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Together with You,
Building Safe, Stable and Nurturing
Families and Communities
for both Our Present and Our Future | |
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2010 Board of Trustees
Janice Fitzpatrick, Treasurer
Candia
Raymond Gagnon,
Claremont
Sen. Peggy Gilmour RN,
Hollis
Rep. Anne Grassie,
Rochester
Courtney H.G. Herz, Esq.,
Secretary, Hopkinton
Peirce Hunter, M.D.,
Chair, Bow
Kristina Ickes, MBA,
Candia
Audrey Knight, MSN, RN,
Hopkinton
Robert MacGowan,
Webster
Rep. Betsy McKinney,
Londonderry
Lauren Noether, Senior
Assistant Attorney Gen.,
Concord
Malcolm Smith, PhD, CFLE,
Durham
Brenda Tibbetts, Vice Chair, Colebrook |
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Liani Perez-Moscoso, University of New England
Volunteers
RSVP of Merrimack Co.
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 Dear Friends:
The Governor has declared October as "parent involvement in schools" month. Especially parents of a child with special needs know how important it is to be actively engaged in their child's education. In this issue you will find information on Individual Education Plans, Parent Teacher Conferences, the Six Types of Parent Involvement, and Internet Safety. You will also meet Kristina Lombard, parent of a child with autism and 2010 Unsung Hero recipient.
We have been joined by Liani Perez-Moscoso, our 2010-2011 MSW student intern, who has written one of the articles below. Liani will be working closely with Becky Berk on research, assessment, data collection and analysis among other things.
We have resumed producing a timely newsletter for providers; loaded with information about funding opportunities, trainings and resources. Members of Family Support New Hampshire get this newsletter emailed to them. Nonmembers can access the archived issues at FSNH.org. We always welcome your feedback on our newsletters.
Our agency is undergoing some changes in our business structure that will better support our child abuse and neglect prevention work. We need your help to make this a smooth transition. We will be sending out our annual fall appeal letter in November and hope that you will be able to make a generous contribution this year. Click below to donate now.
In addition we are recruiting some experienced community members to serve on our board of directors and help us with strategic planning and governance. Finally, we are looking for volunteers to help us with program planning, fundraising, office tasks and more. If you are curious about these opportunities please call 224-1279 or email me. See you soon,
Keryn
Keryn Bernard-Kriegl
Executive Director
Maximize your dollar!
For every dollar you donate to the New Hampshire Children's Trust Fund, we are able to leverage federal dollars through our Community Based Child Abuse Prevention contract. This means your dollar goes farther to help us build safe, stable and nurturing families and communities. |
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"You've developed the strength of a draft horse while holding onto the delicacy of a daffodil ... you are the mother, advocate and protector of a child with a disability." -Lori Borgman
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 Talking with Your Child's Teachers
by the NH State Parent Information Resource Center |
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When parents and teachers share information about what's going on at home or school, your child will do better in school as a result.
Tell your child's teachers what they need to know about your child - if she has special needs, for example. If your child has problem with schoolwork or homework, request a meeting with the teacher.You can say, for example,"Tim is having trouble with his social studies homework. I'm worried about why he can't finish the assignments and what we might do to help him."
You can ask questions such as: What are your expectations for my child? What are the school's rules and regulations? Is there a homework policy? Ask about the school website, schedules, contacts, rules, etc.
QUESTIONS TO ASK AT A PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE
1. Is my child performing at grade level?
2. What are my child's strengths and weaknesses in major subjects - reading, math and science?
3. How much time should my child spend on homework?
4. Are my child's assignments completed accurately and on time?
5. Does the school have special programs to meet my child's needs?
6. Does my child have special learning needs? Are there special classes my child should be in?
7. Do you keep a folder of my child's work? If yes, could you review it with me?
8. Does my child have close friends? How well does my child get along with the other students?
9. What can we do at home to support classroom learning?
10. What is the best way to keep in touch with you?
 For more information or for workshops about effective parent-school
communication and collaboration, contact NH STATE PIRC.
www.nhpirc.org ˇ Toll-free: (800) 947-7005 or Helpline (866) NH-PIRC A project of the Parent Information Center
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Skills to Prepare Parents as Partners in their Child's Individual Education Plan
by Liani Pérez-Moscoso
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Parents are invaluable advocates in the development of their child's Individual Educational Plan (IEP) because they know what practices work for their child, and which do not. Here are a few suggestions to prepare parents for an IEP meeting:
Informed decision-making
Parents should request a copy of the IEP draft prior to the IEP meeting for the opportunity to review the contract. Items that are unfamiliar or confusing should be highlighted and questions prepared to ask at the meeting. If there are activities or tasks either missing or conflict with the child's learning style, parents may write down their suggestions and share them with the team. In the event that the parents still remain unclear about the context of the IEP, parents have the right to post-pone signing the IEP until further clarification is acquired.
The skill of asking questions
It is helpful to ask the IEP team positive and open-ended questions (those that cannot simply be answered with a yes or no). Instead of asking : Will this English project include IEP modifications? ask : How will the modifications be applied to this project? This allows for open and constructive communication between the parents, student and team, in an effort to generate better understanding surrounding the concepts within their child's IEP contract.
Parents as co-authors to the IEP
Parents have the opportunity to edit and supply relevant input that may be included in the IEP as long as it relates to the child's educational goals. For example, if you know your child is distracted by sound, and at home he uses earplugs, you may suggest these be worn as needed and request this advice be added to the contract. Parents as co-authors of the IEP allows for a meaningful collaboration between the educational team, the parents and the student to ensure positive educational growth.
Become familiar with Community & Online Resources
It is extremely beneficial for parents to know available resources in the community and online to assist in the IEP process in order to foster a successful educational experience for their child. Here are some resources:
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Unsung Hero: Kristina Lombard
by Julie Day, NHCTF Parent Advocacy Director |
Kristina Lombard whose daughter Sarah was diagnosed with mild autism, received an NHCTF Unsung Hero Award this year. In the nomination letter, her husband wrote "she has been advocating for and informing parents of their rights. She met with the Superintendant of schools, the special education director and the mayor Elect at the time to have the IEP become more informed for parents after her daughter was given a sensory therapy that was not in her IEP. She is working with the school department on having Occupation Therapists sit in to explain what OT is since most parents don't know. ..She has started a blog for parents for support and the list goes on..."
I asked Kristina to share some thoughts with us on her journey with her daughter.
What made you take such a proactive role in your daughter's education?
"I Believe God chose me to be her mother. My daughter has autism and has a receptive/expressive communication disorder and unfortunately can't tell me what, if anything, is bothering her at school. Her speech is there but her communication is limited. She doesn't know how to communicate with me yet so I need to be her voice. Education is very important. It's very important for a lot of parents to become their child's voice."
Is there something that you have learned from your experiences that you could teach other parents? "There are a couple of things I learned: Communication is key. Keep moving forward (enjoy every day!). Parents need to get involved with their children. Especially if the child has special needs. Teachers and doctors aren't always right. No one is; no one has the right answer. You need to explore options and talk with other parents and follow your instincts and know that communication is key. Parents are the BEST advocate for their special child. Keep going forward, never quit."
Who has been important to you in your journey? "Oh boy, a lot of people, my husband Jason, my sister Aida and my dog Annie. But I would say the most important person is my daughter, Sarah. Because when I have days I think I am not making a difference or things aren't moving forward as much as I like, my daughter comes to me with a hug or looks me in the eyes and says mommy. And then I know everything is going to be great. She is going to be fine and everything is going to be fine."
Kristina goes on to say "Education is important and I am always in touch with my daughter's teacher, she gives me a sheet everyday that tells me what she ate, what she did, what her therapies are and potty time. Her teacher and I communicate wonderfully. Everyone at her school is great because I have had multiple meetings with them so that we can all be on the same page. I welcome any parents who have questions and/or need some help to email me or go to their school's office and request a meeting. Your child's teachers aren't mind readers, communicate with them. They are there to help." "And enjoy your unique, wonderful, loving, special child. Don't sit around waiting to see if she/he will get better, you're just letting the time go by and forgetting they are children and should live like one. I think we all fear the unknown and expect the society's way of "normal" so when we are thrown off the normal track, we get scared. Just live one day at a time and enjoy it. Who cares if our child is not like other children, God chose you to be her parent and provider and guide her through life."
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The Six Types of Parent Involvement Joyce Epstein's Framework of Parent Involvement |
In order to have a healthy family and school relationship there needs to be an understanding of what Involvement means.
Type 1 - PARENTING -Help all families establish home environments to support child as students.
Type 2 -COMMUNICATING- Design effective forms of school-to-home and home-to-school communication about school programs and children's progress.
Type 3 -VOLUNTEERING- Recruit and organize parent help and support.
Type 4 - LEARNING AT HOME-Providing information and ideas to families about how to help students at home with homework and other curriculum-related activities, decisions, and planning.
Type 5- DECISION MAKING- Including parents in school decisions, developing parent leaders and representatives.
Type 6 -COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY- Identify and integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning and development.
For a detailed explanation on how these Six Types of Parent Involvement can increase knowledge in your child, your parents, your schools and your community please click on this link.
This exercise is to show how the Six Types of Parent Involvement can impact students, parents, teachers, schools, and communities.
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 While the internet offers fun and educational opportunities for children, it is not without its dangers. Parents need to be aware of what their children are doing on the computer at all times. There are three main risks for children online:
Inappropriate Contact: Teach kids how to recognize and protect themselves against contact with cyber-bullies, hackers, phishers, and predators. People aren't always who they say they are. Teach kids to keep away from Internet strangers: the Internet is a place to enhance existing relationships, not a place to meet new people.
Inappropriate Content: This includes both content that is viewed and content that is uploaded by kids. Help kids understand that the Internet is forever: everything they post online is tracked and stored and will follow them to future job interviews and college entrance interviews.
Inappropriate Conduct: Because the web environment can feel anonymous, some youth become disinhibited. Teach kids that the Internet is a public forum: anonymity is a myth. Help them be the good person online that they are when they're off line.
To learn more about online safety, go to www.ikeepsafe.org/PRC/
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Board Members and Volunteers Wanted
Join Our Team! |
Board members and volunteers are needed to assist our statewide child abuse and neglect prevention agency in fulfilling our mission. The NH Children's Trust is a small nonprofit agency looking for a few individuals who want to learn skills while contributing to our success.
We are looking for experienced board members who are passionate about strengthening families and keeping children safe. Our governance board's key responsibilities will include mission-driven decision making; excellence- driven oversight; resource development and fiscal responsibility; public relations and outreach.
Volunteer tasks may include writing articles, grant proposals and letters, updating our web site, data entry, fundraising, creating marketing materials such as audio or video PSAs, pamphlets, Power Point presentations, building relationships, organizing public education campaigns, serving on committees, and more!
Volunteers may receive letters of recommendation or school credit in addition to building skills and relationships. College students and others are welcome. Give Keryn a call at 224-1279 or email Keryn to discuss joining our team.
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The New Hampshire Children's Trust Fund was established in 1986 by legislative statute RSA 169-C:39 to support programs in New Hampshire that work to prevent child abuse and neglect. Our focus is primary prevention initiatives that keep children safe and families strong.
The New Hampshire Children's Trust Fund believes that the most effective way to keep our children safe from abuse and neglect is to foster the development of strong families. The New Hampshire Children's Trust Fund advocates for positive change in both state and federal policies that effect children and families.
The New Hampshire Children's Trust Fund is the New Hampshire chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America.
To find out more about our programs and partners, go to our website.
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Concord, New Hampshire 03301
(603) 224-1279
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