September 12, 2024
10:00 am - 3:30 pm
ESU #10
76 Plaza Blvd
Kearney, NE 68848
| Time | Session | Name of Session | Presenter(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00-10:45 am | Parent Ambassadors | Welcome | ||
| 10:45-11:00 am | BREAK | |||
| 11:00-11:45 am | Session 1 - Room C | Resource tables and networking opportunities | ||
| 11:00-11:45 am | Session 2 - Room E | Mariella - NDE - Mental Health | The purpose of this session is to educate Latino parents about the importance of mental health, provide them with the tools to recognize signs of mental health issues, and empower them to support their children’s well-being. The training will aim to break down cultural stigmas surrounding mental health and promote open communication within families to foster a supportive environment. | |
| 11:00-11:45 am | Session 3 - Room F | Little Kids' Brains and Screens | Sarah Landell, Screen Strong | Learn an overview of the science behind healthy brain development, effects of screens on the developing brain, symptoms of screen overuse & our solutions to prevent and reverse the effects of addictive screen habits with an emphasis on early childhood brain development. |
| 11:00-11:45 am | Session 4 - Room B | Project FEET | Apryl Poch & Sara Kupzyk, UNL Project FEET | The goals of this session are to (1) describe the Family-Engaged Educational Training Project (Project FEET) that brings families into the classroom to help future educators learn about how to partner with families; (2) discuss how families can build strong partnerships with school teams; and (3) share resources to help families prepare for their child’s special education meetings. |
| 11:45 am-12:00 pm | BREAK | |||
| 12:00-1:00 pm | Lunch Presentation - Room B | Education Law | Lauren Micek Vargas, Education Rights Council | Education law is not well understood by a majority of advocates, parents, lawyers, judges, and even school staff. This especially applies to special education. For families, it can be daunting. This session aims to provide a general overview of the obligations of schools, special education law (IDEA, ADA, 504), and best practices for parents and guardians. This overview will provide attendees a general understanding of how best to advocate for your child. |
| 1:00-1:45 pm | Session 1 - Room C | Resource tables and networking opportunities | ||
| 1:00-1:45 pm | Session 2 - Room E | Nebraska Growing Readers | Laura Cady, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation | Come join a discussion on why foundational literacy is essential. Learn more about the goals of the Nebraska Growing Readers initiative which include promoting a joy for reading starting from birth as well as increasing access to culturally responsive books that reflect Nebraska’s diverse population. |
| 1:00-1:45 pm | Session 3 - Room F | Circle of Security® Parenting | Esmeralda Acosta, Circle of Security | The Circle of Security® Parenting™ breakout will introduce a tool that is based on decades of research about how secure parent-child relationships can be supported and strengthened. This model provides a guide to a child's natural going out to explore and Coming back into their secure base to have their emotional cup filled. |
| 1:00-1:45 pm | Session 4 - Room B | IEP walk-throughs | Lauren Micek Vargas, Education Rights Council | Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are the essential tool to ensure a child is adequately supported in a classroom. Nonetheless, for families these meetings and documents can be confusing, overwhelming, and intimidating. This session aims to teach participants how to strengthen each IEP component, how to avoid common pitfalls, and the best ways to advocate for your child throughout the school year. |
| 1:45-2:00 pm | BREAK | |||
| 2:00-2:45 pm | Session 1 - Room C | Resource tables and networking opportunities | ||
| 2:00-2:45 pm | Session 2 - Room E | Building Parents to Educate Successfully | Arley and Marlén | This is an introduction to empower parents to recognize their unique identity and understand how it influences their parenting. By doing so, they can address emotional difficulties and barriers that interfere with their ability to effectively raise and educate their children. Through this experience, participants will explore their identity, fostering personal growth and self-awareness. |
| 2:00-2:45 pm | Session 3 - Room F | Unicameral 101: How to be an Engaged Parent Advocate | Parent Ambassadors | The Parent Ambassador Program is a year-long leadership and advocacy program for parents and providers of early learners in Nebraska. The goal of this program is to develop parent leaders and support them in advocating for their children, themselves, and their communities. A major piece of this program is learning how to be an engaged Nebraskan. In this session you will learn about the Nebraska Legislature, how a bill becomes a law, and how to engage with your Senator. This session will be presented by Parent Ambassador Alum. |
| 2:00-2:45 pm | Session 4 - Room B | Acute Absenteeism | Nicole Britten and Terrin Williams | Learn about the use of Chronic Absenteeism Conferencing, a restorative practice, to address chronic absenteeism. This interactive session will discuss the benefits of addressing student absences at an early stage as well as the importance of getting to the root cause and underlying reason behind a student’s absences in order to create a unique plan for the student with family and school support. |
| 2:45-3:00 pm | BREAK | |||
| 3:00-3:30 pm | Closing Remarks - Room B |
