Partners in PROMISE is proud to offer Special Needs Binder Workshops: Organizing for Special Education Success.
PIP designed these in-person and virtual workshops to support military families with IEP and advocacy training and materials, as well as an opportunity to connect with other military families with special needs to expand their support network. Since Fall 2023, over 600 families have participated in PIP’s Special Education & Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) Binder workshops at installations across the U.S.
Our survey data show that our EFMP families often lack the information they need to effectively advocate for their children. Many families struggle to learn how the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) can support and protect their child(ren)’s education as they move between school districts and states.
We hope to correct that with this training and binder. The binder is a roadmap for military families, taking them from the very beginning of suspecting that a child has a diagnosis to post-secondary transitions. Below are just a sampling of the topics and themes covered:
- School Registration
- Military Family SPED Bill of Rights
- IEP Initial Eligibility and 504 Plan
- IEP Documents
- Behavior Assessments
- Progress Reporting & Academic Testing
- Parent/Private Data Collection
Each session will provide families content and on-demand support for each stage of a family’s special education journey, helping to fill in the gap created by frequent moves but also connecting with resources already in place to support families.
In-Person: The in-person workshop duration is one and a half hours, and can host up to 25 families. It includes one hard copy of the PIP Special Education & EFMP Binder for each family. The binder is a tool that will help special education families navigate PCS moves, special education law, and the EFMP program.
Virtual: The virtual workshop duration is two hours, and can host up to 25 families.
*The workshop is facilitated by a PIP Team Member, an expert knowledgeable about IDEA and the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP).
Interested in hosting our team for a Special Needs Binder Workshop for your EFMP families at your installation? Please contact us here to learn more: (embed a form).
