Is Kindergarten just around the corner for your child with developmental disabilities?
Do you want to be in the driving seat as a prepared and empowered advocate for your child?
Do you have a vision of your child in an inclusive kindergarten class?
Do you live in the Portland Metro area or Southwest Washington?
First kick-off meeting October 26th 6:00- 8:00 pm
6 sessions included throughout the school year!
If you have a child with developmental disabilities who will be starting kindergarten in the fall of 2012 and have a vision of an inclusive education, please join the cross-disability Kindergarten Inclusion Cohort to help your child get a great start to school! Join with other parents with similar ideals and together create a network of support as you build your own expertise.
Over the next year, the cohort will feature six interactive training sessions with expert speakers, past cohort graduates and best-practices resources. Session topics will include information about the law and your child’s rights, tools and supports to use in the classroom, IEP goal writing to help support inclusion, communication and behavior strategies, tips from parents and teachers and more.
Come join a cross-disability community that shares the dream of inclusion! Please respond quickly as space is limited.
Membership Requirements
We are now accepting applications for the 2011/2012 Kindergarten Inclusion Cohort. We are looking for parents/guardians who:
- have a child experiencing developmental disability who will be starting kindergarten in 2012
- live in the Portland Metro area or Southwest Washington
- will attend every monthly training session for six months: October 26, November 9, January 11, February 8, March 14, May 9
- will attend the 2012 All Born (In) Cross-Disability Inclusion Conference (date TBA)
- can fully participate in Cohort activities, research, and homework
- will support all Cohort members
The cost for all of the sessions is $50, plus the registration fee for the all-day All Born (In) Conference in 2012. Some scholarships are available.
Application (Apply by Oct 21st)
Mail in: Download and print the 2011/2012 Kindergarten Inclusion Cohort application (PDF) and mail it back to us as soon as possible.
Apply online: Fill out the online application.
Call or Email: 503-238-0522 or alicia.kindergartencohort@gmail.com
Once we receive your application, we will review it and be in touch with you with more information.
What It’s About
The Kindergarten Inclusion Cohort program is designed as a series of interactive and best practices driven trainings, and we are asking folks to commit to attending all the sessions. This is not just about preparing your family, but about building a community of parents who will support each other as their children move through the transition process, and hopefully beyond. Along with the dreams there are also some fears, which we can help you address.
We have some great speakers joining us, and we are very excited to get this project off the ground. We as parents are the experts on our children and the constant in their lives. It is however a confusing and sometimes dis-empowering transition if you do not have some tools and mentors to help you navigate. We will create portfolios about your child, learn about the law and rights and responsibilities, share success stories from others, and much more.
Over the next year, the cohort will feature six interactive training sessions with expert speakers and best-practices resources. Session topics will include information about the law and your child’s rights, tools and supports to use in the classroom, IEP goal writing, communication, behavior strategies, tips from parents and teachers and more.
We are also seeking volunteers, teachers and other supportive professionals who would like to help in this work
Please call cohort Coordinator Alicia DeLashmutt at 503-238-0522 or email alicia.kindergartencohort@gmail.com by October 21st to register and ensure your spot.
Reflections from the 2010 Cohort
Last year’s cohort members found the experience to be incredibly helpful and well worth the investment of time. Here are a few reflections from last year’s group:
“I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this cohort! Every minute of our meetings was filled with valuable information and important sharing time.”
“The content of the program was enriching. The speakers were informative. And the entire program had a clear objective: to get the entire family– parents and children– educated and prepared for the processes and emotions involved with the transition to Kindergarten.”
“…the most valuable part of the cohort for me was the feeling of community and support. I find this whole process very challenging, difficult and often times lonely. The cohort is a good reminder to me why I am doing this for my son and why it is so important.”
“…the session on the details of Special Education law was useful and enlightening. To have grounding in the actual rights and intent of IDEA will give us the confidence to stand our ground if necessary in the future. But another vital message was to balance the legal and potentially confrontational side of things with a good dose of collaborative energy and grace.”
“The experiences and support of the group is priceless and no information or webinars can replace relationships and support that are ongoing.”
