through part I. NAMI Missouri does have copies of this book available for parents to use as part of our lending library. The Connected Parent offers practical solutions to navigating gaming, screen time, privacy, and social media to support family wellness. Registration is required. Register HERE.

A Bushel of School and Mental Health Resources

How to Handle School Refusal

(In Spanish: Rechazo a la escuela: Cómo ayudar a su hijo a superarlo)

When students flat-out refuse to go to school, it can be stressful for both parents and teachers. Different kids resist or refuse school in different ways. Here are tips for parents, caregivers, and educators to manage school refusal, based on what behavior they're seeing (e.g., crying or tantrums, won't get dressed, won't get on the bus or in the car).

A Deeper Look at Anxiety in Kids

This newsletter from the Child Mind Institute consists of separate articles on the subject of anxiety: What are the different kinds of anxiety? How anxiety leads to problem behavior. What is separation anxiety? Selective mutism. Social anxiety. Agoraphobia in children.

13 Bipolar Disorder Symptoms to Be Aware Of

Bipolar disorder, or manic depression, can make it difficult to carry out day-to-day tasks. Here are 13 signs and symptoms to help you know if you or someone you care about should seek treatment.UNDERSTOOD.ORG

For kids who learn and think differently, going back to school — and changing grades — can be tough. HERE are some tips to help them ease into the challenges ahead.

MO DESE Resource

Missouri Connections is a comprehensive, online, career development and planning program that is provided free of charge to all Missouri citizens. Funded by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, this program supports the career development efforts of schools, community organizations, and adult job seeker programs. Missouri Connections helps individuals learn about their talents, skills, and interests and makes the connection between planning for continued education and the work world.

The Families First Program is an early intervention service based at the Outreach and Resources Center at the Missouri School for the Deaf. This program is offered to Missouri families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing from birth through eight years of age. The Families First Program provides direct, in-home services at no cost to families throughout the state by specially trained parent advisors. This early intervention program is unique in that it focuses on the family rather than direct services to the child. Learn more about the program HERE.

OSEP Guidance

OSEP released a Dear Colleague letter on July 25, 2023, that offers guidance and suggestions on how State Education Agencies (SEAs) can support foster students. 

Primary among the ESEA’s educational stability requirements for students in foster care is active collaboration, partnership, and information sharing between educational agencies and child welfare agencies (CWAs). Now six years into implementation of the ESEA’s educational stability requirements, there remains an urgent need for SEAs and local educational agencies (LEAs) to continue partnering with State, local, and Tribal CWAs to address persistent challenges in improving the educational stability of students in foster care. Read OSEP's Dear Colleague Letter HERE.

Other Resources

Not-So-Out-Of-The-Box Lunch Box Ideas

Here are some tips and not-so-out-of-the-box lunch ideas to help make your kids' bellies happy and eager for lunchtime:

Write lunch box notes to give your kid(s) some pep in their step. Click HERE to check out some note ideas from momjunction.com.

Check out 90+ Healthy Lunch Box Ideas HERE.

Click HERE to watch a video from care.com on how to organize your fridge to make fast school lunches

Tips on adjusting to middle school

Is your child transitioning to middle school? Learn about specific challenges middle-schoolers may face, and how you can help. Get the Tips HERE.

Supporting your new high-schooler

Teens who learn and think differently face unique challenges when going into high school. Find out what to expect in high school, and how to help your teen.

Learn more HERE

Back-to-school: What not to say

As a parent of a child who learns and thinks differently, you want to say the right things at back-to-school time. Here are some ideas on what to say — and what to avoid saying. Talking Tips. 

Bookshare – Is a Free resource for qualified U.S. students and the schools that support them. Learn more about Bookshare HERE.

Resources for Military Families

Suicide Prevention for Military Families

The Department of Defense is strongly committed to preventing suicide within our military community through suicide prevention, intervention and postvention initiatives. If you are in crisis, or you know someone who is, there are immediate resources available to support you or your loved ones.

Suicide Prevention Resources for the Military • Military OneSource

Challenging the School to Prison Pipeline

This fact sheet discusses approaches to create effective, evidence-based school discipline policies with a focus on responsive rather than punishment-based discipline practices. The fact sheet includes steps and resources to help school administrators and leaders examine the rationale driving existing discipline policies and to include students and community members in the conversation to develop revised approaches. Read more HERE.

Discipline Discussions: Informal Removals Matter OSEP Blog

For many parents of children with disabilities, a middle-of-the-day phone call from school means that their child's behavior has caused a disruption and they must be picked up immediately to help their child "calm down." Parents are forced to leave their workday commitments and go to school to pick up their children.

Sometimes the removal from school is only for the rest of that school day but sometimes it is longer These removals often go uncounted because they are not reported as suspensions. IDEA discipline protections have specific rules about suspensions of children with disabilities.

OSEP published IDEA discipline guidance in July, 2022. This package defines these types of removals from school as "informal removals" and provides guidance to prevent informal removals. Read the full blog HERE.

Tuesday September 12th @ 6pm-7pm

Understanding the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Process 

Wednesday September 13th @ 6pm-7pm

Effectively Communicating Your Child’s Needs

Thursday September 14th @ 6pm-7pm

Family Record Keeping

Friday September 15th @ 6pm-7pm

Parental Rights

In-Person Trainings

Understanding the IEP Process (ARC-STL)

September 18 @ 12:00pm-2:00pm

The Art of Effective Advocacy (ARC-STL)

September 26th @ 5:00pm-7:00pm

Positive Behavior Interventions (Mount Vernon Mo.)

September 19 @ 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

View all upcoming MPACT trainings HERE.

All MPACT trainings are free of charge! If you would like to schedule any MPACT training in your area or for your organization

please click on the link HERE

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