Parent Center Updates

• Advocates for Justice Executive Director Receives Exponent Award
• Technology Leadership Initiative for Parent Centers

Announcements & News

• ALLIANCE National PTAC Topical Institutes
• TEACH Campaign
• Secondary Transition State Planning Institutes

Resources

• Cultural and Linguistic Competence Tool for Family Organizations
• Guide on Supporting Career Development of Youth with Learning Disabilities
• Web-based Module on Communication for Collaboration
• Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Resources
• Managing Your Own Personal Assistance Services
• Center for Disease Control (CDC) Resources for Parents

Technology

• TechMatrix
• ¡TradúceloAhora!

Nonprofit Management

• GrantSpace

Parent Center Updates

Advocates for Justice Executive Director Receives Exponent Award

Kim Jones, executive director and co-founder of District of Columbia’s Parent Training and Information Center Advocates for Justice, was recently honored with the Meyer Foundation’s Exponent Award. The award is given for visionary nonprofit leadership and includes a $100,000 grant for training and other organizational needs. Congratulations, Kim! More>>>

Technology Leadership Initiative for Parent Centers

The National Parent Technical Assistance Center at PACER Center has been funded by OSEP to collaborate with the Region 5 Parent Technical Assistance Center at PEAK Parent Center to help eight Parent Centers serve as models on how to use technology to enhance their ability to meet their missions of helping families of children with disabilities. This one-year initiative will go through Sept. 30th, 2011. Thank you to everyone who applied! The applications are currently being reviewed and participants will be notified next week. More>>>

Announcements & News

ALLIANCE National PTAC Topical Institutes

The ALLIANCE National Parent Technical Assistance Center Topical Institutes for Parent Centers will be held January 25-27, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, VA. The Institute topics are Technology, Management, and Challenging Behaviors. Registration is due December 3rd and can be completed online at http://www.parentcenternetwork.org/national/log-in.html.

More>>>

TEACH Campaign

The TEACH Campaign is a new initiative of the U.S. Department of Education to encourage a new generation of teachers to join the workforce. The program’s website features information on why some individuals choose to teach, the importance of teachers in the community, and various pathways to becoming a teacher. More>>>

Secondary Transition State Planning Institutes

The 5th Annual Secondary Transition State Planning Institute will be held May 17-20, 2011 in North Carolina. The event is sponsored by several Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) projects, including the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities, the National Post-School Outcomes Center, the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center, and the IDEA Partnership. Participating state teams will develop knowledge and participate in facilitated planning to re-visit or develop plans for building state capacity to improve secondary transition education and services, including school completion, and outcome data collection and use. More information will be available in December. More>>>

Resources

Cultural and Linguistic Competence Tool for Family Organizations

The National Center for Cultural Competence at Georgetown University's Center for Child and Human Development has developed a new tool specifically for agencies that work with families of children with disabilities and special health care needs. The tool includes an organizational self-assessment and provides some definitions for related terms. More>>>

Guide on Supporting Career Development of Youth with Learning Disabilities

NCWD/Youth (National Collaborative on Workforce and Development for Youth) recently released Charting the Course: Supporting the Career Development of Youth with Learning Disabilities. This Guide is intended to help practitioners, administrators, and policymakers in secondary and postsecondary education programs, transition programs, One-Stop Career Centers, youth employment programs, and community rehabilitation programs to improve services and outcomes for youth, ages 14 to 25, with diagnosed and undiagnosed learning disabilities. The guide includes numerous quick reference charts, tables, and tools for professionals who work directly with youth. In-depth information is provided on a variety of topics, including the types and impact of learning disabilities, needed supports, and research-based interventions. More>>>

Web-based Module on Communication for Collaboration

Learn about effective communication practices that can be used to promote collaboration with professionals and families in early care and education, and intervention settings. The web-based module, developed by CONNECT: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge, includes video clips, activities, and handouts that are designed to be embedded into existing curricula, coursework and other professional development opportunities. More>>>

Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Resources

A new resource series examines the benefits and challenges of collaborating to meet the mental health needs of youth in the juvenile justice systems. The three briefs were published by the Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health and authored by the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. More>>>

Managing Your Own Personal Assistance Services

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), U.S. Department of Labor, recently announced the release of Making the Move to Managing Your Own Personal Assistance Services (PAS): A Toolkit for Youth Transitioning to Adulthood, a guide designed to help transition-age youth with significant disabilities as well as their family and friends navigate the complex world of PAS. Stories from real youth and their families give practical insight and guidance while the guide's worksheets and charts help youth with disabilities prepare for the responsibility of managing their own PAS at work, college, or living on their own. More>>>

Center for Disease Control (CDC) Resources for Parents

Learn the Signs, Act Early is a national campaign to inform parents of developmental milestones in the areas of play, learning, speech, and behavior. The program encourages early screening and intervention if parents or health care providers suspect a problem. More>>>

The CDC Parent Portal provides a wide range of resources for parents of children of all ages. Some topics include safety at home, immunization schedules, pregnancy, diseases and conditions, and healthy habits. More>>>

Technology

TechMatrix

The TechMatrix, developed by the Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd) and the National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI), is a tool to help families and professionals locate educational and assistive technology for students with disabilities. Users can search for resources by disability, subject area, accessibility features, grade level, and other variables. More>>>

¡TradúceloAhora!

¡TradúceloAhora! is an automatic Spanish translation software program that provides bi-directional English-Spanish translations of emails, websites, and web searches. Through PACER’s national grant from IBM, Parent Center staff can register and share this exciting resource with families. Look for more information about ¡TradúceloAhora!, including short video demonstrations, in the Tech Corner! More>>>

Nonprofit Management

GrantSpace

GrantSpace.org is a new website developed by the Foundation Center to help grantseekers learn more about writing proposals, find new resources on fundraising and other nonprofit management topics, and connect with experts and colleagues in the field. More>>>