The House of Representatives passed the Empowering Parents through Quality Charter Schools Act (H.R. 2218). It included new provisions to strengthen protections for students with disabilities in charter schools including:

• How they will ensure charters meet the educational needs of students with disabilities;
• An assurance that charter schools meet the obligations of IDEA and section 504;
• An assurance to monitor and help charter schools recruit, enroll, and meet the needs of all students with disabilities;
• A High Quality Charter School is specifically defined as having demonstrated significantly increasing academic achievement for all students, and specifically students with disabilities.

Survey about flu prevention and treatment

Family Voices is partnering with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in a campaign to learn from families of children and youth with special health care needs about their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs related to influenza prevention and treatment. Please take time, to complete a brief survey (about 15 minutes).

English survey: http://www.orau.gov/caregiver-flu-survey/

En Español: http://www.orau.gov/caregiver-flu-survey/Spanish-Version/

The National Lifespan Respite Conference is taking place November 1-3 at the Glendale Renaissance Hotel, and the deadline for the "early-bird" registrations has just been extended to September 30th. A significant discount is available by joining the Arizona Caregiver Coalition.

A Pre-Conference Intensive will take place on Tuesday, November 1st. This Statewide Summit on Respite will bring together stakeholders from across Arizona to learn about what is done currently to provide respite to caregivers across the lifespan, and to hear from stakeholders about what needs to be done going forward to create a better network to provide family caregivers better access to respite. A special opportunity for caregivers to participate in both the Summit and the Conference through scholarships is available. To find out more, please contact your local Area Agency on Aging.

Webinars on the IDEA Part C Regulations

In response to the release of the IDEA Part C Regulations, the Division on Early Childhood (DEC) is hosting three webinars to help navigate the new regulations and understand the changes. 

Understanding the IDEA Part C Regulations with Sharon Walsh, DEC's Governmental Relations Consultant.

The webinar will be offered on three different dates. (Note times listed are all Eastern Standard Time.) Links to register:

Tuesday, September 27 from 7:30 - 9:00 pm (ET)

Thursday, September 29 from 1:00 - 2:30 pm (ET)

Saturday, October 1 from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm (ET)

Sharon Walsh, Governmental Relations Consultant, will provide an overview of the new regulations. This overview will highlight the changes to the regulations and the implications for services provided to infants and toddlers and their families. The webinars will also include DEC's perspective on the regulations and provide a practical look at the guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Education. There will also be opportunities for questions. Learn what the new regulations mean for families, practitioners, administrators, and state leaders. 

The webinar is provided free to DEC members. A $35 registration fee for others will apply. 

Conference on Inclusive Education

Pre-Registration is now open for the

2012 Conference on Inclusive Education

February 9-11, 2012

Denver, CO

To lock in a guaranteed early rate, PEAK Parent Center in Colorado is offering online pre-registration for the 2012 Conference on Inclusive Education's Three-Day (Thursday - Saturday) and General Conference (Friday and Saturday) Registration Packages.

Contact PEAK at registration@peakparent.org for details.

Please register for all workshops. To register, click on the name of the workshop or call 602-242-4366 or 800-237-3007.

Location: 5025 E. Washington St., Suite 204, Phoenix, AZ 85034

Positive Behavior Support

September 22, 2011

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Training on effective techniques for behavior management.

"I enjoyed the Positive Behavior Support training and learned many new ideas. It was a reminder that my behavior, as a parent, is important when I am trying to improve the behavior of my son...Thank you for putting on such a great seminar!"

We are grateful to Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water for their generous donation of water for conferences and events.