Parent Mentor Newsletter:

New Face, Same Steady Support

We are excited to welcome you back to our Parent Mentor Newsletter! Our new parent mentor, Ashley Kingsboro, has hit the ground running, and you may have already had the opportunity to meet her. She is excited to serve in this new role and looks forward to meeting more families in the districts she serves.

To forward our newsletter to a friend, access our online versions here.

If you would like to join our monthly newsletter, register here.

Guidance for Families at Every Age and Stage

Preschool

If you are looking for some fun fall-themed activities that will keep your littles busy and work on some fine motor skills, check out these ideas from FabEveryday.

Elementary

Did you know chores can help kids with executive function challenges? The OTtoolbox shows how doing chores builds skills that many students with ADHD need to develop. Check out this page for more information AND a free printable chore checklist.

High School (Transition Age 14+)

A great skill for all high school students is self-advocacy! Sharing their wants, needs, and ideas may not always come naturally to students who have had a lot of support and direction. These comics from OCECD.org are a fun way to teach more of what self-advocacy means.

Reading

Parents will often ask how they can help their child develop their reading skills. Believe it or not, it is not as complicated as we think! This resource from the National Center on Improving Literacy has great ways to build skills during daily routines.

IEP Tip Corner

Momjunky.com has a free parent guide on how to prepare for an IEP meeting. One thing we would like to add is to reach out to your parent mentor! We would be happy to help you prepare for your meeting and attend the meeting with you!

Local Resources and Events

Autism Power Hour

We can’t say enough about this FREE online training from OCALI. It is for anyone - family or staff - who works with kids who have autism, sensory challenges, behavior challenges, etc. And did we forget to mention that it is FREE?! This is one you won’t want to miss! Here is more information and how to register!

Caregiver Support Group

Are you the caregiver of a child with ADHD, anxiety, autism or other concerns who is looking to connect with others? Join us for a virtual peer support group for parents and caregivers!

Support Group includes:

Meet families on a similar journey
Get help, share ideas, and connect around a new parenting topic each month
September’s theme is Back-to-School. Come share your back-to-school wins and struggles.

Good to know:

Virtual and judgement-free - come as you are!
Structured sharing to help you feel comfortable- roses (joys), thorns (struggles) and buds (hopes)

This is a psychoeducational peer support group for adults only. Due to grant funding, this program is open to residents of Northeast Ohio. You can register here.