For one minute, walk outside, stand there, in silence.
Look up at the sky and contemplate how amazing life is.
~Anonymous
This is the “final” issue of the Buzz from the Hub in CPIR’s current 5-year project cycle. While we await news of refunding, we find it a fine time to look back to where we have been and what the Parent Center network has accomplished in the past 5 years.
Thank you, to everyone and all, for the pleasure and honor it’s been to support your power and capacity and passion as Parent Centers, and to further your everyday work to improve the lives of so many families and children and youth with disabilities.
Our best to you all,
The CPIR Team | Debra, Lisa, Jessica, Ana-Maria, and Myriam
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1…2…3… CPIR Resources to Take Forward
We can’t really say we have “favorite” resources, because it’s all been a blur and a flurry, but perhaps we are most proud of these CPIR products, services, and processes.
The Hub and Its Library
CPIR’s Resource Library has been built in stages, of course, with multiple refinements along the way. It currently boasts more than 1,200 resources relevant to the work you do, in English and Spanish, and it’s searchable by topics key to Parent Centers and families.
Parent Center Locator
Did you know that, in the last year, visitors to the Hub logged more than 2.5 million sessions searching for information on disabilities and where to find help and guidance. Find Your Parent Center has consistently been in the top 10 most-visited CPIR web pages, leading visitors directly to you.
A Year in the Life: Parent Centers in Action
These two resources are all about you–what Parent Centers accomplished last year. Show yourselves off with the data captured in the infographic. Adapt the adjustable infographic to display your own Center’s achievements.
4…Co-Creation with Parent Center Staff
The active participation of Parent Centers in CPIR product development is a hallmark of teamwork. We especially prize that so many of you have been involved in assembling multiple resource collections and training curricula for the rest of the network to use, share, and build on. Many, many thanks for taking the development lead on:
Resource Collection on Behavior Supports and School Discipline
(RPTAC 1 @ SPAN)
Tool Kits for Board Professional Development (RPTAC 4 @ WI-FACETS)
Inclusion Curriculum (RPTAC 3 @ Parent to Parent of GA)
Best Practices in Outreach (Outreach Workgroup)
Juvenile Justice Toolkit (Juvenile Justice Workgroup)
Disproportionality in Special Education Training Module (Significant Disproportionality Workgroup) | The link above is to the draft version available in the BootCamp 2017 workspace (password needed). Final version coming soon!
5…Collaborations with TA&D Colleagues and Others
CPIR has also worked in concert with other ED-funded projects to share expertise relevant to Parent Centers and the families you serve. To mention but a few…
Getting Ready for When Your Teen Reaches the Age of Majority: A Parent’s Guide Series
Partners | National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC) and the National Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO)
Act Early Ambassadors and Parent Centers (Webinar)
Partners | Act Early Ambassadors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
ESSA and the Assessment of Students with Disabilities
(Webinar, Stakeholder’s Guide to ESSA, multiple fact sheets)
Partners | The Advocacy Institute and the National Center on Educational Outcomes
We could go on and on… but we won’t. Still, we send our appreciation to our other collaborative partners who lent their expertise to our Webinar series.
Ending Reflections
We have been truly pleased to provide tools that Parent Centers can use or adapt, platforms that enhance the network’s capacity to collaborate with each other, and a way to spotlight the knowledge and skills of Parent Center staff and access each other’s know-how. Don’t forget to use:
Survey Item Databank | For ready-made questions for surveys, evaluations, and needs assessment
Who Knows What? | Capture your skill areas and know-how
Parent Center Workspaces | Great for joint projects and keeping up with important topics!
To all, we hope to see you soon! Be well!
The CPIR Team
Debra, Lisa, Jessica, Myriam, Ana-Maria, and María
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The CPIR hopes that you’ve found useful and relevant resources listed in this month’s Buzz from the Hub. Please feel free to write to the editor, Lisa Küpper, at lkupper@fhi360.org to suggest the types of resources you’d like to see in the future. CPIR is listening! Your input is extremely valuable to helping us to craft newsletters that support your work with families.
Debra, Myriam, Jessica, Ana-Maria, and Lisa
The CPIR Team
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c/o SPAN, Inc.
35 Halsey St., Fourth Floor
Newark, NJ 07102
https://www.parentcenterhub.org/
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Publication of this eNewsletter is made possible through Cooperative Agreement H328R130014 between OSEP and the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN). The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government or by the Center for Parent Information and Resources.