March 2025
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”
~ Dr. Seuss
Welcome to March’s edition of the Buzz from the Hub! The sun is setting a little later every day, Spring is in the air, and with it comes a sense of renewed hope. As always, the CPIR is excited to share key updates, resources, and events with you. In this issue, we feature:
- two Fast Facts from the Office Special Education Programs (OSEP),
- effective strategies to support young children facing emotional challenges,
- CPIR’s Supporting Military Families page,
- our Transition to Adulthood suite of pages,
- supported decision-making resources, and
- a podcast on video gaming’s effects on children.
Last, but not least, check out the virtual event scheduled in March in the Upcoming Events section.
Best wishes and happy reading,
The CPIR Team
Featured Resource!
OSEP Releases Two New Fast Facts: Part B Educational Environments and Part B Personnel
In January 2025, The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) released two new Fast Facts: OSEP Fast Facts: Educational Environments of Children with Disabilities Served under IDEA Part B Section 619 and OSEP Fast Facts: Part B Personnel.
These Fast Facts spotlight OSEP’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 618 data on personnel and educational environments of children with disabilities in early childhood settings. They are packed with visualizations that help make IDEA 618 data easy to interpret and share.
Click here to read more about the two recently released Fast Facts.
Shareable Resources
Early Childhood |
From Attention to Connection: Responding to Challenging Behavior in Caring Ways
Erica Key, Founder and Chief Learning Officer of Learning Seeds, shares in an in-depth conversation with friends at Sesame Street on how to explore effective strategies to support young children facing emotional challenges.
Watch the video of the conversation here.
Education |
Supporting Military Families
In case you missed it! The CPIR has created a new page especially for military families! Supporting Military Families is full of resources on many different topics affecting military families, including education, healthcare, and moving/deployment.
Access the Supporting Military Families page here.
Youth |
Transition to Adulthood
Life is full of transitions, and one of the more remarkable ones occurs when a student gets ready to leave high school and goes out in the world as a young adult. When the student has a disability, it’s especially helpful to plan ahead for that transition. Transition planning takes place as part of developing the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Find all the information on transition to adulthood here.
Young Adults |
National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making
Supported Decision-Making is just a fancy way of describing how we all make choices. We all need help making decisions, every single day. The National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making (NRC-SDM) helps people with disabilities find information on Supported Decision-Making, connects them with people and organizations that may be able to help, and answers their questions.
Explore all the resources the NRC-SDM has to offer.
Parent Leadership |
Screen Deep Podcast – a podcast by Children and Screens: Institute for Digital Media and Child Development
Episode 10: Video Gaming Effects on Children’s Behavior and Health | Douglas Gentile, PhD
The majority of today’s adolescents are video gaming – for many, daily. How much gaming is too much? Are violent video games actually harmful to children? On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry sits down with Dr. Douglas Gentile, a Distinguished Professor at Iowa State University and renowned video gaming expert to discuss the latest research.
Listen to the episode here.
Upcoming Events
Finding Your Voice as a Parent Webinar: Special Education Law and Advocacy Round Table Managing Your Child’s Educational Challenges
Join Attorney Lawrence Berliner, Connecticut Special Education Law, Jane Faherty, Stamford JCC JumpStart Program Executive Director & Special Education Advocate, and Allie Grafman, Special Education Advocate at ABC Advocacy LLC as they discuss Taking Ownership of Your Child’s Educational Journey.
- Understanding your child’s basic special education rights
- Addressing parents’ input and concerns in assessing their child’s progress
- Annual Review PPT and IEP Meeting – Strategizing and Preparing for year-end
- ESY- Extended School Year/Summer Camp & Related Services
- Eligibility Issues: 504 Plan vs. Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
When: Wednesday March 12th 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. EST
Looking for more events? Check out
the Hub Central Event Calendar
This e-Newsletter from the CPIR is copyright-free. We encourage you to share it with others. Scan our QR Code or click here to sign up to receive the Buzz from the Hub!
Publication of this e-Newsletter is made possible through Cooperative Agreement H328R230009 between OSEP and the SPAN 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.
