Wisconsin Personnel Development System (WPDS)

Parent Leadership Hub Weekly E-Newsletter for February 19, 2009

The attached "Parent Leadership Hub" Weekly Email Update is sent to you from WSPEI and WI FACETS.   The Parent Leadership Hub supports parents/family members, educators and other community partners to build capacity regarding meaningful family involvement.   The Hub serves three primary purposes:
(1) To support parents of children with disabilities between birth and 26 years of age to participate as partners in the professional development activities of each of the other Statewide Initiatives as they design, deliver and support professional development experiences; and
(2) To facilitate opportunities for parents/family members to build leadership skills; and
(3)  To provide Content Focused technical assistance concerning family involvement.

Parent/Personnel Development Opportunities

1. Navigating Our Way through the Autism Journey
   The Arc of Fond du Lac presents an Autism Conference on Saturday, April 25, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Community Church, N6717 Streblow Drive, Fond du Lac, WI. For more information or to register, go to http://www.arcfdl.org/Events.htm.
2. 2009 Rehabilitation & Transition Conference
   Destination Collaboration at the American Club in Kohler, WI on April 1 – 3, 2009. For complete brochure and registration, go to http://www.rfw.org/RehabConference/2009/RehabConference.htm
3. Save a Date for Early Childhood Conference
   UW Platteville 22nd Annual Early Childhood Conference
   April 4, 2009, 8:00 a.m. To 4:00 p.m., UW Platteville Campus
   For more information, contact Kerie at wedigek@uwplatt.edu or 888-281-9472
4. Free Person-Centered Integrated Employment Training
   The Pathways Project is sponsoring a series of trainings on person-centered integrated employment in three parts of the state: Mauston, Racine and Rhinelander. They are especially appropriate for transition educators. For further information, go to
   http://www.wiapse.org/2009_Registration_form_Integrated
   _Employment%20-%20Deb3%20(3).doc
   
5. Family Support 360 Meeting in Madison
   Family Support 360 invites you to a discussion on Partnering with Your Child's School. We will meet on Thursday, February 26 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm in room 310 at the South Madison Health and Family Center- Harambee, at 2202 S Park Street, Madison, WI. We will be discussing what to expect from the IEP (Individualized Education Program) team, what to do and who to call when concerns arise, and how to form a positive working relationship. A meal, child care, and interpretation will be provided. Transportation is also available if needed. This is a free training. If you have any questions or want to register for this Learning Circle opportunity, please email Tracee at trockow@smhfc-harambee.com or call (608) 261-9139.
6. Alert Program for Self-Regulation
   How Does Your Engine Run? The Alert Program for Self-Regulation will be broadcast through Interactive ITV to sites in Ashland, Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, and Milwaukee on March 27-28, 2009. Instructors are Mary Sue Williams, OTR, and Sherry Shellenberger, OTR, authors of the program. Participants will receive the required textbook, “How Does Your Engine Run? A Leader’s Guide to the Alert Program for Self-Regulation”. (Williams & Shellenberger, 1996).
   Contact the Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Association (WOTA) at (608) 287-1606 or wota@execpc.com for a registration brochure.
7. Stipends Available: Parents-Birth to age 6/First Time Conference
   WI FACETS is a partner in the State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) administered by the WI Department of Public Instruction. As a result of this partnership, WI FACETS is able to provide a limited number of parent stipends for parents of children with disabilities (birth to age 6) to attend a “first” professional development opportunity. Contact Dawn Wians, WI FACETS- SPDG Coordinator, for an application at dwians@wifacets.org or call 608-827-5234.

Family Involvement Resources

1. Care Plans for Teens
   The Center for Children with Special Needs at Seattle Children’s has developed three simple, straight forward care planning forms that can help teens share important information in consistent ways. This could help them to begin to think about managing their own care. These tools were created together with teen consultants who have chronic conditions.  
   •  Getting to Know Me
   •  What’s the Plan?
   •  In Case of Emergency
   The forms are available to download at:
   http://cshcn.org/planning-record-keeping/care-plans-teens
2. The Center for Children with Special Needs: www.cshcn.org
   This site offers information and resources for parents and professionals who advocate and care for children with special health care needs.
3. Federal Stimulus Package Website
   DPI has created a website to assist with understanding the education provisions of the federal stimulus package. It is located on the department’s home web page under the “economic stimulus legislation” link located on the blue right hand scan bar or directly at http://dpi.wi.gov/pb/stimuluspackage.html. Additional information will be added as it becomes available.
4. U.S. Department of Education Finalizes RtI Guidance
   OSEP has released a PowerPoint presentation that provides some guidance on the use of federal funds to support re­sponse-to-intervention initiatives. This guidance clarifies how Title I, as well as Title III funds for English-language learners and Coordinated Early Intervening Services funds under IDEA, may be used to support tiered interventions and progress monitoring in an RTI model without violating the programs’ fiscal rules. The presentation, Implementing RTI Using Title I, Title III, and CEIS Funds: Key Issues for Decision-makers, is available at www.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/08-0398rti.pdf.
5. Parent Training Modules on Promoting Children’s Social and Emotional Skills
   The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) has created Parent Training Modules which provide information for families on promoting children’s social and emotional skills, understanding their problem behaviors, and using positive approaches to help them learn appropriate behaviors. The modules are available online at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/parent.html.

DISCLAIMER
Inclusion of information in this e-mail does not constitute an endorsement by the Wisconsin Statewide Parent-Educator Initiative, Wisconsin FACETS, the Department of Public Instruction, the U.S. Department of Education, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.