Families Together: Navigating Special Education (Support Group)
Admission
- Free
Description
Families Together: Navigating Special Education (Support Group)
Dates:
- September 15th and 24th
- October 6th and 29th
- November 3rd and 19th
- December 1st and 10th
Facilitator and Instructor: Judy Schmidt
Families Together: Navigating Special Education is a supportive group designed for parents, guardians, foster parents, kinship caregivers, and other primary caregivers who are navigating the special education journey. This group provides a welcoming and confidential space where families can connect with others who understand their experiences, gain information, share perspectives, and build confidence in supporting their children.
We understand that school year schedules ebb and flow, and we completely understand if you're not able to make every session. We look forward to seeing you whenever you're able to join us and wish you a wonderful evening whenever your schedule takes you elsewhere! If you won't be able to make a session, please email programs@mycche.org in advance of the session so we can modify the session based on expected attendence size.The goal of this group is not only to provide information, but also to foster meaningful connections among families and help bridge the gap between home and school through effective communication and collaboration. Participants will have opportunities to discuss topics such as:
- Understanding evaluations and assessments
- IFSPs and IEPs
- Building positive and effective communication with schools
- Supporting collaboration between families and educational teams
- Behavior and emotional regulation supports
- Circle of Security concepts
- Autism and ADHD supports
- Speech, language, and occupational therapy services
- Transition planning
- Community resources
- Parent self-care and wellness
- Guest speakers and family-requested topics
Most importantly, this group is about creating a community where families feel heard, respected, supported, connected, and empowered. No matter where you are in your special education journey, you do not have to navigate it alone.
We invite you to join us as we learn from one another, share experiences, and build confidence together.
Facilitator and Instructor: My name is Judy Schmidt, and I bring both professional and personal experience to this work. I am a Licensed Early Childhood Special Education Teacher, Licensed Academic Behavioral Strategist (K-12), and am Circle of Security trained. In addition to my professional experience supporting children and families within special education systems, I am also a parent who has personally navigated the IEP process with my own children. This combination of professional knowledge and lived experience allows me to understand the challenges families face from multiple perspectives.
This supportive group will be cancelled if we have less than 5 families registered or confirmed for an evening session.