What Not to Expect
Guest blog by Stacey Spiehler, President-elect, Families as Allies Board When we’re pregnant with our children, we have hopes, expectations, dreams, whatever they may be called. An entire sector of…
Special Education Advisory Panel Meets Virtually Wednesday, April 28 at 10 a.m.
The Special Education Advisory Panel (SEAP) of the Mississippi Department of Education meets by Zoom this Wednesday, April 28, at 10 a.m. You can attend the meeting by phone or online.…
In Loving Memory of Jack Schweitzer
by Joy Hogge This past October the world lost an amazing, charming, larger-than-life advocate and icon when the much-beloved founder of Families as Allies, Tessie Schweitzer, passed away far too…
Check Out This IEP Checklist
This month, as part of our ongoing series on the Procedural Safeguards, we have been focusing on supporting families dealing with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). IEPs and the IEP process can…
The National Family Support Technical Assistance Center
"The National Family Support Technical Assistance Center is the nation’s first Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded Center of Excellence focused on supporting families and caregivers of children, regardless…
Procedural Safeguards and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
During the month of April, we are sharing about families' rights related to Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) as described in the Procedural Safeguards. We encourage families to think of the Procedural…
How Can Making A Plan (MAP) Teams Help Families?
The term "System of Care" is defined as "a spectrum of effective, community-based services and supports for children and youth with or at risk for mental health or other challenges and…
April is Autism Acceptance Month
April has traditionally been recognized as Autism Awareness Month, but there have also been groups and individuals who for many years have stressed changing the language to Autism Acceptance Month. In this press…
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is child abuse prevention month. We all want to do everything we can to make sure every child is safe and thriving. Oftentimes when abuse or neglect occurs, it…
IEPs, 504 Plans and the Tier Process
As we shared in last week's edition of the Ally, Families as Allies is doing a series of trainings on the Procedural Safeguards, or as they are subtitled and we encourage families…