Parent to Parent USA

As we recognize September as NICU Awareness Month, we're proud to share this message from our partners at Graham's Foundation. We're grateful for their ongoing efforts to help families confidently navigate the journey of prematurity 💚

New Resource Alert: Goblin Tools is a free collection of simple tools designed to help neurodivergent individuals tackle overwhelming tasks. Using the power of artificial intelligence, it can break down big projects into manageable to-do lists or simplify daily tasks.

🔧Try it out for yourself at goblin.tools!

With thanks to Eric Jorgensen, creator of the ABCs of Disability Planning podcast, for introducing us to this incredible resource!

A huge thank you to our Alliance Member Parent to Parent of Georgia for sponsoring the 2024 Support Parent Summit! 🎉

Parent to Parent of Georgia is the source of choice for support, information, education, and leadership development for Georgians with disabilities or special health care needs, ages birth to 26, and their families. Through their sponsorship, they are helping us celebrate the incredible Support Parents who create a network of care and understanding for every family.

🎉 Exciting News! 🎉
Our new issue is LIVE and it's packed with valuable resources! 🌟

📚 What's inside?
✨ Our latest College & Employment Supplement—filled with info, success stories, and more!
✨ Essential Transition Planning tips for families with children in school.
✨ Useful Apps for teens and young adults entering adulthood.
✨ A fun activity to enjoy with your family!..and so much more!

Ready to dive in? Click below to start reading! 👇
https://parentingspecialneeds.mydigitalpublication.com/september-october-2024

📸 Special shoutout to our cover models from The Nicholas Center and the talented photographer, TJ Hart!

🙏 Thank you to our incredible contributors and partners:
The Nicholas Center, BridgingApps, Positive Behavior Supports, Virginia Commonwealth University, Parent to Parent USA, Home and Community Positive Behavior Support, iCanShine, Expo,, @ Project SearchProject SEARCH at UnityPoint Health - Trinity Project Search, Cincinnati ________, Syracuse University, @ University of Missouri St. Louis, and Douglas Haddad Think College @ College of The Florida Keys

Join us for an insightful Family Chat on Helping Your Anxious Child with clinical psychologist Dr. Lauren Moscowitz! 🧠✨

Dr. Moscowitz will share strategies focused on improving the quality of life for anxious youth with IDD and autism.

🔗 Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_alizCc2xSeuoO3wtHwYsBw #/registration


Home and Community Positive Behavior Support Parenting Special Needs Magazine

"It's loving your child more than anything in the world, yet feeling totally inadequate and unprepared." 💙

Have you ever felt this way? You're not alone. Kelley Coleman's 'Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child' might be the relatable roadmap you need.

Have you checked it out yet? Let us know what you think!

Attention Support Parents, Family Leaders, Mentors, and Navigators!

We're just one month away from our virtual Support Parent Summit on October 9! 🗓️

This event celebrates YOUR incredible volunteer work supporting families of children with disabilities or special health care needs. Don't miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and be recognized for your invaluable contributions!

❓Questions? Contact your local Parent to Parent organization for more information.

Thank you, Oklahoma Family Network, for sponsoring our 2024 Support Parent Summit! 🎉

A P2P USA Alliance Member, OFN provides hope for Oklahoma families who have children with special healthcare needs. By sponsoring this event, they're helping us honor and uplift the incredible Support Parents who ensure every family has a shoulder to lean on.

Attention Massachusetts parents: the Federation for Children with Special Needs has training sessions coming up this month!

This is your chance to say "I'm here for you"

Join us September 10th & 24th from 12-1:30pm (CORRECTED TIME) for a two-part Listening & Learning Training that will prepare you to offer emotional support and empowering resources to another parent of a child with special care needs.

Sign up at http://fcsn.org/event/p2p-listening-learning-training-3/2024-09-10/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ap_jjsibtmgvh


Parent to Parent USA Massachusetts Department of Public Health

The U.S. Surgeon General recently highlighted a critical issue: parents and caregivers across America are struggling. This resonates deeply with many families we serve, for whom parenting and caregiving often overlap.

Inspired by the Surgeon General's call to action, we're reminding you: you're not alone in this journey. Across the country, Parent to Parent (P2P) is building a community where parents and caregivers of children with disabilities or special health care needs feel supported, understood, and empowered.

Join us in answering the Surgeon General's call:

➡️Find support: Visit https://www.p2pusa.org/parents/ to connect with a P2P program near you.
➡️Show support: Like and share this post to spread awareness.
➡️Make a difference: Consider donating to keep P2P running.

No parent should feel alone. Ever.

Opinion | Surgeon General: Parents Are at Wits’ End. We Can Do Better. (Gift Article) Raising children is crucial work. Why don’t we treat it that way?

Transforming epilepsy care: the National Coordinating Center for Epilepsy has identified five innovative practices that are making a real difference for children and youth with epilepsy and related chronic conditions.

Curious to learn more? Explore these promising practices on the American Academy of Pediatrics website: https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/epilepsy/about-the-national-coordinating-center-for-epilepsy/innovative-and-promising-practices-aap-national-coordinating-center-for-epilepsy/

Congratulations to the Federation for Children with Special Needs on 50 years! 🎉

For half a century, they've been empowering families with the information and resources they need for their children. And as the home of our Alliance Member, Parent to Parent of Massachusetts, they've made a tremendous impact on parents, grandparents and guardians throughout the state.

We're excited to see what the next 50 years bring!

August is SMA Awareness Month. Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) affects approximately one in 15,000 births in the U.S., and about one in every 50 Americans is a genetic carrier. SMA can affect any race or gender.

Swipe to learn more, and visit Cure SMA for more information.

We're delighted to welcome Family Connection of South Carolina as a sponsor of the 2024 Support Parent Summit! 🌟

As our valued South Carolina Alliance Member, Family Connection of South Carolina is dedicated to changing lives by making connections, raising awareness, and promoting inclusion for those with disabilities and special healthcare needs. Thank you, Family Connection of South Carolina, for your commitment to building a more inclusive and supportive community!

Our long-time partners at AMCHP unveiled their new logo, and we are delighted to share the news with you!

The is the result of a collaborative effort between AMCHP’s staff and Board members to support the implementation of its strategic plan and communications and branding goals. It includes the AMCHP wordmark and full name with a new set of silhouettes to better reflect the diversity of the population it serves. A semicircle, resembling a rising sun, sits behind the silhouettes symbolizing opportunity and renewed hope.

Learn all about AMCHP’s rebrand at bit.ly/NewAMCHPLogo.

Join AMCHP's Family LEAD Committee tomorrow, August 20 at 3pm ET for a webinar on Measuring What Matters, as part of the Highlighting Family Leadership within Title V Webinar Series.

Existing quality of life measures concentrate too heavily on functional ability and not enough on what families perceive as being important. This webinar will focus on elements of child quality of life, family well-being, and measurements that will advance the field of support for children and youth with special health care needs.

Learn more and register for this and all the webinars in this series: bit.ly/LEADWebinars

"Parent to Parent has opened a whole new world of connection for us... a community of people who just 'get it'! It has helped make a huge positive difference in the way we bring up our daughter!" - Gita, WA state

This , we're celebrating the power of connection. Thanks to our amazing supporters and volunteers, families like Gita's find understanding, support, and community through Parent to Parent.

Want to be part of our network? Visit p2pusa.org to learn how you can get involved and make a difference.

[Image description: Quote reading "Parent to Parent has opened a whole new world of connection for us"]

Calling all Support Parents, Family Leaders, Mentors, and Navigators!

Join us on October 9, 2024, for the virtual Support Parent Summit: a celebration of your incredible volunteer work supporting families of children with disabilities or special health care needs.

Check out the event flyer: https://www.p2pusa.org/join-us-for-the-2024-support-parent-summit/

For more information, contact your local Parent to Parent organization.

We're grateful to PATH for sponsoring the 2024 Support Parent Summit! 🎉

A valued member of our Parent to Parent network, PATH has been going above and beyond to support families and volunteers in Connecticut for over 30 years. Their sponsorship helps us celebrate and empower the amazing Support Parents who make sure no parent feels alone, ever. Thank you, PATH CT!

August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month!

As you prepare for the school year, don’t forget to include your child’s eye health on your checklist. Schedule a vision screening with your child’s pediatrician or primary care provider today!

Regular eye exams are crucial for detecting any issues early and ensuring your child’s vision is ready for the classroom. 🏫✏️👓

Proud to see one of our Board Officers, Dr. Zipporah Levi-Shackleford, delivering the keynote session at the Annual Texas Parent to Parent Conference. Dr. Z's innovative strategies are inspiring families across the country!

Colin Farrell has launched the Colin Farrell Foundation, a new organization with the aim of transforming the lives of individuals and families living with intellectual disabilities.

A father himself, he has been motivated by the many stories he’s heard of parents who struggle to care for their children and to access the support services they need: “They're constantly advocating on behalf of their child to get what their child justifiably should have in their lives, in the form of education, in the form of community inclusion.”

We hope to see opportunities to support this important mission in the future.

‘He's cheeky, bold and bright,’ – Colin Farrell opens up about his son’s Angelman syndrome as he turns 21 COLIN Farrell has fond and vivid memories of being on the pitch at Croke Park for the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics in 2003.

The National Collaborative for Supporting Families' Best Practice Series is back on August 15 with a focus on developing more effective "front doors" that provide lifespan support, include life exploration, and focus on outcomes.

Don't miss out. Register now: https://t.e2ma.net/click/kor7xl/kwdy38tf/00zinib

Community of Practice for Supporting Families with Disabilities

We are thrilled to announce the newest addition to our board, Marcia O'Malley!

Marcia is passionate about helping families navigate the convoluted systems of care for children who have a special health care need and/or disability. She is deeply committed to making sure no parent ever feels alone.

Stay tuned as we soon share more about our new strategic objectives designed to help P2P USA expand and grow, with the invaluable support of Marcia and the rest of our dedicated board.

Welcome aboard, Marcia! 🌟

¡Taller en español, comenzando pronto!

Workshop in Spanish starting soon, with our Alliance Member Family Voices of Tennessee!

Texas families! Today is the last day to register for the 19th Annual Texas Parent to Parent Statewide Parent Conference happening on August 9-10th. Don't miss out! 🌟

Registration Closes in 2 Days!! Don't miss out on your chance to attend the 19th Annual Txp2p Statewide Parent Conference on August 9-10th!!
Information Packet with all session info:https://www.txp2p.org/Media/files/2024-Registration-Packet-Final.pdf
Registration link here: https://fs12.formsite.com/txp2porg/kb3za2fstb/index

Can you help a parent attend the conference?? Only 2 days left to donate!! Please, if you can donate even just a small amount--it will help! https://txp2p.networkforgood.com/projects/227505-2024-txp2p-conference

Only a few Exhibitor Spaces Remain! Please register ASAP to secure your table in the exhibit areas!! https://fs12.formsite.com/txp2porg/form21/index

A new report confirms what Parent to Parent USA has long known: peer support is crucial for families of children with special health care needs.

Key findings:
➡️68% of caregivers felt more confident in caring for their child after receiving peer support
➡️54% found it easier to advocate for their child's needs
➡️47% reported feeling less stressed

At Parent to Parent USA, we've built a network of 40 peer support programs, empowering families across the country.

Read the full report to learn more about the impact of peer support: https://lpfch.org/resource/survey-of-cyshcn-caregivers-peer-support/

New resource alert!

'CONNECT' is a free platform created by Advocacy Abby to help families with children who have complex medical needs or disabilities.

It allows you to filter by location and diagnosis to find grants, scholarships, equipment, and more.

Check it out if you or someone you know might benefit!

https://grants.supportnow.org/

Today we celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law on July 26, 1990.

The ADA is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to pursue employment, purchase goods and services, and participate in state and local government programs.

Today is Self-Care Day!

The date 7/24 reminds us that self-care can be practiced 24/7. It's not about indulgence, but small, daily habits that keep us going when time and energy are scarce.

This is the caregiving reality: one moment you're caring for others, the next you're grabbing a moment for yourself. Both are vital.

This Self-Care Day, share one small habit that helps you stay balanced, and let's inspire each other 💜