“All About Me” template

This fillable “All About Me” template from FFF gives families and students a simple way to share critical information with teachers, staff and others who can benefit from the essential key facts about a child or youth.

This was shared as part of our “Just So You Know… Strategies for Nontraditional Families to Share Their Information with Schools” training. It can be used by any family or student.

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  Fill in the blanks

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  Instructions

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  Sample completed All About Me

Promoting Equity in Education Through Family Engagement video

This 9.5 minute video is designed for school personnel and families. It offers an overview of education equity and suggests strategies for facilitating greater educational equity through meaningful family engagement practices. The video features the voices and lived experiences of students, parents and caregivers, and school leaders. Strategies are organized by key components of family engagement in  multitiered systems of supports.

The video has captions available in English and Spanish.

A fact sheet accompanies the video.

The video is produced by Formed Families Forward in our role as family partner to the Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports (VTSS) project.

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  VIDEO with English and Spanish captions

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  Promoting Equity through Family Engagement Video FACT SHEET

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  Feedback survey. Tell us what you think!

Strengthening Family Engagement in VTSS videos

This series of videos features six key elements to engage families in Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports (VTSS). Designed for use by educators and families, the three videos highlight specific strategies for school teams to consider as they build momentum around family-school partnerships and strengthen skills to meaningfully engage families in multi-tiered systems.

Spanish and Arabic captions are available via YouTube settings. A fact sheet accompanies the videos.

Produced by Formed Families Forward, family partner to the VTSS project, in conjunction with Atom Stream Communications, LLC.

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  Link to Videos

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  Fact Sheet to accompany videos

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  Accessible Fact Sheet to accompany videos

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  Video 1 transcript

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  Video 2 transcript

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  Video 3 transcript

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  SPANISH Fact Sheet, in accessible Word format

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  ARABIC Fact Sheet

Family Engagement at Safe and Supportive Schools Conference

Slides used at the March 19, 2019 VDOE  Safe and Supportive Schools Conference in Williamsburg.

Family Engagement vs. Family Involvement

This FFF image distinquishes family engagement from family involvement approaches.

Family Members on Teams video & factsheet

This 9 minute Family Members on Teams video was produced by Formed Families Forward, as family partner to the Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports (VTSS) project. The video features a staged meeting and interviews with family members and educators sharing practical suggestions for including family members on decision-making teams. The accompanying fact sheet overviews the strategies shared in the video.

Let us know what you think of the video HERE. 

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  Family Members on Teams video

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  Family Members on Teams fact sheet

Paving the Way to College and Careers: Families and Schools Together curriculum

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  Paving the Way webpage

LGBTQ family resources

A collection of linked resources for families raising LGBTQ+ children, youth and young adults, and professionals and communities who support them.

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  FFF Building LGBTQ Awareness and Acceptance webinar training and related resources

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  Family Acceptance Project LGBTQ Youth and Family resources

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  The Trevor Project

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  The National Center for Youth with Diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression (The National SOGIE Center)

Fact Sheets on Supporting Students’ Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Academic Well-Being and Success

In March of 2023, the U.S. Department of Education released Guiding Principles for Creating Safe, Inclusive, Supportive, and Fair School Climates for students and school staff, featuring specific recommendations for evidence-based practices that allow students to learn, grow, and be successful. To enhance state and local implementation of these guiding principles, a collaborative of technical assistance centers serving the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Safe and Supportive Schools developed a series of four fact sheets. The series describes best practices and approaches to help support and respond to students’ social, emotional, behavioral, and academic needs, including practices designed to reduce the use of exclusionary discipline in schools.

Each fact sheet is tailored to a specific audience at the school or district level:

• school and district leaders
• student support teams
• educators and school-based staff
• families

The fact sheets also feature resources to help support stakeholders in this important work.

Fact sheets are available in English and Spanish.

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  Links to 4 Fact Sheets for different audiences, in English and Spanish

Educate, Collaborate, and Engage with Family Members throughout the Transition Process fact sheet

From VCU’s Center on Transitions Innovation, this brief factsheet covers strategies for educating, collaborating and engaging families of transition-age youth and young adults with disabilities.

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  Transition Process fact sheet

IEP Transition Planning In Virginia: Tips To Know For Youth With IEPs Who Are In Foster Care

A product developed by Formed Families Forward for the Parent Educational Adocacy and Training Center (PEATC)’s WAZE to Adulthood project. This fact sheet offers tips and best practices for implementing strong transition planning for youth and young adults with disabilities who are also in foster care. Virginia-specific policies and resources are provided.

Designed for parents, caregivers, professional partners and others.

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  Planning for Transition IEPs fact sheet

Charting the LifeCourse

Charting the LifeCourse is designed to be used for individuals with disabilities, family members, or in the work individuals do. The framework and tools will help organize ideas, vision, and goals, as well as problem-solve, navigate, and advocate for supports. The LifeCourse Nexus website provides links to resources and information for individuals, families and professionals, including e-learning modules.

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  Charting the LifeCourse Tools website

Supported Decision Making Library

From The Arc of Northern Virginia, a collection of resources on supported decision making, an array of services and procedures to support adults with disabilities into adulthood, often as an alternative to Guardianship.

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  Supported Decision Making resources

Tips for Successful Communication with Families During Online Learning

From the Family Engagement Network, convened by Virginia Department of Education. FFF participates in the Family Engagement Network.

Home/School Contract- Fillable template

This fillable Word document can be used to create and customize a written agreement between student, parent/caregiver, and school staff.  Customize areas and actions and clarify recognitions and rewards.

Critical Decision Points for Families of Children with Disabilities online modules

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), through grant funding provided by the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD) and assistance provided by the Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) at James Madison University has developed five web-based training modules for parents, school professionals, and other community stakeholders that work with families whom have a child with a disability.   Parents and caregivers have certain goals in mind when their children go to school. Regardless of whether or not their children have disabilities, all parents want their children to learn, explore, and experience as much as they possibly can.  Parents strive for their children to complete their public education, obtain a diploma, and be fully prepared to move on toward their chosen path, whether that is immediate employment, higher education, or something else.  In order for children to achieve these goals, there are certain decisions that will have to be made along the way.  The modules created relate to the Critical Decision Points for Families of Children with Disabilities curriculum and are designed to assist participants in understanding four things as they prepare to make these decisions:

• What are some of the keys to a child’s academic success?
• What decisions will need to be made regarding a child’s educational path?
• At what point should we be making these decisions?
• What information is needed so that we can make the most well informed decisions possible for a child?

There are a total of five modules that range in length from three to five minutes, which can be completed in a single viewing or broken up over time to meet individual time constraints.

The curriculum for these modules is also available in print and online.  A fully accessible online version is located at the following web link: Virginia Department of Education’s Special Education – Parents Section.  To obtain a printed copy of the curriculum or to ask questions about the module training opportunities, please contact Tracy Lee, Family Engagement Specialist, via email, at Tracy.Lee@doe.virginia.gov, or by phone, at (804) 225-3492.

Practice Guides for Transitions for Students with Emotional Disorders

Resources from a Translating Evidence to Support Transitions (TEST) grant is to increase the use and adoption of research-based best practices in transition planning services for high school students with emotional and behavioral disorders receiving special education services.

Scroll down page to find Practice Guides, Presentations and other resources.

Engaging Families in Mental Health and Disability Services tip sheet

This one pager from the new Northern Virginia Family Network (NVFN) designed for professional staff who work with families and youth. It offers some brief, straightforward suggestions and reminders about effectively communicating and building partnerships with families who are in need of education, mental health, disability and other services and supports.

Members of the NVFN are found on the back of the flyer.

Raising and Working with Children and Youth in Foster Care or Living with Kin: Your Guide to Resources in Virginia

This Guide from Virginia Family Special Education Connection offers families and professionals links to state- and local-specific resources for enrolling students, education, medical care, mental health, transitioning students to post-secondary settings, courts, and other areas.

Updated Summer 2023

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  Website resource

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  Flyer

Supporting the Education of Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions Webinar

Supporting the Education of Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions:
State of the Science
presented by Marsha Ellison, PhD, Michelle Mullen, MS, CRC, CPRP, and Kathleen Biebel, PhD of the Implementation Science and Practice Advances Research Center  at U Mass (formerly The Transitions RTC)

Originally broadcast on January 7, 2016

Description:
The majority of college students with serious mental health conditions do not finish school, jeopardizing their long-term employment. Can supported education services help?

Marsha Ellison, Michelle Mullen and Kathleen Biebel, researchers and trainers of supported education services, will host a 2-part webinar series presenting the state of the science 2nd state of the practice of supported education and related strategies for achieving post-secondary education goals of young adults with SMHC.

Think College

Think College: College options for people with Intellectual Disabilities

Education & Training Connections resources from CPIR

The Center for Parent Information and Resources provides a webpage on Education/Training Connections resources.

Employment Connections resources

The Center for Parent Information and Resources offers this webpage on Employment Connections resources.

Top Mental Health Challenges Facing College Students

Best Colleges offers an article on Top Mental Health Challenges Facing College Students