Family & Community Engagement

The Delaware County Intermediate Unit offers free workshops to help parents better navigate the often challenging roadmap of educating their children with learning disabilities or learning challenges. Training opportunities provide education and resources for parents to be connected as partners in their child’s education and social-emotional growth. 

The content of these workshops is geared towards parents. There will be no Act 48 or continuing education credit offered if a professional chooses to attend this workshop.

The Overscheduled Child

Wednesday October 9, 2024
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Via Zoom

Many children and teens are overwhelmed with intense schedules and are often burdened by school demands, extracurricular activities, family responsibilities, and social commitments. Children and teens struggle to manage the stress and anxiety that is triggered by being overscheduled. This workshop will identify signs your child is overscheduled, strategies to build executive functioning skills, and tactics to balance a healthy lifestyle with societal expectations.

Setting Behavior Expectations at Home and in the Community

November 14, 2024
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Zoom

Parents will understand how to set clear expectations for their children. Techniques will be shared for how to teach and reinforce their expectations. Strategies for responding to behaviors if expectation is not met will be provided.

Post-Secondary Programs and Supports for Children with IEPs

January 22, 2025
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Zoom

Transition planning is a multistep process that guides a youth from high school into adult living after they leave school. Planning begins at age 14, or younger if determined appropriately by the IEP team, and continues through high school as academic instruction and community experiences help clarify and support students’ goals. Parents will become familiar with post-secondary agencies and organizations, as well as the supports they provide students who are planning to transition to life after high school.

Supporting Early Literacy at Home

February 10, 2025
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Zoom

Taking part in literacy activities at home can develop your child’s reasoning ability, comprehension, and language skills. This workshop will provide parents with fun and practical ideas to engage their child in early literacy activities such as rhyming, joint storytelling, and multisensory play. The targeted audience for this session is parents and caregivers of 4-8 year olds.

Building Confidence and Self-Esteem

March 20, 2025
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Zoom

In a competitive world, helping children believe in their worth is essential for their personal growth and success. This workshop will equip parents with practical strategies to foster confidence and self-esteem in their children, empowering them to face challenges with resilience and a positive mindset. Join us to learn how to support your child’s emotional development in today’s fast-paced environment.

h2 p="">ADHD in School Age Children

April 25, 2025
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Zoom

Executive functioning skills are essential cognitive processes that enable individuals to plan, organize, manage time, regulate emotions, and achieve goals effectively. This training will provide parents with a comprehensive understanding of executive functioning skills and practical strategies to support individuals in developing and strengthening these skills at home.

 

REGISTER HERE

Working together to ensure the delivery of Special Education Services to eligible students.

The primary purpose of the Local Task Force (LTF) on the Right to Education is to make recommendations that assist in improving, strengthening, expanding, and monitoring programs and services for school age children with special needs.

According to the PARC Consent Decree, the LTF must include parents, school personnel, The Arc, a representative from Office of Behavioral Health, Office of Intellectual Disabilities, and a liaison from a Delaware County School District.

This Task Force is For:

Family members, professionals, Delaware County School Districts, and community members.

Duties of the Task Force

• 1. Assist families and professionals of school-aged students with special education needs by providing educational and networking opportunities so they are better able to make informed decisions to meet the needs of their student(s)
  2. Help disseminate local, regional, state, school, and community-based special education services, workshops, and informational or recreational opportunities for the community. 
      
  3. Foster collaboration amongst public and private agencies which provide special education services.
      
  4. Identify local needs and problems and forward them to the State Task Force.
      
  5. Assess programs and services for school-aged children with special needs, making recommendations for their improvement, expansion, or discontinuation.
      
  6. Recommend solutions for identified areas of concern and develop an action plan to affect positive change.
      
  7. Review recommendations of the State Task Force and advise the Administration of any recommendation which should be adopted/implemented within Delaware County.
      
  8. Assist the Administration in carrying out the rules and regulations growing out of the PARC Consent Agreement.
      
  9. Review Intermediate Unit and District Special Education Plans and make recommendations which will help assure that they meet the needs of school-aged children with special needs.

All Local Task Force Meetings Include:

Dissemination of local resources, services, legislative updates, parent and professional training opportunities, and discussion on current issues impacting local special eduaction. 

Local Task Force meetings are FREE and held five times per school year. General meetings are often followed by presentations. Topics are selected by Local Task Force members. Suggestions for future topics are warmly welcomed and encouraged.

You may contact the Local Task Force to request placement on the next scheduled General Meeting Agenda.

Contact Information

Parent Co-chairs: Deb Duffy and LaTonia Lee
righttoedtaskforcedelco@gmail.com

• Support and join committees that interest you!
• Come for up-to-date information and trainings.
• Share your experiences and listen to others!

 

Meeting Participation

Families from the following school districts and charter schools are invited to participate.

 

• Chester Community Charter School
• Chester Upland School District
• Chichester School District
• Garnet Valley School District
• Haverford School District
• Interboro School District
• Marple Newtown School District
• Penn Delco School District
• Radnor School District
• Ridley School District
• Rose Tree Media School District
• Springfield School District
• Wallingford Swarthmore School District
• William Penn School District

An engaged adult is critical to protecting the educational rights of every child, but most especially for a child with a disability. However, some students do not have an adult to look after their educational interests. It is the Local Education Agency's responsibility to provide someone to act in this capacity for a student with special needs. 

The DCIU Educational Surrogate Program helps the student's LEA fulfill this obligation.

What does an educational surrogate parent do?

Like other "parents" under the IDEA, an educational surrogate parent has the right to make all the special education decisions that are usually made by the child's biological or adoptive parents. Educational surrogate parents can review educational records, consent to evaluations, re-evaluations, and placements, request and participate in IEP meetings, and challenge the recommendations by asking for mediation or requesting a hearing.

Requirements for Requesting a Surrogate Parent

The LEA can request a surrogate parent only after they have documented that:

Forms and More Information

• No parent, as defined in 34 CFR §300.30, can be identified;
• The LEA, after reasonable efforts, cannot locate a parent;
• The child is a ward of the state under the laws of the State (Pennsylvania does not have a state law definition of “ward of state” so this provision does not apply in Pennsylvania);
  OR
• The child is an unaccompanied homeless youth, as defined in section 725(6) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434(a)(6))LEA representative must submit
• Pennsylvania Department of Education Surrogate Parent Guidelines for IDEA-Eligible or Thought-to-Be Eligible
  Students PDF
• Educational Surrogate Parent Request Form