Families Together: Supporting Kids with Special Education Needs at School & at Home - Support Group - Classes upcoming

Families Together: Supporting Kids with Special Education Needs at School & at Home - Support Group

Dates:

October 29th
November 3rd and 19th
December 1st and 10th
Time: 5:30pm-6:30pm
Facilitator and Instructor: Judy Schmidt

Families Together is a welcoming space to connect, share experiences, and support one another through the joys, challenges, wins, and hard days of raising children and youth of all ages. Conversations include life at home, school, and beyond, what's working, what isn't, and everything in between.
Parents, guardians, foster parents, kinship caregivers, and other primary caregivers of children and youth who have a 504 plan, IFSP, or IEP, receive support services, or are being evaluated are all welcome. Not sure if this group is for you? We hope you'll join us anyway!

Come to ask questions, share experiences, listen, or simply connect with other families who may understand some of what you're navigating.

A Little More About Families Together
While conversations may include evaluations, school supports, IEPs, and navigating special education, this group is about so much more than what happens at school.

Raising and supporting children and youth comes with many experiences, questions, decisions, celebrations, and challenges. Families Together offers a welcoming and confidential space to talk about those experiences, exchange ideas, share what's helping (and what isn't), and learn from one another.

Conversations are shaped by the interests, experiences, and needs of participating families. Topics may include:

Life at home, school, and beyond
What's working, what's challenging, and ideas for support
Understanding evaluations, 504 plans, IFSPs, and IEPs
Communicating and collaborating with schools and support teams
Emotional regulation, behavior, and social-emotional supports
Autism, ADHD, learning differences, and other support needs
Speech, language, and occupational therapy services
Transitions through different ages and stages of life
Community resources and opportunities
Caregiver well-being and support
Guest speakers and topics requested by families
Join us when you can! We know family schedules are busy and ever-changing, and there's no expectation that you attend every gathering. We look forward to seeing you whenever it works for you. If you've registered and can't attend, please email programs@mycche.org in advance when possible so we can plan for the group size.

Above all, Families Together is about building community, making connections, and creating a space where families feel comfortable sharing, listening, and supporting one another. Whether you're looking for information, ideas, encouragement, or simply time with other families, you're welcome here.

Facilitator and Instructor: My name is Judy Schmidt, and I bring both professional and personal experience to this work. I am a Licensed Early Childhood Special Education Teacher, Licensed Academic Behavioral Strategist (K-12), and am Circle of Security trained. In addition to my professional experience supporting children and families within special education systems, I am also a parent who has personally navigated the IEP process with my own children. This combination of professional knowledge and lived experience allows me to understand the challenges families face from multiple perspectives