Register Now and Thrive Through Transitions to Graduation with MPACT's March Webinar Series | |
Spring Into IEPs with MPACT's April Webinar Series | |
First Steps Family Survey | |
First Steps Focus-Share Your Story | |
MPACT First Steps Resources | |
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First Steps is Missouri’s Early Intervention system for infants and toddlers, birth to age 3, who have delayed development or diagnosed conditions that are associated with developmental disabilities.
First Steps works with families by ensuring that coordinated services are provided as conveniently as possible. Participation in First Steps is voluntary and is intended to help families of children with disabilities:
- Understand their child’s special needs
- Obtain the help they desire to deal with situations that could interfere with their child’s growth and development.
- Provide the best conditions for their child’s growth and development.
Click HERE to learn more about First Steps.
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Families First Early Intervention Program | |
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Families First is a free early intervention program serving families of deaf and hard of hearing children from birth through age 8 who live anywhere in Missouri. Services involve an assigned Families First parent advisor to educate, support, and coach parents on a variety of topics unique to children with hearing impairments. These support services are based on the nationally recognized SKI*HI curriculum and include but are not limited to the following topics:
· understanding the audiology process and amplification systems
· exploring various communication methodologies
· impact of the hearing impairment on the child’s developmental skills
· milestones and language assessments
· through coaching, families learn and utilize language and communication strategies to utilize in their home and natural routines
Please email or call the Resource Center at 573-592-2543 for further information.
For additional information about the Families First Program, please contact Angela Turner at Angela.Turner@msd.dese.mo.gov or visit the Missouri School for the Deaf Outreach and Resources Center at https://msd.dese.mo.gov/outreach-resources-center/families-first-early-interventions.
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Recording IEP and 504 Meetings | |
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For years, the large majority of Missouri schools prohibited parents and guardians from recording meetings related to special education, including their children's IEP and 504 meetings. Sen. Cindy O'Laughlin and Rep. Chuck Basye sponsored legislation which would allow parents to record meetings and protected teachers from retaliation. This legislation was amended onto HB432 and signed into law on July 14, 2021. Now school districts cannot prohibit parents and guardians from recording IEP meetings. Missouri law states that parents must notify the school at least 24 hrs in advance to record a meeting. We recommend sending an email a few days before the meeting to the LEA and/or the teacher letting them know that you will be recording the meeting. Click HERE to learn more.
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Pediatric to Adult Health Care Family Toolkit | |
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Got Transition and it's National Family Advisory Group, with extensive input from a Family Voices workgroup of Spanish-speaking family leaders have developed a toolkit for families to use to guide their youth’s transition from pediatric to adult health care. The Family Toolkit includes easy-to-use resources in Spanish for youth and families to help youth assume more independence in taking care of their own health and using health services. Materials include a transition timeline, questions to ask your doctor, what turning 18 means for one’s health, and more! Got Transition and Family Voices will host a webinar in Spanish, with simultaneous English interpretation, on March 29th at 4pm ET/AST to discuss the toolkit. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0td-uvrTwjGtzBA-Eg3Kc42lyrZgT3AYum.
Got Transition, su Grupo Asesor Nacional Familiar y la colaboración de padres líderes de habla hispana de Family Voices, han desarrollado un conjunto de herramientas para ayudar y guiar a las familias en la transición de sus jóvenes en los servicios de salud pediátricos a los de adulto. Esta guía es para familias e incluye recursos en español fáciles de usar para ayudar a jóvenes y familias a ser más independientes en su cuidado de su salud y el uso de los servicios de salud. Los recursos incluyen un programa de transición, preguntas para hacerle a su proveedor, lo que significa cumplir 18 años para su salud y más. Got Transition y Family Voices realizarán un seminario virtual en español, con interpretación simultánea en inglés, el 29 de marzo a las 4:00 p. m. metro. ET/4:00 p. m AST para presentarles la guía para familias. Regístrese en https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0td-uvrTwjGtzBA-Eg3Kc42lyrZgT3AYum.
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Raising the Bar for Parent Partnership in Our Schools | |
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Touching Base Military Community Newsletter has published the below articles relating to Parent Partnership 02/16/2023:
On Feb. 28, the Department, in close partnership with the Carnegie Foundation of New York and the Overdeck Family Foundation, held the first virtual session in a Family Engagement Learning Series intended to help education leaders and practitioners implement family engagement strategies that support student success. This initial session focused on how family engagement may support literacy and math. The second webinar of this series will explore how family engagement can improve school attendance and student engagement. We know students who are chronically absent are at serious risk of falling behind in school. While there are no easy solutions to this problem, family engagement practices offer some promise when it comes to improving attendance and student engagement. Join us March 28, 2023, 1--2:30pm ET!
Also, on March 1 op-ed published in Newsweek, Secretary Cardona notes, “Parent partnership is not about giving in to the loudest voices or political grandstanding. It’s about welcoming the voices of all families and inviting parents to be a real part of decision-making processes in education. And it means reflecting parent diversity in voice and leadership in a way that authentically represents the diversity of their children’s schools.” In the op-ed, the Secretary underscores how the Administration has “made authentic parent engagement a top priority, not only embedding the needs of parents and families into most of our programs but also creating new opportunities for parents to engage directly with the Department and with their own school communities.”
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Spring Break Ideas and Discounts for Military Families | |
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Even if your fingers aren’t yet thawed out from the winter cold, it's time to start planning for Spring Break. With the help of military discounts, you can have tons of Spring Break fun without breaking the bank. Click HERE to read more!
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Developmental Dis Ability Awareness Month | |
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March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. To raise awareness about the abilities of people with developmental disabilities (DD), a group of disability organizations in Missouri launched the #MOAbility campaign! For more resources, check out MoDDC HERE.
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Power Up 2023 - Registration Now Open | |
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On April 3 & 4, 2023, the Midwest Assistive Technology Community will come together to network, learn, and share at the Power Up AT Conference.
Assistive technology practitioners, teachers, parents, caregivers, and persons with disabilities have gathered at Power Up over the last 25 years to learn, network, and share best practices in assistive technology. In April of 2023, we will gather together in Columbia, MO, for Power Up!
Power Up 2023's Conference Guide provides more information. More information about the sessions and presenters will be available in the coming month.
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The 19th Annual Missouri Youth Leadership Forum
(MO-YLF) will be held July 18-22, 2023
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The Missouri Youth Leadership Forum is a unique career leadership-training program for high school students with disabilities, ages 16 – 21. Youth delegates are selected from their local communities to cultivate leadership, citizenship, social, and career development skills at this summer program.
For information and application for the Virtual Leadership Forum, click HERE.
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Upcoming MPACT Webinars
Click on the links below to register
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Understanding the IEP Process
Mar 21 @ 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Location: Foster Adopt Connect 1802 W. 32nd Street Ste F Joplin, MO 64804
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Understanding the IEP Process and Behavior Interventions In-Person Training Series | |
Location: Mid-Continent Public Library - Lee's Summit Branch 150 Northwest Oldham Parkway Lee's Summit, MO 64081 | |
View all upcoming MPACT trainings HERE. | |
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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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Make A Difference, Join MPACT Today! | |
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MPACT is funded in part or whole by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs Grant No. H328M090020-10. The contents of the website, however, and any documents cited herein do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S Department of Education.
Copyright © 2023 MPACT. All rights reserved
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