As parents, we send our kids off to school hoping that all their needs are being met, including their mental, emotional, physical, and yes, the most foundational need — safety. Tools for safety and support, like an emergency evacuation plan and an individual health plan, create a school environment that is physically safer and less stressful for both kids and parents.
“We don’t want to stress out kids. We want them to always feel safe in the situation.” — MaryAnn Strawhacker, MPH, BSN, RN, SEN
This week, we’re exploring how these resources work to keep our kids safe as well as what you can do to help make sure your child (and staff!) feels secure and prepared at school.
- Often, students with disabilities are overlooked when it comes to emergency planning at school. Explore the work of keeping our kids safe during drills and emergencies in our article Creating an Emergency Plan in the IEP, and get free printable checklists for discussing your child’s needs with your IEP team.
- An individualized health plan helps make sure you and the school communicate about your child’s medication, diet, medical devices, emergency health protocol, and other care needs. For information about writing and incorporating health care instructions at school, check out our article Individualized Health Plan (IHP), which links to samples of what these plans can look like.
- Paraeducators play an important role in schools — especially for kids with disabilities — providing all kinds of support from instructional to behavioral to 1:1 support. Whether your child already works with an aide or you’d like to learn more about how to request this service in an IEP, check out our article Paraeducators 101.
- Plus: universal preschool is coming to California! Check out our new article about what to expect and when the changes are rolling out.
This week’s parent win: advocating for PT services!
Celebrate a major parent win with Undivided! A client who has a child with unique medical needs and Medi-Cal insurance successfully secured coverage for a closer physical therapist. Despite the nearest Medi-Cal PT being 90 miles away, our Navigator’s guidance led to an appealing solution, allowing the family to access much-needed PT services nearby through their Regional Center.
In the first few weeks of school, how do you make sure the school is providing everything they said they would when you signed the IEP? If they’re not, where do you start to get your concerns addressed? We’re big fans of the “one-month check-in.” Join us for a live webinar with education advocate Dr. Sarah Pelangka on Thursday, September 14, and we’ll discuss the questions you should be asking to ensure your child’s IEP is being implemented as designed.
Our live Q&A allows you to ask Dr. Pelangka questions and get expert answers on the spot. And if you can’t attend, you can RSVP and receive an event recap and link to the recording directly in your inbox. Sign up for the event here!
Our next Office Hours speaker is Undivided Public Benefits Specialist Lisa Concoff Kronbeck. On Wednesday, August 23 at 12:00 p.m. PDT, Lisa will be available to answer all of your questions about funding therapies, social rec, and medical supplies through Medi-Cal, Regional Center, and more!
Bi-weekly Office Hours are virtual Q&A sessions with experts that are open to Undivided members only, so if you’d like to attend, sign up here to begin your free Kickstart!
- Hear Undivided Navigators’ tops tips for helping your kids get excited to return to school! Check it out on Instagram→
- Are you facing stress surrounding back-to-school prep? We want to ease your load as much as we can. Find out how the Undivided app and Navigators can help you organize for this school season. Watch the app tour on YouTube→
- Compare notes on returning to school with other parents in the Undivided community! From the surprises to the little victories that are anything but small, join our parents-only group on Facebook→
- Find past Undivided newsletters on our LinkedIn page! Connect with Undivided→
- We know you have a hundred things on your to-do list. Let an Undivided Navigator help. Start here→
This newsletter was originally sent to our subscribers on 8/17/23. Subscribe to our newsletter to get more resources like this in your inbox, or check out our full library of articles, templates, and videos at undivided.io/resources.
