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A Program of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Fall 2013 | VOL. 3 | ISSUE 2

PREP Begins Another School Year!

Its time for another Parental Readiness and Empowerment Program (PREP) school year! We are excited to announce our upcoming PREP Parent & Youth Workshops in the San Diego area. Thanks to our partnership with San Diego Unied School Districts Ballard Parent Center, we will host a series of three FREE workshops that seek to promote advocacy and leadership in both parents and students. October 19, 2013: Parents will learn how to put their rights in action and how to mobilize around their childs education. Students will learn how to build healthy relationships, how to deal with bullying and international human rights. December 14, 2013: Parents will learn about the special education process and how to prepare for an IEP meeting. Students will increase their leadership skills and learn about their own rights in school and on the street. March 22, 2014: This workshop will focus on training parents how to effectively navigate the schools system to make sure their children are prepared for college and career. Students will learn about healthy eating, college/ career planning, and preparing for job interviews. After each workshop, we invite families to attend our free PREP Education Consultation Clinic and meet with our trained volunteer advocates to discuss the unique educational needs of their child. Volunteers from Qualcomm, DLA Piper, and Troutman Sanders will provide support to parents in developing concrete action steps to support their childs educational success. The workshops will be held at: Lafayette Elementary Auditorium 6125 Printwood Way San Diego, CA 92117 We look forward to bringing PREP to a new community at Lafayette Elementary School. This community has a signicant deaf and hard of hearing population, so we are pleased to offer American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation for both parents and students upon request. Workshops will be held from 9:30am 1:30pm, with registration at 9:00 am. Childcare and lunch are provided at our workshops, and will be presented in English and Spanish. Parents are welcome to sign up for both our workshops and clinics at www.PREPparents.org. TABLE OF CONTENTS:
PREP New School Year PREP Minneapolis & Collaborating With The Community 1 2

PREP DMV & 3 Frequently Asked Questions Upcoming Events 4

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH PREP!

www.PREPparents.org

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PREP Minneapolis Update:

Collaboration with Hennepin County Library PREP is excited to host a workshop on Saturday, January 11, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Hennepin County Library in Brookdale. This workshop will focus on empowering Hmong parents to be stronger advocates for their children by training them on their legal rights when it comes to their childs education. With a population of around 64,000 Hmong people in the Twin City metropolitan area, there is a need for a focus on strengthening community advocacy for Hmong students and families. And the Hmong population in the Twin Cities is still growing! With the population growth and increasing achievement gap, the need for parent engagement is great. How can we ensure that all populations are served and supporting parent advocates? Thats where PREP comes in! The Hennepin County Library is located in a community that many Hmong families call home. Lunch and childcare will be provided as well as interpretation in Hmong.

Brookdale Library is located at: 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy. Brooklyn Center, MN 55430

We look forward to seeing you at our first Minneapolis area workshop in January!

Collaborating With The Community

PREP relies upon community support to reach the most parents and our partnership with Asociacin de Liderazgo Comunitario (ALC, or the Association for Community Leadership) in San Diego is the perfect model for success. Established in 2005, ALC is a community-based organization dedicated to the integral empowerment of diverse residents in low-income communities. ALC graciously hosts PREP workshops focused on parent advocacy, higher education opportunities for immigrant students, parent rights, and school governance. PREP is grateful for our partnership with ALC! For more information on ALC, please visit www.commleader.org.

Natasha Quiroga, PREP Attorney, and ALC Team

Festival Educativo Conferences 2013

Understanding Special Education In partnership with the Multicultural Family and Education Center, PREP is excited to provide the Festival Educativo Conferences 2013: Understanding Special Education! There will be a special celebration of the National Disability Employment Awareness month with workshop topics including: autism, transition, effective advocacy, leadership, special education law, supports for families; discipline and much more! Parents will have the opportunity to meet with volunteer advocates to assess their childs special educational needs as part of the PREP Education Consultation Clinic on November 2nd and 9th. The event will be free and conducted in Spanish. Free Breakfast and Lunch will be provided. To RSVP and for more information, please contact: (703) 867-6529 or fajardo@multicultural-families.us
The Conferences will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in: MARYLAND: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26 - San Bernardo Church at 5700 Saint Bernard Dr., Riverdale, Maryland 20737 VIRGINIA: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2 - Willston Multicultural Center- 6131 Willston Drive Falls Church, VA 22044 WASHINGTON: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 - Marys Center 3912 Georgia Avenue. NW Washington DC 20011

Frequently Asked Questions

What is PREP? What does it do? The Parental Readiness and Empowerment Program works to empower parents to be their childs best and most effective advocate by providing access to information on rights related to their child(ren)s education. In targeted communities, PREP engages legal volunteers and provides tools and trainings to increase parental engagement offering both parent and student workshops. What is a PREP Educational Consultation Clinic? Our free clinics offer parents the opportunity to meet with volunteer advocates who will help them assess their childs educational needs. During this one-on-one session, parents and volunteers discuss the best strategies to address their childs needs and draft action plans that the parent can implement on their own. The issues addressed during the clinic include answering questions regarding the services special education students recieve, enrollment in more advanced classes, and following up on complaints with the school or teachers. All of our clinic volunteers complete a training on education law and are offered support and supervision from PREP staff while they meet with parents. Does PREP offer support and resources for students with disabilities? Yes! PREP is dedicated to ensuring that all children receive the education they deserve. PREP is committed to provide parents with the right resources to advocate for the best education their child can receive regardless of their childs disabilities. PREP often has special edcation focused workshops and our website offers specic guides on issues parents of children with special needs

Upcoming Events
SAN DIEGO, CA
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2013 PARENT AND STUDENT ADVOCACY WORKSHOPS Location: Time: Lafayette Elementary Auditorium 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2014 PARENT AND STUDENT ADVOCACY WORKSHOPS Location: Time: Lafayette Elementary Auditorium 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m

Topic addressed: Prepare for an IEP Meeting

Topic addressed: Navigate the School System

WASHINGTON, DC METROPOLITAN AREA

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2013 MARYLAND FESTIVAL EDUCATIVO CONFERENCE 2013 Location: Time: San Bernardo Church Gym. Riverdale, MD 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2013 VIRGINIA FESTIVAL EDUCATIVO CONFERENCE 2013 Location: Time: Wilson Multicultural Center. Falls Church, VA 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Topic addressed: Understanding Special Education SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2013 DC FESTIVAL EDUCATIVO CONFERENCE 2013 Location: Time: Marys Center, Washington, DC 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Topic addressed: Understanding Special Education TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013 PARENT ADVOCACY WORKSHOP Location: Time: CASA de Maryland, Hyattsville, MD 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Topic addressed: Understanding Special Education

Topic addressed: Understanding Special Education

MINNEAPOLIS, MN
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2014 PARENT ADVOCACY WORKSHOP Location: Time: Brookdale Library, Brooklyn Center, MN 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Topic addressed: Advocate for Your Childs Education

Special Thanks to Our Partners

The work of The Parental Readiness and Empowerment Program (PREP) is possible thanks to our generous supporters. For information on how to donate or volunteer, please visit our website, www.PREPparents.org.