Parent Mentors are frequently called by other parents who are looking for information, services, and resources about the unique needs of their children with disabilities.

New Videos for Parents of Children with Significant Cognitive Disabilities on Supporting Learning at Home

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) and TIES Center are jointly developing a series of videos for parents on various aspects of supporting the learning of children with significant cognitive disabilities at home.

The first four videos are now published.
Helping Your Child with Routines at Home
Helping Your Child with the Foundations of Communication at Home
Helping Your Child with Communication at Home
Helping Your Child with Academics
In addition to parents, educators and other audiences will find the videos useful as they work with parents and families. Each video focuses on three key questions: Why is it important to focus on this with my child at home? How can I do this at home? What support can I ask for from my child’s school? These videos help families learn ways to support the learning of their children with significant cognitive disabilities at home and have conversations with teachers to link home- schools supports.

Additional videos will be added to the series over the next several months The future videos will be on supporting the learning of reading, writing, and math at home, as well as one on monitoring progress.

Helpful Links for Parents

Georgia Department of Education Resources for Virtual Learning

Georgia Department of Education Implementation Manual

• Georgia Department of Education – Parents Rights
• Georgia Department of Education – Parent Guide
• Georgia Department of Education – Access to important information on the Georgia Department of Education website
• Georgia Department of Education – Transition Resources
• Parent to Parent of Georgia –  Parent support program for Georgia’s parents of children with disabilities
• Specialized Training of Military Parents – Resources and support for military families
• Children with Mental Health or Behavioral Disorders – Pacer Center offers resources
• Child and Family Data– Learn about research and issues
• Georgia Prescription Assistance Programs – These programs provide assistance for those who want to get their medications through pharmaceutical company patient assistance programs.
• Organize an IEP Binder – Provided by the Understood website
• Family Engagement, NCPMI
• Conversation Starters with Teachers  Tips on having a conference when your child is struggling with academics.
• Glossary of terms  Keep this in your IEP binder so you can look up the acronyms.

Disability-Related Links

• Speech Pathology Masters Programs has a new guide on their website: “When to Take Your Child to the SLP.”
• GKIDS Readiness Check is a new website which will help parents make sure children are prepared socially, emotionally, intellectually, and physically to enter kindergarten. The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) has partnered with the Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) in an effort to help both schools and families with the transition to kindergarten.
• Parent to Parent of Georgia  Parent to Parent of Georgia offers a variety of services to Georgia families impacted by disabilities or special healthcare needs.

Documents

• Special Education Terms – Definitions for commonly used Special Education terms
• Special Education Rules – Georgia Department of Education Implementation Manual
• Services for persons with Developmental Disabilities – Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
• Workbook for Self Directing – Guide for families managing a NOW or COMP waiver
• Guide for Students Considering College – National Center for Education Statistics offers a guide for decision making
• College Prep Checklist – U.S. Department of education booklet on college planning

Pre-K

Helpful links for parents of children in Pre-K programs or for children transitioning into kindergarten:

• Babies Can’t Wait – Transition guide for preschool children moving to Pre-K
• Georgia Medicaid – Medicaid eligibility information for children with disabilities
• Katie Beckett Deeming Waiver – Medicaid waiver eligibility for children with disabilities
• The National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) This website offers parents a variety of one page information sheets on dealing with challenging behaviors

K-5th Grade Resources

Parent mentors often help parents of students in the K-8 grades find resources and support relating to testing, IEPs and helping their children begin to learn self-advocacy skills. Here are some trusted websites that parent mentors often recommend.

• Georgia Department of Education – Resources and information for parents
• Parents Rights (Georgia Department of Education) – Parents rights for parents of children receiving special education services
• Self Advocacy – Article about the importance of Self Advocacy Skills

Middle School Resources

The following resources are parent mentor choices:

• National Dropout Prevention Center – Helpful information for parents of middle school students

High School Resources

These are some of the resources that parent mentors go to for concerns relating to students in high school and for those who are working on post-secondary planning:

• Georgia Futures College Information – Resources for parents and students
• Parent Involvement – The role of parents in preventing dropouts for students with disabilities
• Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation – Job and support services
• Drop out Prevention – Information for parents to help students at risk for dropping out
• National Collaboration on Workforce and Disability – Navigating the road to work for students with disabilities
• Making My Way Through College – Postsecondary guide
• Best Colleges – A college guide for students with visual impairments
• Georgia Inclusive Post Secondary Education Centers  Learn about Georgia’s programs