Maine Parent Federation MPF: OPEN TO ALL! The new Maine Youth Sibling Group, organized by the Maine Parent Federation (MPF), offers a supportive community for siblings of individuals with disabilities statewide. It provides a safe space for connections, peer support, and shared experiences, empowering siblings to navigate challenges and celebrate joys together. Occurs every 4 weeks, on Tuesday at 4:00 pm, find it here.

Providing Appropriate Individual Assistance and Avoiding the Unauthorized Practice of Law: Parent Centers often provide information to families and youth/young adults about their legal rights and obligations. How can Parent Centers fulfill this critical role without running afoul of their state’s Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL) rules? This workshop provides an overview of the principles of UPL and appropriate individual assistance and tools and tips to stay on the correct side of the UPL line! Join us on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 2:00 pm to 3:15 pm EST. Register here!!

Region A Drop-In Call: The next Drop-in call will take place on Tuesday, May 7, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, EST. Our featured technical assistance presenter will be Megan Cote from the National Center on Deaf Blindness (NCDB). NCDB is a federally funded grant through the Office of Special Education Programs whose primary mission is to support state deafblind projects as they assist educators, agencies, and organizations to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to help children with deaf-blindness learn, access the general education curriculum, and successfully transition to adult life. NCDB has been working in partnership with CPIR and Regional Parent Centers to enhance our collaborative efforts to improve identification and referral and family supports. Activities they are focusing on include: 1) ongoing education for Parent Centers about deaf-blindness; 2) coding, reporting and cross-referring families; and 3) building state-based partnerships. Click here to join.

Circles of Expertise are small groups of Parent Center staff (8-10) lead by a facilitator, focused on learning and accessing professional development opportunities to expand content knowledge. In addition, the circle will disseminate information across the Parent Center network via Webinar presentations, Conference sessions, resource and/or product development and posting in Centers Connect. The first Circle of Expertise Group will focus on Early Childhood. Parent Centers who have staff with strong content knowledge, interested in deepening their knowledge of Early Childhood and willing to make a minimum one-year commitment to the Circle please apply. Application to join CPIR Circle of Expertise: Early Childhood. Due Date: May 10. For more information click here.

OSEP 2024 Leadership & Project Directors’ Conference: The conference will be held August 6-8 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va. The theme of the conference is Early Beginnings to Bright Futures. We’re still waiting to hear decisions regarding the proposal submissions. Conference registration and call for proposals is now open! Access the Registration & Proposal Portal.

CPIR Calendar: Don’t forget to check out the HUB Central Events calendar at the Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) for more webinars and events. Also contact Myriam Alizo, malizo@spanadvocacy.org to add your Parent Center event to the CPIR calendar.

From Principles to Practices: Structuring your Decision-Making Process: Three distinct, interrelated phases—the decision setup, the time during which the decision is made, and the decision follow-through—provide a framework for building decision-making practices that support an organization’s values and impact goals. Check out the Decision-Making Best Practices Checklist from The Bridgespan Group.

Building Trauma-Informed Practices and Organizations: The Connecticut Women’s Consortium features a guide to building trauma-informed practices and organizations with related resources.

The ABLE Youth Transition Toolkit: The ABLE Youth Transition Toolkit is a comprehensive resource designed to support young people with disabilities as they navigate the transition from adolescence to adulthood. This toolkit provides practical guidance and actionable steps for individuals, families, and educators. By offering information, tools, and strategies tailored to the unique needs and goals of young people with disabilities, the ABLE Youth Transition Toolkit aims to empower them to achieve greater independence, self-determination, and success in all aspects of their lives. Find it here.

Free Online Courses and Trainings: The National Federation of Families (for Children’s Mental Health) has free online courses and trainings on topics relevant to our work such as self-care for families and caregivers.

Chronic absenteeism is up across the country. School leaders are trying to address why: Some 29.7% of the nation’s students, nearly 14.7 million, were chronically absent in the 2021-2022 school year — missing school at least 10% of the time, according to federal data. About 6.5 million more students fall into this category than before the pandemic, according to analysis from Johns Hopkins University and the education nonprofit. Read more here.

What strategies can cultivate belonging and inclusion for English learners in schools? According to the National Center for Education Statistics, approximately 48 million K-12 students are enrolled in elementary and secondary schools in the United States, and 5 million of these students – a little over 10% - are English learners (ELs). Learn more.

U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Announces Resolution Addressing Responses to Harassment Based on Race, Sex, and Disability and to Antisemitic Harassment in Park City School District in Utah: OCR found the district received more than 180 reports of students harassing other students based on race, national origin, sex, and disability during school years 2021-22 and 2022-23. OCR also found that the district took some action to address this harassment, such as disciplining and harassing students. Read the U.S. Department of Education, March 20, 2024 press release here.

How You Can Help Someone Who Is Being Abused or Neglected: Check out and share this tip sheet for children and youth ages 10 and older which offers an overview of what child abuse and neglect are and what a young person can do if they think someone is not safe. It includes information to help children and youth recognize signs of possible child maltreatment, report or talk about their concerns with trusted adults or agencies, and support peers who may be victims. Find it here.

Everyone Can Self-Direct - Lessons Learned from the NCAPPS Self-Direction Learning Collaborative (webinar): In self-direction, people receiving long-term services and supports use a personalized budget to meet their needs through a person-centered planning process. Self-direction provides people maximum control over what services they receive, how much, and who provides them. While every state offers some form of self-direction, utilization to date has not been as expansive as advocates imagined. This webinar will highlight successes from two Learning Collaborative teams: Colorado and Ohio. Learn more.

The Different Types of Data in Education: A Complete Guide: Read this guide on the different types of data in education.

Discipline in Schools: Why is Hitting Still an Option? While most schools in the United States do not report using corporal punishment — the use of pain as punishment — it still impacts tens of thousands of students annually, particularly in states where it remains legal. Read this interesting view from a pediatrician sharing the prevalence and effects of corporal punishment and what it might take to end it for good.

A Critical Look at the IDEA Due Process Hearing System and Suggested Improvements: View this recorded webinar by CADRE, on Jan 25, 2024, focused on the IDEA due process procedures with attention to the complexities and inefficiencies inherent in the current system. Find it here.

Students push NJ lawmakers to help curb high school dropout rate: Many students fall through the cracks, dropping out of school before they obtain a diploma. And considering the staggering amount of learning loss for New Jersey students brought on by the pandemic, some say the government should work harder to ensure more kids have a better opportunity to succeed in life. While this article focuses on NJ, there is information relevant across our region. Read more here.

Podcast: Using Data to Improve Early Childhood Equity: How can states and territories leverage data to build stronger, more equitable systems for young children and families? Discover some evidence-based strategies for effective systems-building and improvement and learn how organizations like the DaSy Center are using data to improve programs and outcomes across the country.

The Civil Rights Principles for Multilingual Learner Education created by the Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights Education Task Force details how decision makers at all levels can ensure an equitable education system that offers meaningful equal opportunity and success for all children, including children whose first language is a language other than English. Read more here in multiple languages, including Korean, Hindi, Vietnamese and more.

Disproportionality in Special Education Fueled by Implicit Bias: IEPs have benefited many students. But along the way, something surfaced: Implicit bias. Consequently, many students of color and multi-language learners have been disproportionately misidentified and misplaced, impacting the types of services students needed or did not need. Check out this article from the National Education Association with tips, resources, and support to identify and place students of color with disabilities accurately and without bias.

A Lilly that’s Bloomed: Check out this issue of Grand Magazine. There is a great heartwarming and insightful article on page 8 about the blessing and joy Lilly is to her grandmother and the joy and guidance she gives Lilly.

Health Equity Tracker: Health inequities are rampant in our society. The Health Equity Tracker, helps you understand what health equity and social determinants of health are, and provides information and resources to combat inequities.

FAFSA Debacle Will Hit Foster, Homeless Youth the Hardest: A disturbing trend in college student aid applications may place the future of millions of graduating high school seniors in peril this year. Young people experiencing foster care or homelessness already face significant financial barriers to college completion. However, they may face an even more substantial hurdle in enrolling in college if child welfare leaders, K-12 and college administrators, state policymakers and advocates don’t step up and help. Read more here.

Are Intervener Services Appropriate for Your Student Who Is Deafblind? This IEP Team Discussion Guide helps teams make informed decisions about a student’s access to information, communication, and more. Download and share: Spanish  English.

Newcomer Toolkit: The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to provide this Newcomer Toolkit, originally published in September 2016. Schools are among the first U.S. institutions to welcome newcomer immigrants and refugees to local communities. Meeting the physical, linguistic, social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs of these students and their families is essential to their success and can be an opportunity for educators and community members across the country to reflect upon and enhance their practices and processes. Accordingly, this toolkit is a resource for state, local, and school leaders to support multilingual learners and general education educators who directly serve immigrant and refugee students. Read more here.

School Inclusion: Looking for information about inclusion of children with disabilities in our schools and communities? The Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) is very pleased to offer you this resource page, which will connect you with the great work and materials of the disability network nationwide and internationally. Full of videos, additional webpages, LRE resources and more. Check it out here.

Youth advocates call on governor to veto Juvenile Reform Act: Youth advocates held a rally calling for Maryland Governor Wes Moore to veto House Bill 814, otherwise known as the Juvenile Reform Act. Maryland Youth Justice Coalition, which works to stop children from being involved in the legal system, spearheaded the rally.

Know Your Prom Night Rights! A Quick Guide for LGBT High School Students: The ACLU's guide is a resource providing essential legal information and practical advice for LGBT youth preparing for prom night. The guide equips students with knowledge about their rights regarding dress codes, same-sex dates, and access to facilities, empowering them to advocate for themselves and ensure a safe and inclusive prom experience. Download and share.

Mental Health Action Day: Get Ready for Mental Health Action Day on Thursday, May 16, 2024! Mental Health Action Day was founded to shift our mental health culture from awareness to action! This movement is powered by a growing coalition of more than 2,000 nonprofits, brands, government agencies, and influential leaders from more than 32 countries that spread the message that, just like our physical health, we can take actions to improve our mental health. Learn more.

Watching the Emotional 'Bluey' Episode 'The Sign' as a Military Parent | Military.com: According to the DoD, more than 1.6 million military children are in the United States, and their lives are dramatically impacted as a result of moving every 2-3 years. “The Sign” may not totally capture the impacts associated with a permanent change-of-station, or PCS, move, but it certainly reflects the existential angst that comes with it.

Being a Good Relative 101: Many of you have heard our Native American consultants refer to the excellent resources available through the website healthynativeyouth.org. On Wednesday, May 8 at 1:00 pm EST, the group is hosting a 90-minute webinar for anyone currently working with or interested in working with Native American youth. The webinar topic is Being a Good Relative 101, covering the practice of being good relatives to each other and intentionally helping Native youth. Register for the free webinar here.

Family Engagement: Authentically Integrating Essential Competencies: This brief from the California Center for School Climate presents evidence-based key insights for family-facing practitioners to support and cultivate high-quality, equitable family engagement through culturally responsive practices. It asks: What are some ways educators can build partnerships with families that invite knowledge-sharing and collaboration? How might families and school-based educators learn from each other? What actions can be taken together? Family Engagement provides family-facing practitioners with a unifying set of tools, strategies, and dispositions that help them to engage in deep, reflective conversations with each other and the families they serve.

Visualizing the Racial Wealth Gap: From home ownership to income, systemic inequities perpetuate disparities in wealth between different racial groups. Systemic inequities and barriers keep people of color from achieving economic security through employment, education, and homeownership, resulting in racial disparities in wealth and income. These disparities are the consequence of ongoing discrimination, structural inequality, and biases across our institutions. They continue to emerge in new forms of technology — including artificial intelligence and algorithmic risk assessment tools — that influence nearly every facet of life. The confluence of these inequities has created a massive, persistent racial wealth gap in the United States. This piece shares three things you should know about the racial wealth gap.

How One School is Centering Social Emotional Learning: At Valor Collegiate Academy in Nashville, helping students thrive personally and academically through a weekly social-emotional learning practice called Circle is central to their values. The school encourages students to share what's going on in their lives and to accept support, creating a community of care. Hear from students and staff during this 5 minute video.

DOJ Mandates Accessibility on State, Local Gov Websites: The new rule obligates state and local governments to ensure their online services are accessible. Many government agencies already strive to meet this standard, for example due to a governor’s directive or city ordinance, but there is little to no enforcement if they fail to meet it. The rule change means that DOJ can now bring action against state and local government agencies that fail to meet ADA requirements for online services. Learn more.

How thoughtful post-secondary planning can raise expectations for students in special education: A partnership between educators and parents of students with disabilities gives parents the knowledge and social capital to be the best advocates for their children. Such partnerships also allow school counselors and special education teachers to tailor the post-secondary options to the child based on the child’s strengths, abilities and interests. Read more here.

Child Poverty, Toxic Stress, and Social Determinants of Health: Screening and Care Coordination: In this National Institutes of Health study, the authors present three exemplars of child poverty to demonstrate the impact on child health and well-being and propose a model of care. While the focus of this article is on nurses in a clinical setting, the information is valuable for parent centers.