Know You and Your Child’s Rights in Special Education

The most important thing for a parent is to know their rights concerning their child’s special education. When parents understand what it takes to plan their child’s education, line of communication open for them and their child’s teachers. 

The “Advocating for your Child” Course is important for parents to become an effective advocate for their child.

As a parent, you are your child’s best education advocate—until he’s old enough and informed enough to speak up for himself. You know your child’s strengths and challenges, and you can help identify and push for the resources your child needs to succeed. Here are some tips to help you advocate for your child at school.

1. Be informed.

Read more about your child’s learning and attention issues, it can help you be familiar with your child’s specific challenges. Explore your child’s strengths, too, so you can work with the school to find ways that best support how they learn.

2. Keep and organize paperwork.

Make sure to keep copies of all report cards, progress reports, multidisciplinary evaluations, IEPs, medical records, helpful homework samples and other documents. They can provide insights into your child’s learning issues and how much progress he’s making. If your child has an IEP, you can create an IEP binder to keep all your paperwork in one place.

3. Build relationships.

Get to know your child’s teachers as well as the school psychologist, speech therapist and any other providers who are working with your child. Building relationships with the whole team can help keep the lines of communication open. There’s less chance of misunderstanding if everyone knows and talks to each other.

4. Ask questions.

It’s important to make sure you fully understand your child’s program and accommodations before you give your consent to services. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification or express your disagreement with the school’s recommendations regarding services. It’s a good idea to get any requests in writing. Keep copies of these requests and use a communication log to keep track of who you spoke to and when.

5. Stay calm and collected.

Remember that the teachers and other school staff members involved are there to help, even if you disagree with them. Make a list of the topics you want to cover in important meetings. Consider bringing a friend or relative who can take notes for you and help you stay organized and on track.

6. Remember that you’re part of the team.

Parents shouldn’t feel pressured by school staff to make a decision. Keep in mind that you’re an equal member of the decision-making team. So, while it’s important to be receptive to the school staff’s thoughts, you don’t have to agree to something you think goes against what’s best for your child.

7. Know your child’s rights.

Learn about your child’s rights to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Your child might have the right to extra time on tests and other accommodations or modifications. Stay informed about your school’s legal obligations to provide your child an evaluation and other services.

8. Talk to your child.

Touch base with your child about how school is going. It’s important to know if he’s using the accommodations on his IEP or 504 plan or if he’s spent time with the speech therapist as planned. This helps you make sure the plan is being implemented. And you can teach your child phrases he can use to self-advocate when you’re not there with him.

9. Learn the lingo.

Learn terms you may hear from educators, health-care providers and other professionals. It can help you to understand, for example, whether the speech therapist and other service providers are “pushing in” (working with your child in the classroom) or “pulling out” (taking your child to a separate location). This information can guide questions to ask your child. For instance if he says he didn’t go to speech class one day, you might ask, “Did the speech therapist come into the classroom?”

10. Communicate regularly.

IEP meetings and parent-teacher conferences are good opportunities to get an update on your child’s progress. You can email their teacher with questions. PTA meetings may provide insight into curriculum changes and other resources that could affect your child. It’s helpful to fill out a contact list, too. Keep it handy so you know who at school to reach out to about various topics.

This and more can be helpful as you navigate life with your child and find support from the staff at Parent University and the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties when you grow in advocating for your child.

Partnering with Parents to Educate the Family

We all know being a parent is a wonderful feeling, we also know it can be challenging! Parent University has helped so many families with those challenges here in Omaha for over 5 years.

From setting the building blocks of learning to ‘extension activities’ designed to help you and your child grow and learn together, the educational courses offered have become invaluable to our local Family Success.

Parent U is an engagement building program from the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties and Project Harmony building up both our parents and their schoolchildren, to help strengthen the bonds of their “Two Generations” into One Family.

If you want to learn more about Parent University, call and contact us today. Your child’s path to academic success can begin today!

Basic Ingredients for a Healthy Kitchen

The first step to start cooking healthy is to stock your kitchen with a variety of foods that you can throw together for healthy meals in a hurry.

Keep these foods on hand for fast meals on busy nights. 

In the cupboard

• Beans: Black, pinto, kidney, chickpeas, lentils, refried

• Rice: Brown, long-grain rice mixes

• Pasta: Whole-wheat spaghetti, fettuccini, penne, bowtie, ramen noodles

• Other grains: Couscous, orzo, cornmeal, whole-wheat crackers, breadsticks, bread crumbs

• Onions

• Canned tomatoes: Diced, whole, seasoned, sun-dried, sauce, salsa

• Canned vegetables: Mixed vegetables, green beans, mushrooms

• Canned and dried fruits: Applesauce (unsweetened), raisins, dates

• Sauces: Pasta, pizza, tomato-look for varieties that contain no or very little added sugar

• Soups: Canned soups, broth, and bouillon and dried soup mixes-look for varieties that are lower in sodium and are broth-based rather than cream-based

• Meats: Canned tuna, salmon, minced clams

• Peanut butter

• Low-fat or no-fat evaporated milk

• Vinegars: Cider, red and white wine, balsamic

• Your favorite herbs and spices

• Oils: Olive, canola, peanut, and non-fat cooking spray

• Whole Grain breads

In the refrigerator

• Various Vegetables and fruits, mix it up as per seasonal favorites

• Low-fat milk or non-fat milk and yogurt (without added sugar)

• Reduced-fat cheeses: Cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, Monterey Jack, cottage, Parmesan

• Reduced-fat sour cream and cream cheese

• Whole-wheat and corn tortillas

• Eggs

• Minced garlic

• Sauces: Worcestershire, soy, teriyaki, and chili

• Ketchup and mustard (spicy and Dijon)

• Salad dressings with olive oil or reduced-fat

In the freezer

• Frozen vegetables and fruits

• Frozen chopped onions and chopped green, red, or yellow pepper

• Breads: 100% whole-grain breads, dinner rolls, English muffins, bagels

• Meats: Chicken breast, ground turkey breast

• Fish: Red snapper, salmon, cod, flounder, sole

Daddy’s Home for Parent University

After listening to North Omaha fathers, the Learning Community created a new course just for our dads.
When conducting parent focus groups recently, the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties discovered fathers shared a common need. And in May, the Learning Community launches “Daddy’s Home,” a six-week Parent University course with training and discussion just for fathers. 

Anthony Douglas and his daughter

Anthony Douglas signed up for our “Daddy’s Home” course right away. He’s completed more than 30 Parent University courses in the Learning Community Center of North Omaha and he shared with us why he thinks a class focused on fathers is a much-needed opportunity. “It’s important for fathers to share experiences and understand our common struggles.” Douglas hopes it will be a place “to lift each other up.”

Once announced, the new weekly fatherhood class filled very quickly. Now that more and more research shows that young children gain tremendous benefits from a loving and involved father, we at Parent University couldn’t be more proud to offer an opportunity for children and fathers to grow more stronger and more confident together.

Benefits of Involved Fathers

• Increases a child’s confidence

• Supports student success

• Increases problem-solving skills

“Many fathers want to make a positive impact in their child’s life, but struggle to find their place.” Jamalia Parker, former Learning Community Director of Family Engagement Services, “’Daddy’s Home’ gives fathers the opportunity to learn from each other and take advantage of resources to make fatherhood a little easier.”

Prime Time Reading with our Parents

1. Reading to young children sets them up to succeed

Reading to your child helps them succeed academically and find joy in life every day. At Parent University, the more you read to your children, the more knowledge they absorb, and knowledge is important in all aspects of life. There have many studies that show reading to babies and toddlers gives them a head start and helps to prepare them for school later down the line. After all, reading with your children gives them the skills needed for when they start to read themselves.

It is important that children learn to follow words across the page from left to right, and turn pages which are pre-reading skills that benefit children and help them to become better readers later on. Children who enjoy reading not only do better in language and literacy subjects, but in all of the different subjects as well.

2. Reading develops language skills

 While you may speak with your children every day, the vocabulary you use is often limited and repetitive. Reading books ensures that your child is exposed to vocabulary on different topics, which means they hear words or phrases which they may not hear otherwise in their day-to-day lives. The more words they know, the better. For children who speak more than one language, reading is an easy way to help their language skills and is important to develop their fluency.

Parent University presents the “Prime Time Reading” course, where you and your child can enjoy reading time from a fun and exciting storyteller!

3. Reading together encourages a thirst for knowledge

Reading to your children leads to questions about the book and the information within. It gives you a chance to speak about what is happening and use this as a learning experience. It may also develop an interest in different cultures or languages. There is nothing better seeing a child who loves to learn. 

4. A range of books teaches children about different topics

Providing your child with different types of books on different topics, or even in different languages for bilingual kids, gives them a wide range of information for them to learn. There are informative books on topics such as different animals, places or objects etc, and there are also different books to help teach children about important life skills such as sharing, being kind, and diversity. There are also some amazing personalized books that make great gifts!

5. Reading develops a child’s imagination and creativity

One of the great benefits of reading with children is watching their growing imagination. When we really engage in a book we imagine what the characters are doing. We imagine the setting as reality. Seeing the excitement on a child’s eyes when they know what is going to be on the next page, or having them guess what is going to happen is one of the most amazing things to experience.

6. Books are a form of entertainment

With so much technology these days, it is difficult not to get caught up in all the hype of it all. TV, Video games, smartphones, and apps are popular among children. However, reading a good book that your child is interested in can be just as entertaining. With all of the negative effects of screen time, choosing a book that interests your child, and either reading it together or letting them flick through pages alone, is definitely a better option. One of the main benefits that highlight the importance of reading with babies and toddlers, is that they are more likely to choose a book to read for pleasure over another activity when they are bored.

7. Reading together helps to create a bond

There’s nothing better than cuddling up to your little one and reading a book or a bedtime story together. Spending time with one another, reading, and talking, can bring parents closer to your children. For parents who work, or have a busy lifestyle, relaxing with your child and simply enjoying each other’s company while reading can be a great way for you both to wind down, relax, and bond.

The course begins Wednesday, June 13th, so sign up now, and begin to help your child improve their language development, and receive a free book to take home every week! Call 402 505 4301 today.