About the Parent-Educator Connection
The Parent-Educator Connection
(PEC), sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education, Bureau of Special
Education, began in 1984 to provide parents and educators with opportunities
to work together in positive ways to improve educational programs for
children/youth with special needs.
As a parent or an educator,
you can receive the following services:
- Answers to questions and
help in locating resources
- In-service sessions for
parents and educators
- Assistance in facilitating
meetings such as support groups
- Access to a resource library
of books, pamphlets, videos and audiotapes on special education and
other issues including disabilities, families and home-school relationships
Individual
Assistance and Support
|
Help locating
information on: |
- Camp/leisure activities
- Conferences, workshops
or in-services
- Home school communication
- IEP (Individual Education
Plan)
- IFSP (Individual Family
Service Plan)
- Inclusion strategies
- Local, state, and
national organization
|
- Parent rights &
responsibilities
- Sibling issues
- Specific disabilities
- Support groups
- Transitioning from
school to the work force
- Understanding the
grieving process
- Understanding the
special education process
|
Assistance
- Before and after the IEP
meeting
- In facilitating and/or organizing
mini-workshops
- In multi-agency networking
- In setting up a support
group
- Locating another parent
to visit with
Educational Opportunities
- Annual State PEC
Conference
- Annual Transition Fair
- Regional mini-workshops
PEC offers speakers on a variety
of topics
- What the Parent-Educator
Connection is, and how it can assist educators and families
- What it is like to have
a child with a disability
- What educators and other
professionals have done that helped or hindered families
- How educators and families
can communicate effectively
- Tips on how to work with
families
- What it's like to be a brother
or sister of an individual with special needs