5 Tips to Become Especially Involved
The whole educational community benefits when parents of children with special needs get involved
by Thygerson Vaun
The whole educational community benefits when parents of children with special needs get involved
by Thygerson Vaun
Nov 01, 2016
If you have a son or daughter with special needs, chances are you spend an inordinate amount of time at the school discussing IEPs, accommodations, and other educational issues. These meetings can take up so much time and energy that it’s hard to be involved in other activities outside of special-education commitments. But, when parents of children with special needs get involved, the entire educational community will benefit.
Here are five tips to help you make your school relationships better by becoming more involved and making the most of your child’s educational opportunities.
1. Make Your Game Plan
Kathie Kouklis, Director of Student Services at Arvin Union School District, says when parents become more comfortable with the school, a positive relationship will develop. She encourages her parents to get involved and make appointments to speak with their child’s teacher, attend parent/teacher conferences, find volunteering opportunities, or just observe in their child’s classroom, where inevitably the teacher will put you to work.
Parents can also become more involved in the educational process not only at the school site, but at the district level to affect change and garner more compassionate understanding. “Districts will hold ‘parent nights’ on a variety of topics from English language development to reading, to math, to test taking, and all kinds of informational meetings on the LCAP, which is school funding and district advisory meetings were parents always have input,” Kouklis says. “I would strongly encourage parents to become part of the school site council at their child’s school, or a district advisory member. These committees discuss policy and practices which can help the parents feel more a part of the school.”
2. Research Sources of Support
Take advantage of the support services offered by the school district not only for your child with special needs but for you as well. Angela Miller, special education teacher at Valle Verde Elementary in the Greenfield Union School District, says the school offers many resources for these children and their parents.
“We have psychological services including a nurse and a social worker that are available for parenting help and a resource center that can help parents with any services they may need outside of school. We have parent nights that provide parents with games and activities that help students learn,” Miller says. “I welcome and encourage parents to visit the classroom to see what methods are working for their child. As the Learning Center teacher, I also provide materials on a weekly basis that will help the parents know exactly what their child has mastered that week, like new vocabulary learned, and gives the student something to read and share with their families.”
3. Be an Invaluable Volunteer
Use your unique skills to enhance your child’s education by volunteering at the school site. If you’re good at art, become an art docent, or, if you’re good at organizing, join the parent-teacher club to help plan activities. Teachers and classified staff can always use extra help. You can volunteer in the classroom and/or buy supplies they need often like tissues and hand sanitizer. If you can’t make time during the weekday to help out, ask if there is an off-campus volunteering opportunity where you can help when school is not in session. You can take papers home to grade, cut out craft activities, or help plan a PTC fundraising event.
Being a chaperone on your child’s field trips or visiting during celebratory days can also help you see how your child interacts with others and perhaps find friends that would be open to a play date outside of school.
Find your niche and learn how to use it to benefit your family and the entire school community.
4. Include Your Whole Family
Making your relationship with the school a family affair will help not only your family bond, but will also solidify your commitment to education. Take time to bring the whole family out to movie nights, open houses, book fairs, carnivals, picnic days, and other activities. Sometimes siblings of children with special needs can help bridge the gap with friendships and inclusion.
“If the student is attending the school functions with the family they will all benefit from it,” Miller says. “From pre-K kids to grandparents, including the entire family in school activities promotes the importance of school and values it provides.”
5. Be Knowledgeable and Well Prepared
Sometimes as a parent of a child with special needs, the meetings and paperwork can be overwhelming. Being knowledgeable and prepared for your annual IEP, or any other accommodations meetings, is the best way to make the most out of the time when you have access to your child’s team of educational professionals. Kouklis says that the IEP and 504 process should be user friendly and a group effort.
“As far as preparing for an IEP, I would encourage parents to always know where the copy of their child’s most recent IEP meeting is. Review the document before the next meeting, especially reading their child’s goals for the year,” Kouklis says. “At each annual IEP the goals and objectives are revised and serve as a benchmark for growth, or they will continue if the student did not reach their annual goal. Accommodations are also important, such as helpful ways the school will ensure the special education student functions in any class. I would also encourage all parents to ask questions at the IEP of 504 meeting. Never leave without having all of your questions answered or issues discussed.”
Another Resource:
"A Parent Resource Center (PRC) is a small center on a school campus (smaller districts might just have one center that serves the entire district) with the end goal of engaging and empowering parents in their child’s education through providing resources, services, and parenting education. For example, a PRC’s might offer parent training workshops and help link parents to available services in the community…Other resources might be offered on health and nutrition, college/career planning, and pre-school readiness."
-Rob Meszaros; Communications, Kern County Superintendent of Schools
Also, always keep up on your parental rights when you have a child with special needs. For more information, please visit www.kern.org/selpa/for-parents or www.bcsd.com/bcsdspecialed/.
Here are five tips to help you make your school relationships better by becoming more involved and making the most of your child’s educational opportunities.
Kathie Kouklis, Director of Student Services at Arvin Union School District, says when parents become more comfortable with the school, a positive relationship will develop. She encourages her parents to get involved and make appointments to speak with their child’s teacher, attend parent/teacher conferences, find volunteering opportunities, or just observe in their child’s classroom, where inevitably the teacher will put you to work.
Parents can also become more involved in the educational process not only at the school site, but at the district level to affect change and garner more compassionate understanding. “Districts will hold ‘parent nights’ on a variety of topics from English language development to reading, to math, to test taking, and all kinds of informational meetings on the LCAP, which is school funding and district advisory meetings were parents always have input,” Kouklis says. “I would strongly encourage parents to become part of the school site council at their child’s school, or a district advisory member. These committees discuss policy and practices which can help the parents feel more a part of the school.”
2. Research Sources of Support
Take advantage of the support services offered by the school district not only for your child with special needs but for you as well. Angela Miller, special education teacher at Valle Verde Elementary in the Greenfield Union School District, says the school offers many resources for these children and their parents.
“We have psychological services including a nurse and a social worker that are available for parenting help and a resource center that can help parents with any services they may need outside of school. We have parent nights that provide parents with games and activities that help students learn,” Miller says. “I welcome and encourage parents to visit the classroom to see what methods are working for their child. As the Learning Center teacher, I also provide materials on a weekly basis that will help the parents know exactly what their child has mastered that week, like new vocabulary learned, and gives the student something to read and share with their families.”
3. Be an Invaluable Volunteer
Use your unique skills to enhance your child’s education by volunteering at the school site. If you’re good at art, become an art docent, or, if you’re good at organizing, join the parent-teacher club to help plan activities. Teachers and classified staff can always use extra help. You can volunteer in the classroom and/or buy supplies they need often like tissues and hand sanitizer. If you can’t make time during the weekday to help out, ask if there is an off-campus volunteering opportunity where you can help when school is not in session. You can take papers home to grade, cut out craft activities, or help plan a PTC fundraising event.
Find your niche and learn how to use it to benefit your family and the entire school community.
4. Include Your Whole Family
Making your relationship with the school a family affair will help not only your family bond, but will also solidify your commitment to education. Take time to bring the whole family out to movie nights, open houses, book fairs, carnivals, picnic days, and other activities. Sometimes siblings of children with special needs can help bridge the gap with friendships and inclusion.
5. Be Knowledgeable and Well Prepared
Sometimes as a parent of a child with special needs, the meetings and paperwork can be overwhelming. Being knowledgeable and prepared for your annual IEP, or any other accommodations meetings, is the best way to make the most out of the time when you have access to your child’s team of educational professionals. Kouklis says that the IEP and 504 process should be user friendly and a group effort.
“As far as preparing for an IEP, I would encourage parents to always know where the copy of their child’s most recent IEP meeting is. Review the document before the next meeting, especially reading their child’s goals for the year,” Kouklis says. “At each annual IEP the goals and objectives are revised and serve as a benchmark for growth, or they will continue if the student did not reach their annual goal. Accommodations are also important, such as helpful ways the school will ensure the special education student functions in any class. I would also encourage all parents to ask questions at the IEP of 504 meeting. Never leave without having all of your questions answered or issues discussed.”
Another Resource:
"A Parent Resource Center (PRC) is a small center on a school campus (smaller districts might just have one center that serves the entire district) with the end goal of engaging and empowering parents in their child’s education through providing resources, services, and parenting education. For example, a PRC’s might offer parent training workshops and help link parents to available services in the community…Other resources might be offered on health and nutrition, college/career planning, and pre-school readiness."
-Rob Meszaros; Communications, Kern County Superintendent of Schools
Also, always keep up on your parental rights when you have a child with special needs. For more information, please visit www.kern.org/selpa/for-parents or www.bcsd.com/bcsdspecialed/.
