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free 2011-2012 school year issue for parents of children birth-26 families schools and communities working together to support the unique learning potential of every child parents make the difference inside functional behavioral assessments nlcb online course nh task force on family engagement planning for college special ed partnerships much more is your school family friendly october is nh parent involvement in education month social media and your tween is conflict in special education normal bullying is everyone s problem

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contents features 1 2 3 8 governor s proclamation this october in nh celebrating the power of parent involvement 2011-2012 school year issue 2 9 4 4 starting points for nh parents reading love learning by kimm phillips bullying is everyone s problem by dellie champagne m.ed watch free videos on bullying and many other topics 3 suspension prevention how a functional behavioral assessment can help children with ieps mary grillo parent information center on special education 10 collaboration makes a by beth shea difference parents teachers children and pirc 11 announcing the nh task force on family-school-community partnerships 14 tell the kids friend me social media is another place where kids hang out by jean rogers 11 pta s national standards for family-school partnerships special ed 5 5 6 7 8 parent involvement in special education ­ what the survey results tell us by the parent information center on special education 12 helping your child with college planning by elena acosta ms 13 ready here i come 4 kindergarten readiness training opportunities new hampshire family voices offers online trainings is conflict in special education normal 2011 maneuvering through the maze the maneuvering through the maze guide has been updated 14 tell the kids friend me social media is another place where kids hang out by jean rogers 15 how family friendly is your school 8 12 16 the a-b-c s of nclb 17 encouraging the super hero within your child by lori fowler executive director prevention makes cents suspension prevention how an functional behavioral assessment can help children with ieps by mary grillo parent information center on special education 9 creating family/school partnerships in special education by barbara publicover parent leader 17 celebrating literacy around the world by janet valeri principal ledge street school nashua nh

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parents make the difference 2011-2012 school year issue 1

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feature t this the power of parent involvement celebratingoctober in nh wenty years of scientific study consistentlyshowsthatparentandfamily involvement have a positive impact on children s academic achievement the research offers compelling reasons to focus on improving parent involvement inourschools.collaborationwithfamiliesandcommunity membersnotonlyhelpstoidentifythechallengesourschools facebuthelpstodevelopandimplementcreativeandsatisfying solutions in the book a new wave of evidence the impact of school family and community connections on student achievement anne henderson and karen mapp reviewed 51 studies and concluded that these studies found a positive andconvincingrelationshipbetweenfamilyinvolvement and benefits for students including improved academic achievement this relationship holds across families of all economic racial/ethnic and educational backgrounds for studentsofallages here swhattheyreport · programsandinterventionsthatengagefamiliesin supporting their children s learning at home are linked to improved student achievement · themorefamiliessupporttheirchildren s learning and educational progress the more their children tend to do well in school and continue their education · familiesfromallculturalbackgrounds,education and income levels can and often do have a positive influence on children s learning henderson and mapp also found that when parents are involved children from all backgrounds tend to · earnhighergradesandtestscores · enrollinhigher-leveleducationprograms · bepromotedandearncredits · adaptwelltoschoolandattendregularly · havebettersocialskillsandbehavior · graduateandgoontohighereducation 2 2011-2012 school year issue parents make the difference in their book beyond the bake sale henderson mapp johnson davis 2007 the authors describe the benefits of collaboration and parent involvement · partnershipandstudentachievementarecloselylinked · partnershipshelpbuildandsustainpublicsupportforschools · familiesandthecommunitycanhelpschoolsovercome challengestheyface · teacherscanbenefitfromparentandcommunity partnerships the parent information center offers numerous resources publications and training to support parents and schools please see www.nhparentsmakethedifference.org www.picnh.org www.nhspecialed.org www.nhpirc.org and www.nhconnections.org for more information.

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bullying is everyone s problem by dellie champagne m.ed b ullying is a serious social problem thatoccursevery 7 seconds in us schools i experiencedtheimpactofbullyingwhen myson,whoisdiagnosedwithasperger ssyndromeas wasverballytormenteddailyathismiddleschool.likemany parents we took the approach that we needed to toughen him up nothing we did seemed to help including counseling it wasn t untilimetcarolcroteau,thefounderofbullyfreenh.org whotoldmethatbullyingisnotachild sproblem,butrather anadult sproblem.ifweasasocietywanttoeliminatebullying from our schools and communities then teachers parents and administrators need to get on board unfortunately,accordingtobillpreblefrommainst.academix an organization in nh devoted to helping schools nationwide improvetheirclimates,manyteachersandadministrators donotrealizetheseverityoftheproblem.researchsays that teachers thinktheyinterveneintwothirdsofbullying incidences,buttherealityisclosertoonethird mostbullyingoccurswhenanadultisnotpresent.according to preble s website even if a school claims to have a positive schoolclimate,thestudentbodywilltellaverydifferentstory after taking part in preble s school climate improvement plan one middle school leadership team member said we took a good look at ourselves and developed positive improvements ihadmany6thgradeparentstellmetheywereafraidtosend theirkidstoourmiddleschool-butnotnow another program that has shown success across the us and canada is called positive behavioral interventions and supports pbis which focuses on creating a positive and respectful schoolclimate.interestingly socialcurricula suchaspbis have been proven to raise test scores developing a positive schoolclimatethereforeactuallymakes a teacher s job easier forthepasttwoyearsiwasonamissiontohavemyson s schooladoptpbis.togetherwithmypto,wewereableto bringinmanyguestspeakersontopicsofbullyingandcreating a positive school climate and to engage the school in a week of activities to further raise awareness i am elated to report thatthispastspring,myson sschoolvotedtoadoptthepbis curriculum parentsplayasignificantroleinourschools.weneedtowork together with teachers and administrators to make positive schoolclimatechanges.ifyouwouldliketocreateabullyfree environmentinyourchild sschool,feelfreetoemailmeto learnmoreaboutmyeffortsatdchampagne@nhpirc.org parents make the difference national bullying info and bullyfreenh.org formoreinformationonbullying,see www.bullyfreenh.org thenationalbullying prevention center http www.pacer.org bullying 2011-2012 school year issue 3

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reading =love learning at the same time there are things we can do to extend the bonding fun and learning.oneofthebestwaysistomakereadinginteractive.youdothisbysimplyasking open-endedquestionsthathelpengageyourchildinconversation.openendedquestionsoftenstart with such phrases as · inwhatway · where · how · why · what · whatdoyouthinkhappensnext w by kimm phillips hen we read to children,notonlydoweestablishabond of affection but we instill in them the love books and learning open-endedquestionsencouragechildrentolearnto · predict whatmighthappenifhethrowsawaterballoon · compare/contrast:howarethingsalikeordifferent · findobjects:howmanytreesareonthatpage · lookforcolors&shapes:aretheremorecirclesorsquares · count:howmanydogsonthispage · learnaboutsequencing:whathappenedfirst · discussfeelings:whydoyouthinkjanefeelsthatway?howwouldyoufeel · imagine:whatdoyouthinkhappenedafterthestory anotherwaytoincreasetheeffectivenessofreadingtogetherandincreaseyourchild svocabulary istoparaphrasepartsofthestory.afteryouread,askthechildtotellyouintheirownwordswhat happened.oryoucanmodelthisskillbyrestatingthestoryinyourownwords lastly,afteryouread,talkaboutthebook.whatdidyoubothlikeordislike?wasitrealorimaginary werethecharacterslikable?diditremindyourchildofanything justafewextraminutesduringreadingcanreallyprovidelotsofopportunityforincreasedlearning not to mention increased snuggling time barefoot books www.barefootbooks.com kimm phillips is the nh state pirc early literacy volunteer coordinator watch free videos on bullying and many other topics in march of 2011 over 270 teachers and parents attended pic s partnerships foreducationconferenceinmanchester.manyoftheworkshopswere videotapedandareavailableonline.youmayparticularlywanttocheckout · making homework work prescriptions for homework headaches · understandingbullying:strategiesforovercomingourchildren s meanness epidemic · mathisyourfriend-makingmathrelevantandengaging findtheseandmanymorepicvideosathttp vimeo.com user3876723/videos 4 2011-2012 school year issue parents make the difference

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parent involvement in special education ­ what the survey results tell us the parent information center on special education new hampshire family voices offers online trainings weknowthatparentsareverybusy,especially thoseofyouwithlittleones.sowethoughtwe wouldbringtheinformationtoyou,inthe comfortofyourownhome.feelfreetowear youpj sandattendanyorallofthesessions anddon tforgettofilloutthesurveyatthe end as that helps us to obtain funding for more online trainings our individualized family support plan ifsp training teachesyouallaboutgoal settingforthe0-3crowdwhoarereceiving earlysupports&services transitioning from family centered earlysupports&services will help explain the process and make it less confusing wewilltellyouwhattoexpectandwhereto getmoreinformationshouldyouneedit.this sessionisespeciallyimportantforparentswith childrenaged2-3whowillbetransitioning fromearlysupports&services whiletalkingcomesnaturallytomany ofus,communicatingeffectivelyoften takes extra effort communicating with professionals willhelpyoulearn manyofthenecessaryskillstoimprove yourcommunicationskills.beingableto successfullyshareinformationandhearother perspectiveswillassistyouinbetteradvocating foryoursonordaughter check them out at www.nhfv.org and join our active facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/83744747350 r esearch clearly shows that when families and schools work together childrenwithdisabilitiesaremorelikelytoexperience success in school and achieve their goals the us department ofeducationrecognizestheimportanceoffamilyinvolvement inchildren sacademicsuccessandrequiresthateachstate measure the percent of parents of children receiving special education services who report that schools facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for children with disabilities to measure this nh department of education distributes an annual parent involvement in special educationsurveyinthespring thisannualsurveyprovidesimportantinformationforfamilies andschools,helpingthemworkmoreeffectivelytogether states must report these results in their annual performance reportapr datafromthesurveyaresharedwithindividual school districts families and surrounding communities so that specific actions can be taken to improve parent engagement and strengthenfamily-schoolcollaboration nh sdatahasconsistentlyshownahighlevelofparent involvement in special education across the state more importantlytheresultshaveincreasedovertime,showing nh s commitment to continued emphasis on the importance ofimprovingfamily-schoolpartnershipsinspecialeducation yourvoiceisimportantandcriticaltofurtherimprovement staytunedforthenextsurveyscheduledtobesenttofamiliesin spring 2012 the 2011 statewide data will be released and available on the nh doe website in the fall 2011 http www.education.nh.gov/instruction/special_ed/parent involv.htm parents make the difference 2011-2012 school year issue 5

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adversarialmeansappropriatetothesituation.listening carefullytothepositionsandinterestsofothersaround the table and asking for more information can resolve manydisagreements when more formal dispute resolution options are needed iep teams can consider facilitated iep team meetings mediation neutral conference and due process hearings due process is often considered to be the most adversarial procedure the others are alternative dispute resolution adr options when the issue is not a difference of opinion but rather an allegation that a special education rule hasbeenviolated,aparentmayfileacomplaint with the nh department of education doe in determining whether to use a formal procedure,andwhichismostappropriatetoyour situation,youshouldconsiderallrelevantfactors,including the seriousness of the situation time limits benefits and drawbacks related to each and the potential impact on the iep team relationship a brief description of each procedure follows i is conflict in special education normal n the special education process conflict can be the natural result when a diverse group the iep team works to reach consensus on issues of critical importance to both families and schools of course members of the iep team will sometimes have differences of opinion the real issue is not whether there will be conflict but rather how the parties willresolvethoseconflictswhentheyoccur conflicts can be based on differing opinions about a child sspecialeducationeligibility,needs,servicesor placement sometimes conflicts are the result of difficulties communicating or because of prior negative experiences or a lack of trust regardless of the reason when disagreements occur it is important for iep team members to work together to resolve them the same federal and state special education laws that establish parents and educators as partners in the decision-makingprocessalsoincludeproceduresforthemto use to resolve conflicts or disputes the parent information center pic on special education encouragesiepteamstotrytoresolvedisputesusingtheleast iepteammeeting facilitator ­ the nh doe can provide a trained volunteer facilitator free of charge to conduct an iep team meeting the facilitator keeps the agenda moving forward and supports the meaningful involvement of all participants this option can be helpful when the iep team feels stuck or whenpreviousexperiencesordynamicshaveledtotheteam becoming unproductive mediation ­ both parties must agree to mediation the commissioner of the nh doe the commissioner assigns a trainedmediator,whoisanattorney,tohelpthepartiesdiscuss theirissues,clarifypointsofagreementanddisagreement andreachamutuallyagreeabledecisionwhichmayinvolve compromise on some or all of the issues if an agreement is reached both parties sign a binding written agreement neutral conference ­ thisisaverybriefprocess in which the commissioner appoints a neutral who is anattorney,tolistentooralpresentationsnomorethan2 hours review summaries no more than 4 pages and then issue an opinion which the parties can adopt or disregard if an agreement is reached both parties sign a binding written agreement 6 2011-2012 school year issue parents make the difference

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dueprocesshearing­ eitherpartymayfileforan impartial due process hearing if a parent files for a due process hearing the school district must first conduct a resolution meeting which is an iep team meeting that gives the district anadditionalopportunitytotrytoresolvetheissue.oncethe issue goes to a due process hearing a hearing officer is assigned bythecommissioner.thehearingofficerrendersadecision afterhearingtestimonygivenunderoathandreviewingwritten evidence.thedecisionisnotacompromise;onepartywinsor prevails andtheotherpartyloses.ifeitherpartydisagreeswith thehearingofficer sdecision,he/shemayappealtocivilcourt complaint ­ aparentorotherpartymayfileacomplaint alleging that a legal right has been violated the complaint includes a description of the nature of the problem related facts and a proposed resolution a complaint investigator assigned bythecommissionerthenconductsathoroughinvestigation and issues a written report for each allegation with findings conclusions reasons for the decision and recommendations therecommendationsmayincluderemediesforanyviolations thathaveoccurred.eitherparty,ifdissatisfiedwiththe decision,mayrequestthatthedecisionbereconsideredbythe commissioner additional information including timelines for each of these proceduresmaybefoundonpiconspecialeducation swebsite at www.nhspecialed.org or the nh doe at www.ed.state.nh.us youmayalsofindithelpfultoattendafreepiconspecial education workshop on effective communication dispute resolution or the special education laws and process the maneuvering through the maze guide has been updated 2011 maneuvering through the maze thisfamilyresourceisformattedtota kethereader from birth to adulthood with listings of state health and human services agencies educational resources private associations and organizations that serv e people with physical,developmental,mentalhea lthandchronic illnessesandtheirfamilies.manyorga nizationsand servicesthatcanbeaccessedbyallsta teresidents,such as housing childcare etc have been included ifyouarenotfamiliarwiththisresour ceguideweencourageyoutocheckit outonourwebsite www.nhfv.org/publications,whereyou canalsodownloaditforfree.anewf eatureoftheonline guideisthatallwebsitesarehyperlink ed thisguidebookisalsoavailableinha rdcopya$15donationissuggestedto enableus tocontinuewithprintcopies form oreinformation,contactnhfamilyv oices 800852-3345x4525orwww.nhfv.o rg parents make the difference 2011-2012 school year issue 7

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suspension prevention how an functional behavioral assessment can help children with ieps d mary grillo parent information center on special education oes your child who has an individual education plan iep get sent home from school formisbehavingonaregularbasis?doestheprincipal callyoufrequentlytotellyouthatyourchildishavingabadday andyouneedtocomeandpickhimup?doesyourchildreceive multiple detentions or suspensions for inappropriate behaviors orbreakingschoolrules?ifso,yourchildwouldbenefitfrom an functional behavioral assessment or fba anfbaisatypeassessmentthatlooksatthecauseofachild s behavior.itisoftenintheformofanobservationpreferably donebyabehavioristthoughnhspecialeducationlawdoes notspecifywhoisqualifiedtodothisassessment.manytimes an fba includes a functional assessment interview with parents teachers and support staff such as speech and language therapists occupational therapists etc the evaluator observes andrecordsdataonyourchildinmultipleenvironmentsfor the purpose of discovering what the function of the problem behavioris.itismeanttoanswerthequestion whydoesheor shedothat anddeterminethefrequency,durationandwhere thebehaviorisoccurring.whenthesequestionsareanswered the results are the foundation for a positive behavioral interventionplanpbipthatbecomespartofyourchild siep asolidpbipprovidesthestructuresothatyourchild sproblem behavior decreases and appropriate behavior increases formallydiscussyourconcerns.iftheiepteamdeterminesthat anfbaisnecessary,theywillaskyouforwrittenpermission andwillhave45daystocompletetheassessmentandreviewthe resultswithyou ifyouhavequestionsaboutfbasorthespecialeducation process please visit our website at www.nhspecialed.org or call usat1-800-947-7005 download the family guide to special education in nh whenachildhasadisabilityandneedsspecialeducation parentsaretheirmostimportantadvocates.ifyoubelieve thatyourchildhasadisabilityandneeds special education one of the most importantthingsforyoutodois learn more about the special education process this booklet provides a brief overview of the nh special education process download at http www.nhspecialed.org /publications.shtml now available in spanish theiepteamwillcontinuetocollectandanalyzedataafterthe pbipisinplacetoassurethatthereisconsistencyinallschool environmentsandtomakechangesintheplanifnecessary when problem behaviors are controlled in a safe and positive way,theoveralleducationalexperienceisimprovednotonlyfor yourchildbutforschoolandyourfamilyaswell.yourchildis better able to do class work and to socialize with peers torequestanfba,makeawrittenrequesttoyourchild s special education case manager for an iep team meeting to 8 2011-2012 school year issue parents make the difference

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creating family/school partnerships in special education by barbara publicover parent leader esearch by the national coalition for parent involvement in education has shown that when schools and families work together to support learning everyonebenefits.additionally research shows that when families and schools partner · studentsdobetterinschoolandinlife · parentsbecomeempowered · teachermoraleimproves · schoolsgetbetter · communitiesgrowstronger r starting points for nh parents starting points is an online community for families of children with disabilities providing opportunities for information networking training and support starting points for nh parents includes information and resources for parents of children andyouthwithdisabilities.visitthesiteat­http startingpointsfornhparents.org­and · · · · · catchuponthelatestnews lookupunfamiliartermsandacronymsin ourglossary findoutabout,andregisterfor,upcoming training opportunities participateinon-linetrainingopportunities getanswerstofrequentlyaskedquestions about the parent information center the website special education parent involvement and more accesspicpublications,includingbrochures guides sample letters and forms and connecttolocal,stateand national resources resource categories include legal national state,youthand disabilityspecific whystartafamily/school partnership in special education groupinyourschoolordistrict whynot?despitetheirgreatestfearsandmisconceptions parents are not alone in our pursuit of knowledge information and social connections for our children the same is true for specialeducationpersonnel.parentsandprofessionalsactually havealottheycanlearnfromandwithoneanother partnershipsaretwo-waystreets.respect,communicationand relationship-buildingarekeystodevelopingandsustaininga solidfamily/schoolpartnershipinspecialeducationgroup itsoundssohardbutitdoesn thavetobe.family/school partnerships are just larger extensions of the skills and talents wealreadybringtothetableinsomanyothersettings.whether itisfamily,friends,workorsocialorganizations,theyallrequire thekeysofrespect,communicationandrelationship-buildingif theyaretobesuccessful · · wheredoyoubegin begin at the beginning lewiscarroll,alice in wonderland starting a group seems like it should be such a simple thing but itisprobablythehardesttaskofalltoachieve.nhconnections canhelpyoubegintheprocessofbuildingafamily/school partnershipinspecialeducationgrouportolookatwaysto improvefamily/schoolpartnershipsinspecialeducationinyour schoolordistrict.visitwww.nhconnections.orgtofindouthow parents make the difference 2011-2012 school year issue 9

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collaboration makes a difference parents teachers children and pirc by beth shea e what does my child need to know before starting kindergarten therewereover325studentswhojoinedthereadyforsuccess program during the summer of 2011 the data has shown an increaseinposttestingscores.childrensometimesgain20-40 pointsontheirpalsassessmentduetothisamazinglanguage enrichment program this summer each student was able celebrate their hard work with an ice cream social and each receivedacertificateofcompletiononthelastday nhstatepircproducedanamazingdvdthattiedinnicely withthisprogramcalled getreadyhereicome thisdvd usespre-kindergartenerstohighlightinshortclipsexamples of skills children need to work on some skills touched upon areself-help,reading,writing,math,memory,andsocialskills thereadyforsuccessprogramofferedthesedvd sforfamilies to sign out borrow and return a response sheet was created to encourage parent and child discussions on skills the child can doindependentlyandskillstheycouldpracticetogether other activities that parents loved from this informational dvd:practicehopping,retellingstories,andmakingpatterns thisdvdhashelpedinformmanyfamilymembersaboutwhat being ready forkindergarten/firstgrademeans beth shea is the ready for success coordinator at northwest elementary school in manchester ach year in manchester nh over 1,000 children begin kindergarten when a child registers for school in the spring,theyaregivenapre-kpalsassessmenta phonological awareness assessment tool the information obtainedissharedwiththekindergartenteacherandthefamily getsfeedbackabouttheirchild sabilitytowritetheirname identifyletters,soundsandrhyming.theresultshelpteachers andparentsbegintoanswerthisnextquestion ifmychild needshelp,whatcanidoasaparent therearemanywaysforparentstogetinvolved.ahomelink calendargoeshomethefirstdaythatprovidesavarietyof literacyactivities.eachfamilygetsaprogressreportandhasa one-on-oneconferencetodiscusstheirchild sprogress typicalactivitieslistedonthehomelinkforfamiliesinclude 1 readanewbooknightlywithafamilymemberchosen fromtheclassroomlendinglibrary 2 recitenurseryrhymes 3 goonaletterhunt:parentswritealphabetletterson stickynotesandhidethemonthewallsthroughoutthe home the child then hunts for them and identifies the letter whatparentslikedabout getreadyhereicome wow!wehavesomanynewactivitiestotry!ihad noideahe/sheneededtoknowsomanyskills.we will work on his/her balance we love reading our book each night we are going to work on our address right now we loved writing our letters readinganewbookfromthelendinglibrary each night was great kindergarten o pen house in m anchester for more information about how pirc can supportyourschool,pleasecall603848-5667 10 2011-2012 school year issue parents make the difference

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pta s national familystandards school partnerships h is moving forward in its adoption and adaptation of these national standards over the next yearseetherelatedarticleonthenhtaskforcefor family-school-communityengagement for standard 1 welcoming all families into the school n announcing the nh task force on familyschool-community partnerships community familiesareactiveparticipantsinthelifeofthe school and feel welcomed valued and connected to each other to school staff and to what students are learning and doing in class standard 2 communicatingeffectively families and school staff engage in regular meaningful communication about student learning standard 3:supportingstudentsuccess families andschoolstaffcontinuouslycollaboratetosupportstudents learningandhealthydevelopmentbothathomeandatschool and have regular opportunities to strengthen their knowledge andskillstodosoeffectively t he nh department of education in collaboration with the parent information center of nh hasgatheredamulti-stakeholderworkgrouptodevelop statewideguidanceonfamilyengagementineducation.this collaborativeendeavorwillhighlighttheimportanceoffamily involvement in school improvement as it builds on the research thatclearlyshowsthatwhenfamiliesandschoolsworktogether children succeed this goal of this initiative is to · establishaframeworkforbestpracticestoengageall families in the education of their children and school reform · developameansofmeasuringtheimpactoffamily engagement practices · provideawayforschoolstosharewhat sworking the first meeting of the task force took place on february16,2011.notes,presentations,handouts and videos of some of the meetings can be found at www.nhfamilyengagementineducation.org standard 4:speakingupforeverychild familiesare empowered to be advocates for their own and other children toensurethatstudentsaretreatedfairlyandhaveaccessto learning opportunities that will support their success standard 5:sharingpower familiesandschoolstaff areequalpartnersindecisionsthataffectchildrenandfamilies and together inform influence and create policies practices and programs standard 6:collaboratingwithcommunity families andschoolstaffcollaboratewithcommunitymembersto connect students families and staff to expanded learning opportunities,communityservices,andcivicparticipation for more information about the national standards and pta programsthatpromotefamily-schoolpartnerships,visitwww.pta.org recently,dr.virginiabarry,commissionerofeducation agreedtoadopttheptanationalstandardsforfamily-school partnerships as a starting point for developing nh s guidance and assessments see related article thefulltaskforcewillresumemonthlymeetingsthisfall meetingsareopentoall.toinquireaboutbeinginvolved pleasewritetoadmin@picnh.org parents make the difference 2011-2012 school year issue 11

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ifyoufeeluncomfortableabouttalkingtothe guidancecounselorbecauseyourenglishis limited,askanotheradulttoaccompanyyou tohelpwithinterpretation yourchildshould notbedoingtheinterpretation ifyoudon t havesomeone,asktheschooltohelpyoufind an interpreter apply for fafsa or free application for federal student aid at www.fafsa.ed.gov fafsa is a federal program that determines how much a familyshouldtopaytowardsthecost of college this amount depends on youryearlyearnedincome,howmany people live at home and other financial assetsyoumayhave.proofofu.s residency,eligiblenon-citizenoru.s.citizenship statusisrequired.submitthefafsaasearlyaspossiblefor consideration for maximum financial assistance helping your child with college planning y by our child is responsible for researching colleges and career paths butasaparent,youcansupporthimorhermakethe bestdecisionaboutwhichuniversitytoattend.it sagoodidea to begin doing research when he or she is no older than a junior inhighschool,asthewholeprocesscanbetime-consuming therearetwotypesofcolleges:acommunitycollegeisa2-year program and upon graduating an associate degree is obtained a4-yearcollegeoruniversitycompletesabachelorofartsor science degree whenyourchildreacheshighschool,aguidancecounseloris assigned it s the guidance counselor s job to provide information and orientation to each student about which courses to take howmanycreditsareneededtograduate,informationon colleges/universities and future plans in general it is important as a parent to make an appointment to see yourchild sguidancecounselor.beforedoingso,makealist ofquestions.forexample:arethereprogramstohelppayfor college?whatkindsofcareerpathswouldbestfitmychild s naturaltalentsaswellashisorherdevelopedskills intoday sinternetworld,it hasbecomeeasytoapplyfor fafsa.ifyoudon thavea computer at home go to the libraryortalkwiththeguidance counselorforassistance.you shouldnotbepayingany organizationoranyonetodothe elena acosta ms fafsa application there are fraudulentwebsitesthatclaimtohelpyoucompletethefafsa for a fee avoid these at all costs ifyoursonordaughterhasa b orabovegradepoint average,heorshecanapplyforscholarshipsofferedbythe college.otherscholarshipsworthlookingintoareofferedby foundations and institutions and there are scholarships that are designedforspecificareasofstudysuchasengineering,thearts and medicine others assist women or certain ethnic cultures again,findoutaboutthedeadlinesforapplyingforthese scholarshipsaseachprogrammaybedifferent collegesanduniversitiesalsolooktoseeifyoursonordaughter hasdonecommunityservice.thisgivestheschoolanoverall pictureofyourchild.mosthighschoolsrequirecommunity service credits to graduate asaparent,plantovisitasmanyuniversitiesasyourchild is interested in seeing schools often have scheduled dates andtimeswhenfamilyorientationsareoffered.makean appointment to see the school s financial aid counselor and/or admissioncounselorforspecificquestionsyouandyourchild have about that school gotocollegefairs.yourchild shighschoolcounselorshould haveinformationastowhenandwheretheyarebeing 12 2011-2012 school year issue parents make the difference

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held.thisiswhereyoucanfindoutaboutwhatcollegesare looking for in a student life on campus tuition cost and other information yourchildshouldtakethepsatduringjunioryearaspractice forthesatscholasticachievementtest typicallyofferednear thebeginningofsenioryear.thesatassessesyourchild s math and language skills which colleges take into consideration makesureyoursonordaughterappliestotheircollegesof choice on time each college has its own deadline as well as otherrequirementsthatmayincludegettingreferencesfrom teachers,completingessays,etc finally,don thesitatetoaskforassistancefromyourchild shigh school guidance counselor withyoursupport,yourchildwillbeonhisorherwaytoa productive future herearesomewebsitestovisitandhelpyouandyourchildget started www.collegeboard.com www.fastweb.com www.nh93.com www.nhheaf.org www.fastaid.com complete college information free college scholarships search nh sscholarshipsuperhighway helps with student loans and college planning guide to financial aid for international students www.iefa.com www.educationguide-usa.com www.princetonreview.com/home.asp scholarships and loans internationalguide toeflandgre elena acosta is nh state pirc s outreach coordinator she can be reached at eacosta@nhpirc.org o readyreadiness training opportunities here i come kindergarten theready,hereicome!kinderkiddvd is a great resource to use with the two kindergarten trainings it is designed for parents and children to watch together kinderboy,kindergirlandthekinderkids explore the content and interactive activities that support child development for the child getting readytoenter kindergarten with the includedactivity ideas and poster parents can engage their children in numerous fun activities that will help them get off to theverybeststartin school online now available irc.org w.nhp visit ww parents make the difference ver the past year nh state pirc has trainedover300localcommunityvolunteers to offer two workshops that help parents prepare their children for a successful kindergarten experience the workshops are 1 kindergarten readiness this includes activities thataddressgross-motorskills,fine-motorskills,visual discrimination,memory,earlymath,socialskills,health and language 2 kindergarten readiness language and literacy this workshopexploreslanguagedevelopment,earlyreading usingbooks,readingaloud,andearlywriting parents interested in taking either workshop should check the nh pirc website at www.nhpirc.org kreadinessworkshops.shtmltoseeifsomeoneinyourarea isofferingaworkshoportorequestthatonebeoffered schools,headstartcenters,teachers,ordaycare professionals wishing to be trained to deliver the workshops can attend pirc s kindergarten readiness train the trainer sessions to learn more please contact karengerdtsatkgerdts@nhpirc.org 2011-2012 school year issue 13

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