MAJOR PROJECTS AND FUNDING SOURCES
FEDERAL GRANTS
US Department of Education - National Projects
Center for Parent Information and Resources – 5 years (2013-2018)
Debra Jennings, Project Director
Operates a robust, web-based repository of products and resources for the network of 95+ Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers (Parent Centers)serving families with infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities across the U.S. and territories. At the Parent Center Hub, Parent Centers can access useful and relevant resources to improve their programs and services and better coordinate their efforts with other parent centers. This project is in collaboration with the 6 Regional Parent TA Centers (PTACs), theNative American PTAC and the Military PTAC.
National Resources for Access, Independence, Self-Advocacy, and Employment Technical Assistance Center (RAISE) –
5 years (2014-2019)
Peg Kinsell & Josie Badger, Project Co-Directors
Offers universal, targeted and specialized technical assistance to and coordinates the information and training activitiesof seven (7) regional/state Parent Information and Training Centers funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration to assist youth with disabilities in achieving improved post-secondary outcomes, including post-secondary education, competitive employment and independent living.
National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI) – 5 years (2014-2019)
Debra Jennings, PTAC Collaboration Coordinator
Partners with WestEd, National Association of State Directors of Special Education, Council of Chief State School Officers, and others to provide technical assistance to state agencies in developing, implementing, and evaluating State Systemic Improvement Plans focused on improving outcomes for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. SPAN is part of the leadership team of NCSI, representing the collaboration between the Parent TA Centers.
US Department of Education - Regional & Statewide Projects
NE-PACT/Region 1 Parent TA Center (RPTAC) – 5 years (2013-2018)
Diana Autin & Carolyn Hayer, Project Co-Directors
Provides technical assistance to increase the capacity of nineteen (19) Parent Centers located in the nine (9) northeastern states (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania).
REACH for Transition: Resources for Employment, Access, Community Living, and Hope – 5 years (2014-2019)
Diana Autin, Carolyn Hayer, Dawn Monaco, Project Co-Directors
Collaborates with nine parent centers in the NE US (Region 1) to enhance the information and training provided to youth with disabilities and their families on effective transition to adult life.
New Jersey Parent Training & Information Center (PTI) – 5 years (2015-2020)
Diana Autin, Maria Docherty, Carolyn Hayer, Project Co-Directors
Provides information, training, and technical assistance to families and professional to assist in securing needed early intervention, special education, and transition services for children with disabilities or at risk of inappropriate identification. Supports military families through aMilitary Family Support 360 Center (Peg Kinsell, Center Director) located on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
US Department of Health and Human Services
New Jersey Family to Family Health Information Center (F2F) – 3 years (2015-2018)
Mercedes Rosa, Project Director
Provides information, training, and parent-to-parent support to families of children and youth with special healthcare needs and disabilities to help improve NJ’s performance on six core outcomes (early and continuous screening, access to medical home, community based services organized for easy use, adequate healthcare financing, family engagement, and effective transition to adult systems of care). Supports the Statewide Community of Care Consortium for CYSHCN.
STATE GRANTS
NJ Department of Education
START Project (Statewide Technical Assistance and Resources Team)
Dianne Malley, Project Director
Works with the state department of education, districts, schools and communities to improve the authentic engagement of parents in their children’s education. The project’s activities include assisting districts and parent leaders to establish, strengthen and sustain local special education parent groups; providing parent-professional training on collaboration, early literacy, and evidence-based practices for successful inclusions of students with disabilities; developing parent/community leadership to addressdisproportionate representation students of color in special education; and working intensively with schools to implement strategies to increase families competency in supporting student literacy.
NJ Department of Health
Family WRAP (Wisdom, Resources, Advocacy, and Parent to Parent Support)
Patricia Paraskevacos, Project Director; Coordinator, Project CARE. Brenda Figueroa, Coordinator, Statewide Parent to Parent, EHDI, & BDARS Components. Lauren Agoratus, Coordinator, Family Voices-NJ. Mercedes Rosa, State Implementation Grant Coordinator.
Family WRAP offers a holistic approach to providing information and support for families with children with special health care needs. Project Care provides information and support to families registered with county Special Child Health Services Case Management. Parent to Parent matches trained Support Parents with parents in need of emotional support in understanding the range of emotions and concerns parents face when their child has a special health care need or disability. P2P also supports an annual Fathers’ Conference and annual Grandmothers As Caregivers conference. EHDI participates in a learning collaborative on improving services to children with deafness and hearing loss and offersa biannual Family Learning Conference for families of children with deafness and hearing loss. BDARS coordinates Partners for Prevention, a CDC-funded program to bring stakeholders together to prevent birth defects, and supports the NJ Statewide Network for Cultural Competence annual conference. Family Voices provides advocacy to families to assist them to navigate health insurance and health/mental health systems. Family Voices also brings the family perspective to public policy issues related to health and mental health. The State Implementation Grant-D70, a partnership with the NJ Department of Health and American Academy of Pediatrics-NJ chapter, works to develop shared resources and enhance care coordination for CYSHCN.
Improving Pregnancy Outcomes in Essex County - 7/1/13-6/30/16
Malia Corde, Program Manager; Rachel Ruel, Project Director
Connects underserved women of childbearing age in Essex County to needed services including healthcare, health insurance, mental health and substance abuse services, parent to parent support, etc. via four Community Health Workers. Provides leadership development and support to a team of 10 trained parent leaders from the four targeted communities of Newark, Irvington, East Orange, and Orange, to conduct family support activities in their community and represent family voices in the project activities as well as at the state level.
Parents As Champions for Coordinated School Health
Joanne Aidala & Karen Straim, Project Directors
Brings together schools, families and communities to implement the principles of coordinated school health. Conducts regional family leadership trainings to engage families in advocacy for coordinated school health.
NJ Department of Children and Families
Statewide Parent Leadership Development for County Councils for Young Children
Dianne Malley, Project Director
Recruit, train, and support diverse parents of young children to participate on County Councils for Young Children aimed at identifying local needs across issues and agencies for young children and their families. Prepare agencies housing the County Councils for Young Children to effectively partner with parent leaders.
Essex County Council for Young Children
Dianne Malley, Project Director; Monique Dujue Wilson, Project Coordinator
Develop, support, and sustain a county Council for Young Children with a majority parents to provide input and advocacy to support families with young children in Essex County in collaboration with Programs for Parents.
NJ Department of Human Services
NJ Inclusive Child Care Project
Denise Bouyer, Project Director
Offers on-site training and TA to child care centers and after school programs and TA for parents to include children with special needs in programs with their typical peers. Provides training to Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies on how to speak with families of children with special needs and to their Quality Improvement Specialists on inclusion under New Jersey’s Early Childhood Race to the Top.Participates on early childhood advisory boards and Map to Inclusive Child Care Team.
Partners for Prevention of Developmental Disabilities–7/1/13-6/30/16
Malia Corde, Project Director; Nicole Pratt, Project Coordinator
Provides training to healthcare providers across the state, including Federally-Qualified Health Centers (FHQCs), on effective health promotion communication with underserved women related to preventing birth defects and developmental disabilities including FASD. Provides support to referred women who need assistance and leadership development.
Other Projects and Collaborations
Affordable Care Act (ACA) Outreach and Training
Partnership with NJ Citizen Action and Community Catalyst, funded by NJ for Healthcare Coalition. Mercedes Rosa, Director
Conducts outreach to and training for families on ACA and NJ Family Care and connects them to enrollment resources.
Education & Health Rights of Children in Juvenile Justice & Child Welfare
Funded by New Jersey Bar Foundation; Carolyn Hayer, Coordinator
Provides county workshops and TA to families with children with special needs in juvenile justice or child welfare. Train all new social workers at the NJ Department of Children and Families Division of Child Protection and Permanency. Provide workshops on transition to youth in NJ’s juvenile justice system.
Family Resource Specialist @ CNNH & at NJ’s Autism Medical Home Sites
Deepa Srinivasavaradan, Jeannette Mejias, & Kasey Dudley, Family Resource Specialists
Provides parent information, support and advocacy for families of children with ASD at CNNH, Children’s Specialized Hospital, and Hackensack University Medical Center.
Health Advocacy Manual – 3 years (10/1/13-9/30/16)
Funded by NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities; Lauren Agoratus, Coordinator
Develop, translate, and disseminate health advocacy manual, toolkit, and website for people with disabilities across the life span. Facilitate train the trainer session, county workshops, and webinars.
NJ Family & Youth Leadership Academy – 3 years (10/1/13-9/30/16)
Funded by US DHHS Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
Partner with NJ Alliance of Family Support Organizations in statewide Family and Youth Leadership Academy for youth with mental health challenges, including juvenile justice-involved youth, and their families.
Parent-Led Screening Training for FQHCs & Early Childhood Programs
Funded by: Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities/AMCHP/CDC, Malia Corde, Liaison; Deepa Srinivasavaradan, Act Early Ambassador. Provides parent-led training on screening for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)/community healthcare clinics and childcare centers. Develops and disseminates resources and tools including county screening ro. Co-chair the Early Screening Workgroup of the NJ Infant Child Health Coalition and the Community of Care Consortium for CYSHCN.
State Implementation Grant for Children with Epilepsy
Partnership with Family Resource Network, funded by US DHHS MCHB. Malia Corde, Liaison
Partners with Epilepsy Foundation of NJ to improve “medical home-ness” of practices for children with epilepsy and their families. Trains medical home parent partners and provide medical home consultation.
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