Pledge for Parental Involvement

Pledge for Parental Involvement

I pledge to support my child's education
to the best of my ability.
I will have high expectations for my child
to succeed in school and in life.
I will make my child's education a priority,
and model positive actions and attitudes.
I will partner with my child's school
to ensure I am informed and involved
in all aspects of my child's education,
and I will be an active advocate
for my child's education.
I understand that education is the key
to success, and will do everything I can
to nurture my child's ability to learn.

*November is Parental Involvement Month
I received this saying at a Title I Parent Training

More Alike Than Different!

Inclusion is a Crazy IDEA?

People have a lot of different crazy ideas on what INCLUSION really is or what it should look like in a classroom or on a school campus. Inclusion is not a place, it's not sitting seperately away from other students, it's not a seperate classroom or going to visit a special teachers classroom and then going to the cafeteria to eat lunch in the same room as other students and then not sitting with your Gen. Ed classmates!

Inclusion is a community, it's a community that is accepting of differences and of everyone no matter what! Inclusion is a place where everyone is accepted and valued just as they are! Classrooms are made up of individuals, everyone is different and unique with different learning styles, hopes and dreams for their future! Inclusion is all together all the time! INCLUSION WORKS!

Where is BENSON? ~ You remember BENSON....

For those of you that have been following my blog for awhile...you may remember a little 6 year old boy named, BENSON. He has Down syndrome and was being totally discriminated against in the fact that our school district would not allow him to attend a regular general education Kindergarten classroom. Why not? Because our wonderful IEP team members that are hired by our Broward School District insisted on having certain district 'assigned' individuals DICTATE to the mom exactly how much time her son would be removed from general education classrooms, it was written in stone that he needed to be 100% ESE Special Education classroom...we call that a CLUSTER classroom.

This little guy has 3 older sisters that attend a NOVA school and another older sister that graduated from a NOVA school. BENSON'S mom of course wanted her son to attend the same NOVA school all her other Children go to, so she signed BENSON up to be on the NOVA LOTTERY! He was put on the 'sibling Nova lottery list' and guess what....HIS NAME WAS PICKED!!! BENSON'S name was picked from the lottery and mom was delighted! It was a HaPpY time for the mom, his sisters and others that knew how much it meant to this family that BENSON be able to attend the same school and ride the same bus as his 3 older sisters! It was cause for celebration for sure! To be picked from the NOVA LOTTERY SYSTEM was an accomplishment few get! She registered him at NOVA and then attended the KINDERGARTEN ROUND-UP at the beginning of last year...just 2 days before she was told that the school did not have a 100% ESE ROOM for BENSON to be in, so mom was told he could not attend their school now...that was such a blow to everyone's plan for BENSON and his sisters!
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Back at the beginning of the school year last year, I did several BLOG postings pertaining to BENSON and the stories that pertain to all the shenanigans that he and his mother had been put thru this last 2009-2010 school year at SNEAGLE RIDGE ELEMENTARY School. So much NONSENSE that no parent should ever have to put up with when dealing with the school we entrust our Child to!! That school absolutely needs to have some disability specific trainings and certainly needs to have the entire administration and its general education teachers taught POSITIVE INCLUSION TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES. The Gen. Ed. "nice" Kindergarten teacher BENSON was assigned, refused to even make simple EYE CONTACT with him on a regular basis, this was observed on several occassions. That teacher absolutely refused to INCLUDE BENSON to even the smallest degree...her attitude was carried over to her young students in that they all were 'on the look-out' for any little thing BENSON might do....those students followed her 'fine example' to DISCRIMINATE and not accept BENSON, just because he was different and had  Down syndrome. The opportunity and the lessons that teacher missed teaching all her students is lost...his 'regular Kindergarten classroom peers' missed out on a very valuable lesson called....ACCEPTANCE...acceptance for those that are a little different than you and me. BENSON WAS NOT INCLUDED IN GEN. ED KINDERGARTEN this last school year at Sneagle Ridge...because his Gen. Ed teacher and the staff and administrators mind-set is behind the times in that they just don't get it...they are not interested in getting it either!! How do I know this? Because I was by this mom's side the entire school year with trying to communicate to BENSON'S school and trying to create a well written IEP and trying to get the supports and services BENSON needed! This school very much BELIEVES in clustering students with disabilities into seperate classrooms and when they on occassion blend two Kindergarten classrooms together I saw with my own eyes the attitude not only from the administration, but more importantly from the other classroom students. They did not want to sit 'too close to those students' on the carpet during a blended class time inside the library for Media Special.

The students with disabilities are pretty much taught all together in their own Special Needs classroom, not mainstreamed or included. BENSON'S mom wanted her son to be given the opportunity to learn along side typically developing classmates so he could learn from them....so he could copy what they were doing. She knew that....yes he absolutely needed help and assistance especially to help him to follow classroom rules and to keep his hands to himself and not touch others. The assistant and the ESE teacher at this school very much believed in frequently giving fish crackers and/or Cheetos throughout his entire 'school day' as the way to get BENSON to 'learn'.....this was sickening to watch being done...YES BENSON liked the food treats, but it so wasn't written on his IEP whatsoever to use food reinforcements to get him to comply! Did anyone read his IEP? Where did that come from or is that a way some teachers were taught they had to do for certain individuals to motivate them to stay on task? I think that way is great for DOG TRAINING for sure!

Since BENSON had only been provided the most minimal of opportunities to be part of a General Education Class room, I saw with my own eyes that not much of any real Inclusion was practiced at this school. NEVER would I ever recommend this particular school to anyone ....especially for a child with a disability like Down syndrome! The Administration's mindset is out dated and discriminatory. Inclusion is not encouraged or understood at SNEAGLE RIDGE ELEMENTARY, and because of that I would absolutely request that this school be provided with QUALITY Disability Specific Training and also to have FIN-Florida Inclusion Network provide all the teachers and staff with POSITIVE INCLUSION STATEGIES Sessions! Oh and I absolutely would never recommend this particular school to anyone!!

This school is only one of many across our Country that have this same outdated way of thinking about our little kiddo's and their ABILITIES to learn to READ, WRITE & DO MATH! I am a firm believer that with the right teacher with an open mind and lots of room for flexibility to the way they have always 'taught' classes...our kiddo's require a lot of being flexible yet being firm with what your expectations are about each Child....the point is....TREAT OUR CHILDREN WITH RESPECT AND TEACH OUR CHILDREN TO READ AND DO MATH AND ALL THE OTHER WONDERFUL THINGS A CHILD ATTENDS SCHOOL FOR!

The time is now, our Children's future depends on everyone DOING THEIR PART in providing a FAPE and BELIEVING in them that they absolutely are capable and able to learn just as anyone else....yes it might be at a slower pass or a different way. Bottom line is...everyone has the right to be taught along side their neighborhood friends, in their neighborhood school. Let's start doing the right thing for the future of our Children!

Inclusion for Children with Down syndrome

Inclusion for Children with Down Syndrome

Studies show children with Down Syndrome benefit from inclusion in regular  general education classrooms. However, one of the risks of inclusion is that children will be placed in a general education classroom without proper inclusion strategies to learn in that environment. Here are tips for successful inclusion. Good insight and resource!
 http://www.brighthub.com/

The MONGOLOID word was used today!!

Today I made so many phone calls on BENSON'S behalf. I called this person and that person. This area person and her secretary only to be told to call this person and then always to be told by so many nice secretaries that the person I wanted to talk to... "SHE'S IN A MEETING"!! I would say I called about 10 different Broward County school district people today and every single one of them was, "IN A MEETING"! Gosh maybe I need to find out where this meeting is so I can be there to talk to all of them in the same room!

I was finally able to speak to one of our schoolboard members for the Area that over sees all of the Nova schools. She apparently was out of her meeting and able to take my call. I introduced myself and told her I was advocating for BENSON. She was aware of BENSON and what mom was trying to do.

In the few minutes of talking on the phone with her, she used the word, MONGOLOID and I just couldn't believe I just heard this professional woman say that word. I actually gasped and quickly said to her, "You did not just use that word!!??" She had a non-chelant attitude about her using that word, and commented on how she had recently had a discussion with someone else about the correct term to use today. She also went on to provide me with her age as the excuse for using it saying that's the term they used when she was growing up. I was jolted by her brazen lacsidaisical attitude or that it even really mattered.....!! Do you believe this?

I know this word was used alot back in the 60's....but this is almost 2010, that's pretty much 50 YEARS AGO!! The word mongoloid is JUST NOT USED TODAY LIKE IT WAS USED BACK IN 1960! I do not buy her answer that it has to do with 'her age' and what "THEY" were called....unless she is 80 years old and showing signs of dementia! She MUST be using this terminology on a regular basis if she could so coldly use it in a telephone conversation with me within 5-10 minutes of meeting me on the phone! She knew what she was saying! I will make sure she doen't get my vote or my friends vote next time re-elections come up!

This is an ELECTED Schoolboard member that is a highly paid professional that is suppose to represent many school age families here in Broward! I told her that her age is not a good enough reason not to use the acceptable terminology when referring to an entire group of unique individuals. I told her, "you wouldn't call a person a '_igger' just because that word was used alot back in her day would you!??" I went on to tell her, "...it doesn't make her sound very professional by continuing to use that word either...!" We also chatted about PEOPLE FIRST LANGUAGE and the current politically correct way when speaking about an individual or group of individuals, such as: Children with Down syndrome, or a young man WITH Down syndrome, not a Down syndrome Child or a Downs kid.....She said, "it's hard to remember that all the time!!"....WHAT IS SHE SAYING?? That she doesn't care how she sounds or what word to use...like it doesn't matter!?

I was absolutely shocked to hear this word even being used today, especially when SHE KNOWS I was calling her about little 5 year old BENSON and why he wasn't being allowed to attend Kindergarten at the very school mom signed him up at....remember, BENSON WON THE NOVA LOTTERY! Now they (all sorts of district personnel) are trying to say he is NOT registered at any Broward County school! Mom registered him at Nova Eisenhower Elementary school, but for some unknown, untold reason...now several district people are saying he is NOT registered at any school in all of Broward County! How can that be, when she had the paperwork and information to attend the Kindergarten Round-Up? Something smells like a rat.......

I am stunned that this word is still being used by any American in the year 2009 as a descriptive of a person having Down syndrome. I am even more disgusted that a professional who claims to be serving the best interest of our children, PROFESSIONALLY can't remember how to use PEOPLE FIRST LANGUAGE and we VOTED for her to be one of our schoolboard members? RE-ELECTIONS folks...remember who your schoolboard members are and do they really represent YOU?

She doesn't want to know what my Facebook friends had to say about a schoolboard member using that word today!!

MONGOLOID.......is that a good name or word to use today? You tell me what you think....................I know it's an outdated word and used much like the word retard or retarded.......used by a schoolboard member? Something just isn't right here.....

DEVELOPMENTAL PRESCHOOLS

Developmental Preschools are available for our children that need extra help developing the milestones that come naturally for some. These schools are great for our little kiddo's that need help with walking, talking, coloring and socializing.....Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech and Language Therapies are provided at these schools with a doctors script. Thru the early intervention program these therapies can be provided when a little one attends a developmental preschool.

Some counties don't have these places and other counties do. Broward County happens to have a nice handful of about 5 of them. They are all located in different parts of town, so no matter where a family lives, one is sort of nearby or they can have their child take a Broward County school bus to one. Our developmental preschools in Broward provide early intervention services and supports and also have classrooms set up for 3-5 year old that qualify for Exceptional Student Education supports and services.

As an a Advocate, I love working with families that have children that need to access the full spectrum of supports for their child in order for their child to move forward in their development. Parents are provided information and the option of placing their Child in one of these DEVELOPMENTAL PRESCHOOLS so they can receive OT-PT-ST therapies during their school day and be provided a language enriched classroom to get them ready for Kindergarten at 5 years old.


My daughter attended UCP and I have only good things to say about UCP and the teachers she had when she was there for such a short time between the age of 3 - 4 years old. The BEST teacher in the entire world there was Mrs. Gayle Clinker!! She cared so much about each and every child that came into the ENTIRE school and it showed by how much FUN she made sure each Child had on any given day. For example she took pictures of her students with a different seasonal theme...like for April it was "April Showers". She would dress them in a raincoat holding an umbrella...take the picture and laminate these pictures onto different colored heavy construction paper and made them into their lunch time placemats that thay used for that entire month...each month was a different theme. My daughter was a popular "June Bride", she had several 'boyfriends' and absolutely LOVED putting on the wedding dress her teacher brought in for that 'theme'!! I still have these beautiful placemats of my daughters moments in time...and what a wonderful time it was for me as a mom...to have her at a place that was going to help her be successful! Having her as Mariah's first 'real teacher' was a great experience for me as a 'nervous mom' sending my Child off to school at 3 years old! Mariah was provided with a quality foundation to her future learning because we did have a good experience and she did have a teacher that truely cared. Attending a developmental preschool for my daughter was a good thing!


The one thing that was hard for me to accept was when my daughter first started attending UCP at 3 years old was that she was not provided with any of the OT-PT-ST therapies that she had been recieving while under the Early Intervention 'umbrella' aka Part C services. I was amazed that she was able to go from having so many daily therapies to not receiving not even one therapy service!...NOT ONE THERAPY!!! NOT ONE!!


Her first 6 months of attending a DEVELOPMENTAL PRESCHOOL SHE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY OT-PT-ST SERVICES!! She only started receiving her therapies only because I was persistent in FIGHTING FOR HER to receive any of those therapy services! I didn't get it...why did I have to fight so hard at the beginning of her journey of going to school? I had no idea what was going on or why all of a sudden my daugher that has Down syndrome could go from having so many different therapies everyday from birth to 3, that now as soon as she was under the 'umbrella' of DOE = Department of Education aka Part B services, that she 'didn't qualify for'....NOT ONE THERAPY!! I didn't get it...I was mad, I was lost, I was confused and very very ANGRY! My daughter needed her therapies and she was loosing precious time with her development by not receiving them! Didn't they care??!

It was at this time I learned very quickly what an IEP was!! I had an IEP EVERY MONTH (about every 4 weeks!!) for the first 5 months after she turned 3 years old and started attending a "DEVELOPMENTAL PRESCHOOL". I had an advocate with me for my first three IEP meetings and quickly found out that 'my advocate' wasn't really speaking up or for me during those first three meetings. I even asked her to step outside during one of those first IEP meetings and had to ask her, "Why aren't you speeking up in there for me??"...her answer was, "You are doing fine on your own in there!" ~ That was the last time I had 'my advocate' attend any of my IEP meetings ever again! I wanted someone that was going to teach me how to be a good advocate and how to help get my daughter what she really needed while in school. The only thing I learned from her was, she always told me to, "learn the language"....learn the language of what? Learn the same language that 'they' the IEP "TEAM" uses...but what did that really mean to me then? I didn't understand what she was saying...really....but I do now! Boy do I understand 'their language now'!!! I read the STATE RULES ON SPECIAL EDUCATION now in my 'spare time'!! I pass out 'the RED BOOK' like it's candy, if you don't know what one is...call or email me and I will make sure you get you first copy! *This is the STATE RULES for Special Education, if you don't know what the rules are, how can you play the game and advocate for something you don't know what your Child is entitled to receive! Call or email me!


I fought hard to have my daughter evaluated for her to receive Speech and Language Therapies, Occupational and Physical Therapies while attending UCP DEVELOPMENTAL PRESCHOOL. It only took me 5 months to FINALLY get her 'approved to be tested' for her Speech! What a joke my first IEP meetings were! I learned so much during those first five meetings! I learned very quickly that all the time that seems to be wasted on these IEP meetings, they could have spent what they pay their employees on providing therapies for a Child instead of having the therapist attend all those stressful and negative IEP meetings to talk such nonsense on what the Child CAN NOT DO and WHY THEY CAN NOT RECEIVE THERAPIES at their DEVELOPMENTAL PRESCHOOL!...what the heck is going on? What is the point of having our Chilren that are classified as 'developmentally delayed' and eligible to receive ESE supports and services attend these kinds of places, if they won't provide to them such basic supports such as OT-PT-ST therapies? Does this make any sense?!

After I was able to "learn the ropes" of just what these IEP meetings were suppose to accomplish....which from the parent perspective is to get us all stressed out and turn us down for our Child to NOT receive anything other than just being able to 'attend their Develpmental Preschool'....nothing more than that...they do not want to provide the very therapies we parents know our Child needs!


After her first 6 months I was finally able to secure all her OT-PT-ST supports and services that I knew in my heart she absolutely needed! I have graduated not only as my daughters first teacher but now I was my daughters BEST ADVOCATE! At the time I didn't know I would go on to teach n release many other parents to learn the ropes of what to expect at an IEP and how to help parents be their Child's best advocate for life! Thank you Broward County Schools for making me the advocate I am today! I tell people that I attend the 'University of Broward' for my Advocacy skills! Broward County is the 6th largest school district in the nation!

The Early Intervention program for 3 years had no problem providing my daughter with LOTS of OT-PT-ST to help her 'develope', yet her DEVELOPMENTAL PRESCHOOL provided me with the biggest fight for her to receive just ONE HALF HOUR of any therapy! It took me close to 6 MONTHS of going to yet another IEP "team" meeting to discuss her need for therapies and whatever else she needed at the time! My husband would attend some of those meetings with me, but in the end, this was 'my mom job' as he needed to continue to work and make the money for our family to be able to pay our bills, so as a mom, this was my new job, to make sure my daughter was being provided with what she needed to be successful in school and ultimately in life!


My daughter is now in the 4th grade and doing beautifully. Over the years I receive phone calls regularly from parents that are also raising children with Down syndrome and other unique learning challenges, but mostly families with Down syndrome contact me needing help with school issues, IEP's and inclusion. Many parents are going thru the same thing as I did back so many years ago...when my daugher was new to the Part B program, starting at 3 years old, when they get to start attending 'school'...and usually it's a DEVELOPMENTAL PRESCHOOL or sometimes they attend a 3-5 year old program that is in a classroom at the neighborhood elementary school. I thought my daughter was too young, too little, and so not ready for the big campus.


The stories....oh my goodness the stories I have heard...each phone call paints the same picture....different family, different Child, different school, same type of story! I could write a book just on the different 'things' I have heard parents tell me of their experiences having their Child attend a DEVELOPMENTAL PRESCHOOL. Some are good stories...others are not good stories.

If we as parents are trusting those at these IEP "team" meetings to the care of our most precious Children, why are parents voices not being heard at these IEP meetings for what they know their Child needs and why our Children are not being provided with the most basic supports and therapies that they hopefully had been provided with during their Early Intervention years? Parents need to be provided with trainings on what to expect at an IEP meeting and other things pertaining to raising a Child with Special Needs. Many times parents go into these important IEP meetings not realizing just how important 'the decisions' that are being made and written into those IEP documents. The DEVELOPMENTAL PRESCHOOLS should be providing parents with so many resources and trainings and helping them get connected with disability specific support groups, anything that will help empower parents to help advocate for their Child to receive the supports and services their Child needs. Are these schools connecting parents with the other parents and helping them find local disability specific support and advocacy groups? Are they providing parent trainings to help parents understand 'the next step'? I hope so, but bet not...over the 11 years I have been 'in the business' of helping families....not one referral has ever come from a 'developmental preschool'....that tells me something.....resources are not always being provided to the families that need help.


DEVELOPMENTAL PRESCHOOLS ~ some are absolutely fantastic and do a great job, while others seem to be a 'closed door society' that keep the parents shut off from being an active and involved parent volunteer in their Childs school. UCP had an open door policy and I was able to volunteer everyday, I got to know the daily routine and the other teachers and all the wonderful therapist, the friendships with the other mom's and interacting and getting to know the other Children and taking pictures of the fun activities! It was a wonderful time for me as a mom, it was a fun learning time for my daughter! My daughter had a great time at UCP, she had teachers that really cared about her growing 'developmentally', the teachers and therapist really did a nice job at UCP for my precious little girl! (THANK YOU!)


I hope that no matter which DEVELOPMENTAL PRESCHOOL your Child attends that it's a good experience and your Child grows in leaps and bounds. I know there are lots of 'stressors' for parents when they have to attend one of 'those IEP meetings'....believe me...that is where I started my journey of learning to be my daughters BEST advocate. The short time she spent at UCP was a wonderful time that I will always cherish the memories and the fun we both had and the pictures her teacher made of her there will always flood me with the love I had for her teacher for doing all she did, to help my daughter be successful. My daughters 'school foundation' started at a really wonderful DEVELOPMENTAL PRESCHOOL and then she went off to her neighborhood Elementary school at 4 years old. It was called: the PLACE Program (Preschool Learning and Classroom Experience. Today it maybe called something else and each county has their own name for their 3-5 year old ESE program.) she attended that for 2 years because her birthday falls after September 1st and was 5 years old for just 1 month once she finally did start Kindergarten. She has been at that same school ever since!


If you would like to share your story of your experiences of your Child attending a DEVELOPMENTAL PRESCHOOL, I would love to post them here to share with others. Either email me at: nancy.harris@dsadvocate.com or post your story as a comment to this posting.