Greetings!

Online Trainings offered through MPACT

 MPACT Parent Mentor Program

MPACT Parent Mentors are available to offer support and guidance to parents of children with disabilities throughout the IEP process.  Parent Mentors are volunteers who receive 24 hours of initial training, ongoing monthly training, and technical assistance from MPACT staff with regard to special education law, the IEP process, conflict resolution, and effective communication.  Their goal is to help parents build a collaborative partnership with the school district so their child may receive an appropriate education.  To view the list of current MPACT Parent Mentors, go to http://ptimpact.org/Volunteer/MentorList.aspx.

If your school district has had a MPACT Parent Mentor in attendance at an IEP meeting, please take a moment to complete a brief online survey located at http://ptimpact.org/Surveys.aspx if you have not already done so.  A separate survey should be completed for each mentor who has provided services to parents in your district.  These surveys assist MPACT and DESE with identifying and addressing areas of success and improvement with the Parent Mentor Program.

For more information about MPACT or if you have questions regarding the status of a Parent Mentor, please contact MPACT by telephone at (800) 743-7634 or by e-mail at info@ptimpact.org.    You can also view the MPACT website at http://www.ptimpact.org.

• First Steps Webpage and Fact Sheets
• Homebound Frequently Asked Questions Fact Sheet
• Due Process Timelines Fact Sheet
• Child Complaint Timelines Fact Sheet
• Behavior Webpage - Coming Soon
• Manifestation Determination Webpage - Coming Soon

Save the Date! 4th Annual MPACT Transition Summit

OSEP Guidance Letters

First Annual Missouri Dropout Summit 

Take Your Legislator to Work

The National Center for Education Statistics recently released The Condition of Education 2012, a congressionally mandated annual report that summarizes important trends in education using the latest available statistics. This year's report includes a section on Early Education and Child Care Arrangements of Young Children, which shows that the percentage of 3- to 5-year-olds enrolled in full-day preprimary programs increased from 32% in 1980 to 58% in 2010. A section on Children and Youth with Disabilities shows that the number and percentage of children and youth served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) have declined each year from 2005-06 through 2009-10. 

The Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) recently published the following  two new CELLreviews on their Web site:

• Effects of Reading to Infants and Toddlers on Their Early Language Development, CELLreview, 5(4), 2012, by Carl J. Dunst, Andrew Simkus, Deborah W. Hamby - The effects of reading to infants and toddlers were examined and results indicated that interventions were effective in promoting the children's expressive and receptive language. The benefits of the interventions increased the earlier the interventions were started and the longer they were implemented. Implications for research and practice are described.
• Relationship Between Age of Onset and Frequency of Reading and Infants' and Toddlers' Early Language and Literacy Development, CELLreview, 5(3), 2012, by Carl J. Dunst, Andrew Simkus, Deborah W. Hamby - The effects of age and frequency of reading to infants and toddlers on their early literacy and language development were examined. Variations in both age of onset and frequency of reading were related to variations in outcomes and predicted differences in literacy and language development some 36 months after reading began. Implications of the findings for research and practice are described.

Family Information Guide to Assistive Technology and Transition 

The Family Center on Technology and Disability (FCTD) has released the Spanish version of The Family Information Guide To Assistive Technology and Transition Planning. This guide discusses relevant laws and includes accounts from students on how use of assistive technology helped them transition to post-secondary education, employment, and independent living. Access this guide (in English and Spanish) at:

Helping the little ones transition to new settings or programs

The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center is a great go-to resource on how to ensure seamless transitions for children and their families as they leave Part C and other early childhood programsand move to another program or system. Visit NECTAC's transition page: http://www.nectac.org/topics/transition/transition.asp

IFSP & Transition Regulations

New Part C regulations were published in September 2011. So what's new, different, or the same in regulations for the IFSP and transition? 

http://www.ideainfanttoddler.org/pdf/IFSP_and_Transition_Regulations.pdf

Transition Plan

Here's a one page sample transition plan that was included in the IFSP of a child turning three and moving from early intervention (Part C) to a preschool classroom (Part B).
http://tinyurl.com/cr857de

Tiered Instruction | Online Module
Check out CONNECT's newest module, designed to help learners understand the purpose, use, and potential benefits of tiered instruction to promote positive behaviors and academic learning in young children in early care and education programs.
http://community.fpg.unc.edu/node/218

Don't forget to check out MPACT's First Steps webpage!