In This Issue
Family Opportunity Act of 2001 Introduced
U.S. DOE Visits Federation
Legislative & Policy Update: Bush Announces No Child Left Behind / New Freedom Initiatives
Celluci, Swift Resolved to use MCAS
Special Ed PACs
From the Executive Director: It's Important to Include Students with Disabilities in MCAS
Ask Eileen: Empowerment Through Information
State Changes Policy Regarding Provision of MCAS Accommodations
A Noticia honors Federation staffer Sandy Blanes
Long-time Federation friend Jack Rennie passes
Cellucci, Swift Convene Commission on School Readiness
What's Next from Family TIES? Next Steps!
MassCARE: A Unique Program for Families Living with HIV
Every Child Deserves a Medical Home
Parents to Interview Managed Health Care Insurers
Children in Hospitals Survey Results Available
Family Voices in SCHIP Implementation Project
Bright Futures Pocket Guide Available
PAL News

Families are encouraged to contact their congressmen regarding the importance of the Family Opportunity Act. For more information, contact the Family Voices office at the Federation.

Back to Top

U.S. DOE Visits Federation
In late fall of 2000, staff from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the U.S. Department of Education conducted a site visit at the Federation to perform a thorough review of the Federation's Parent Training and Information (PTI) project. Federation staff shared their issues, activities and accomplishments of the last few years. At the end of the day, the staff was quite pleased by what a positive experience the visit had been. Below is a summary of OSEP's findings: 

"In the mid-1990s, the Federation faced some serious challenges . . . [Since that time,] however, the Federation made some changes that have made it stronger than ever. In turn, the PTI appears to be providing quality services to the parents of Massachusetts. Major accomplishments have been:

• Greater emphasis on diversity, particularly for serving Spanish and Portuguese-speaking families. Statewide outreach coordinators have been hired for these two communities.
• Increasing use of state- of-the-art technology,
• Adoption and implementation of a Strategic Plan,
• More commitment to measuring progress towards that Strategic Plan,
• Greater emphasis on development, including hiring a Director of Development,
• A sound auditor's report,
• A greater emphasis on diversifying funding resources,
• Move to high quality offices in Roxbury, a minority community.

Back to Top

Legislative & Policy Update: Bush Announces No Child Left Behind/ New Freedom Initiatives

President George W. Bush announced his education agenda shortly after taking office in January. This "education blueprint" called "No Child Left Behind" identifies a new federal role in education. The plan proposes that the federal government "give those responsible latitude and support while holding those responsible accountable for producing results." Bush's agenda will focus on: increased accountability, identifying what works, reduced bureaucracy, and empowering parents. 

Many of the Bush changes are proposed to become part of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) which is up for debate in the Congress this session. Key components of the re-authorization will include:

a) closing the achievement gap through accountability and high standards, annual academic assessments, and consequences for schools that fail;

b) improving literacy by putting reading first, with a focus on reading in the early grades, and early childhood reading instruction;

c) reducing the bureaucracy by expanding flexibility with Title I programs, increasing funding for school technology, eliminating overlapping grant programs, and providing more flexibility to state and local school agencies;

d) rewarding success and sanctioning failure by rewarding improved student achievement, offering bonuses to states that meet accountability requirements, providing "No Child Left Behind" bonuses for school progress in the achievement of disadvantaged students, and reducing federal funding to states that fail to meet their improvement objectives;

e) promoting parental choice by providing parents with reports on the performance of schools, enhanced funding for charter schools, and establishing grant programs to increase parental choice;

f) improving teacher quality through establishing high standards for professional development, strengthening math and science education; and finally,

g) making schools safer through establishing teacher protection programs, expanding after-school program options including using religious organizations, rescuing students from unsafe schools, and supporting character education.

In addition, to address the specific needs of Americans with disabilities, President Bush has proposed a "New Freedom Initiative." President Bush states, "My New Freedom Initiative will help Americans with disabilities by increasing access to assistive technologies, expanding educational opportunities, increasing the ability of Americans with disabilities to integrate into the workforce, and promoting increased access into daily community life."

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a powerful civil rights law. The President realizes that this law has ensured improved access to employment, public and commercial facilities, telecommunications services, technology and schools. However, more progress must be made because 1 in 5 adults with disabilities has not graduated from high school. The president has proposed to increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to address concerns in this area.

It is our hope that President Bush's education reforms combined with his New Freedom Initiative will provide the educational supports needed by children with disabilities to ensure their access to a quality education that prepares them to be active and valued members of their communities.
Back to Top

Celluci, Swift Resolved to use MCAS

Since 1993, Massachusetts has been undergoing education reform efforts to ensure that all students in the Commonwealth receive a quality education regardless of socio-economic factors, race or disability. To measure the success of these efforts the state implemented the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). The MCAS not only tests the performance of each student, but also measures how well teachers and school districts do their job.

In January, Governor Cellucci and Lt. Governor Swift stated that they, "remain firm in their resolve to use the MCAS test as a graduation requirement," but realize education reform continues to need "fine-tuning." To provide students a fair opportunity to demonstrate their academic achievement, they announced several changes in the MCAS, particularly as they relate to students with disabilities. These include:

• Expanded list of allowable testing accommodations and recognition of the importance of the IEP team's role in identifying accommodations for students.
• Establishment of a regional appeals process to review whether a district gave adequate accommodations to special needs students who failed to meet the graduation standard.
• Certificate of Completion for the student who has fulfilled IEP goals, but the severity of the student's disability prevents him from being capable of passing. This Certificate will recognize the student's achievement and hard work.
• Focused retests for students who did not pass MCAS the first time, but who have good school attendance and have participated in extra help programs. Questions on the focused retest will target fundamental knowledge only and will be geared to the minimum passing score of 220. Students who take a focused retest will not be able to score in the proficient or advanced categories. Students may retest up to four times.

Back to Top

Special Ed PACs
School districts must continue to establish and assist special education Parent Advisory Councils (PACs). Changes were made in the Massachusetts special education law last summer to ensure that PACs are maintained. The legislature recognized the importance of parents' expertise and experience and changed the law to ensure that PACs continue to advise school committees and meet regularly with school officials to participate in the planning, development, and evaluation of the district's special education programs. School districts are now required to provide annual parents' rights workshops in conjunction with the PAC. Your PAC can play a key role in your community and can also help to ensure that parents receive timely information about the state's new MCAS policies (See article, p. 5.)
Back to Top

From the Executive Director: It's Important to Include Students with Disabilities in MCAS

This article was originally submitted to the Boston Globe op-ed section in January 2001. 

Governor Cellucci and Lt. Governor Swift have recently proposed new ways to accommodate students with disabilities who take the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). The MCAS 2000 test scores indicated that students who receive special education services on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or accommodations through a Section 504 plan failed the 10th grade Math and English assessments at twice the rate of their non-disabled peers. Despite these scores, it is important to continue to include students with disabilities in the MCAS. Here are four reasons why:

• The law requires it. Federal and state laws require the full participation of students with disabilities. IDEA-97, the federal special education law explicitly requires the participation of students with disabilities in the general curriculum, with appropriate supports and services. In addition, the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 requires that students with disabilities be assessed through the MCAS.
• Students who are tested get taught and receive the necessary resources and supports to improve their academic performance. If students with disabilities are excluded from testing, or if their scores do not count, there will be little incentive for school districts to provide them with the necessary instruction and resources to improve educational outcomes. IEP goals must focus on improving student academic performance.
• Participation in standardized assessments demonstrates student progress. In the past, large-scale assessments were not considered important for students with disabilities. It was assumed that individual special education evaluations provided sufficient data on how well students were doing. However, special education assessments have not provided information on what students know and how they perform relative to the general curriculum. Participation in MCAS will provide that information.
• Individuals with disabilities will have a brighter employment future. Over the past 25 years, students with disabilities have completed their educational programs and often been granted diplomas, but they lack basic skills for even entry-level employment. Despite almost full employment in Massachusetts, the unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities is about 75%. Raising the expectations for all students helps to enhance the employability of students with disabilities.

• First, as the Governor has now recognized, the Massachusetts Department of Education needs to revise its guidelines to ensure school districts utilize all of the accommodations necessary and required by a student's IEP so the student can truly demonstrate his or her knowledge on the test. School districts are required by law to allow students with disabilities to utilize appropriate accommodations, as outlined in their IEP or 504 Plan, for testing purposes. However, this provision was not consistently implemented during the first rounds of MCAS and may have negatively affected student performance.
• Second, the Board of Education must recognize the alternate form of MCAS as a valid demonstration of student progress for those students who can achieve at high levels despite their disability. School districts are required to allow students, who are otherwise unable to take the MCAS using accommodations, to take an alternate form of the MCAS. The State will introduce the Alternate MCAS this spring. Then a student with a disability may be able to demonstrate a high level of performance on the alternate MCAS assessment, whereas she may not be able to participate in the "standard" assessment, even with accommodations. Students who pass using the MCAS-ALT should receive a standard diploma. 
• Third, the Governor's proposed "Certificate of Completion" should be utilized on a very limited scale. Local school districts do need to develop additional ways to recognize and encourage the accomplishments of students with disabilities even when they are not able to pass MCAS. A limited number of students with severe disabilities will remain in school until their 22nd birthday. Though they have fully participated in their school program, they may not be able to meet the basic competency requirement for graduation, even if they had been given every conceivable opportunity to participate in and pass the MCAS. Still, they deserve appropriate recognition and receiving a Certificate may accomplish that.

Richard J. Robison is the Executive Director of the Federation for Children with Special Needs, and is also the parent of two children with Down syndrome who participated in MCAS last year. 

Back to Top

This column highlights questions that Eileen and the other Federation Information Specialists are most frequently asked.

Dear Eileen,
I am confused. There have been so many different sets of special education regulations over the past year, and I don't know which regulations are currently in effect and where I can find them. Can you help me?

You are not alone in your confusion. I have heard this question many times over the past few months from both parents and professionals. In fact, the Board of Education has issued three sets of special education regulations in the past year. You can find the current regulations on the Federation's home page at www.fcsn.org under the heading "Special Education Regulations." 

Although these regulations went into effect in late December 2000, they are being referred to as the "January Regulations." Don't assume that professionals and school personnel have the most up-to-date information. When you are discussing special education regulations make sure that you state that you are referencing the "January Regulations." This may help to avoid needless misunderstandings.

There are a number of important points to make note of in these "January Regulations." For example, according to the "January Regulations," a student with a disability that requires one or more related services in order to access the general curriculum is eligible for special education and, therefore, should receive services under an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) instead of a 504 Plan. Additionally, the "January Regulations" maintain many previously existing protections for children with disabilities, including the 45-day timeline for the development of the IEP and provision of services, the IEP Team's right to determine the specific placement of a student, the transportation protections and requirements, the rights surrounding extended day programs, the parent consent and native language requirements, the parental right to observe programs, the program and safety requirements for private special education schools, the definition of parent, and waiver requirements. There are also new regulations regarding the right to Independent Educational Evaluations.

If you are interested in learning more about the "January Regulations" but reading the regulations from cover-to-cover is not appealing to you, I recommend that you attend one of the Federation's "Basic Rights" workshops. The Federation will be conducting close to one hundred of these workshops across the state this school year. For a listing of upcoming workshops, see page 10. Also, updated Information Briefs pertaining to the "January Regulations" will be posted on the Federation's website soon.
Back to Top

State Changes Policy Regarding Provision of MCAS Accommodations
 

State eliminates list of accommodations previously referred to as "non-allowable"
The Massachusetts Department of Education (DOE) has issued a revised policy on providing Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test accommodations to students with disabilities, bringing state policy into compliance with federal special education law. In accordance with the new policy, the state has eliminated its list of accommodations previously referred to as "non-allowable."

IEP Teams (or 504 Teams) may now consider the full range of accommodations necessary for a student with a disability to participate in MCAS. The Department's new policy, effective immediately, is a critical step to help ensure that students with disabilities participate fully and fairly in MCAS, the statewide test that all tenth graders must pass in order to graduate. (For more detailed information, visit the DOE website at www.doe.mass.edu/mcas.) Accommodations provided for MCAS should generally be consistent with accommodations provided as part of the child's routine classroom instruction. Examples of accommodations for students with disabilities that are now allowed by the state in certain circumstances if determined necessary by the IEP Team include:

• Reading aloud the English Language Arts (ELA) reading test to a student who is blind and does not read Braille, or to a student with a severe learning disability, which impacts a student's ability to read.
• Interpreting (though American Sign Language) the ELA reading test to a student when the student is deaf and requires interpretation in order to have access to the test.
• Use of a calculator, number chart/table on the math test due to a severe learning disability, which impacts a student's ability in mathematics.
• Use of a scribe, "speech-to-text" conversion software, or tape recorder for ELA composition (essay) if students are unable to write manually due to a physical disability or severe learning disability, which impacts a student's ability in writing.
• Use of a word processor with the spell-check or grammar-check function when writing the ELA composition if students have severe language disability.

In April-May of this year, MCAS will be administered to students, including all students with disabilities, in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.(1)

If you are the parent of a student with disabilities in grades 3 to 10, it is important to consider whether your child may require accommodations that were previously prohibited by DOE. In light of this new policy, the Department of Education has directed school districts to consider revising IEPs and reconvening IEP Teams before MCAS is administered in April 2001. Therefore, in accordance with DOE policy, school districts should take the following steps to implement the new MCAS accommodations policy:

• If the IEP Team previously determined that your child needed MCAS accommodations, the district should review your child's IEP to determine if your child needs additional accommodations that are provided to the student for classroom instruction but were prohibited under previous state policy (e.g., a calculator, spell-check, or reader).
• If the IEP Team previously determined that your child required an "alternate assessment" to participate in MCAS, the district should review this decision to determine if your child required an alternate assessment because he or she needed accommodations that were prohibited under previous Department policy (e.g., a reader or scribe for the English test).
• If, based on this review, the district proposes to provide new MCAS accommodations for your child it must provide you with written notice describing the proposed changes in administering MCAS, the reasons for the changes, and your right to request a Team meeting to discuss the MCAS changes.
• The district must obtain the parent's signature on an IEP amendment in order to change the MCAS accommodations provided.
• Accommodations included in a student's IEP should be used as part of the child's routine classroom instruction in most instances. Accommodations should not alter, simplify, or eliminate any test item, nor should accommodations provide verbal or other clues that suggest correct responses to a student.

The Department of Education should be acknowledged for revising its MCAS accommodations policy to address equity concerns raised by parents of children with disabilities throughout the Commonwealth. This new policy provides important safeguards to address the needs of students with disabilities when MCAS is administered. Remember, federal law also guarantees your child access to the general education curriculum. Your child's IEP must also ensure that he or she has the chance to learn the academic curriculum covered by MCAS.

Footnote 1. MCAS administration grades and subject areas include: grade 3-reading; grade 4-English language arts, math; grade 5-science, history; grade 6-math; grade 7-English language arts; grade 8-English language arts, math, history, science; grade 9-science tryout; grade 10-English language arts, math, history, science tryout.
Back to Top

A Noticia honors Federation staffer Sandy Blanes

In December 2000, the Brazilian newspaper A Noticia presented Sandy Blanes, Outreach Coordinator for Portuguese-speaking families at the Federation with an award for her work with the Brazilian Community in New England, especially with parents of children with special needs. This Portuguese-language paper is committed to providing information about the services available to Brazilians that will help them transition to a new culture. Sandy's work at the Federation is featured each month, and each week Sandy writes a column for the Parents' PLACE project at the Federation. The award, a Brazilian sculpture made and imported just for the occasion, was presented to Sandy at an event celebrating one year of circulation. Other awardees included Boston Ballet's first Brazilian ballerina, Pollyanna, and Joint Consul of the Brazilian Consulate, Marcia Loureiro.

Back to Top

Long-time Federation friend Jack Rennie passes

Parents of children with disabilities are saddened by the death of our friend Jack Rennie, chairman of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education. Jack was an early leader of the education reform movement in this state and inspired other business leaders to join him. Most important to us at the Federation, Jack concentrated on benefits for individual children and recognized that problems in our public schools have not been caused by special education or by the presence of children with disabilities.

We hope Jack's vision and his commitment to better education for all our children will inspire his business colleagues, his university friends, government leaders, parents, and the general public to continue the hard work of bringing our public schools into the 21st century for the benefit of our children and the future strength of our democracy.
Back to Top

Cellucci, Swift Convene Commission on School Readiness

On February 13, 2001, Governor Cellucci and Lt. Governor Swift held the first meeting of its 53-member Commission on School Readiness. The commission is charged with making recommendations to the Governor about how to improve the current system of early childhood services (birth to 5). Commission responsibilities include:

• identifying methods for measuring the effectiveness of current programs for delivering services;
• providing data regarding systems and the provision of early childhood services in other states;
• seeking input from state and local providers of such services, families of young children in the Commonwealth and others invested in the preparation of our young children for school readiness; and
• producing a report by November 15, 2001, based on the above information, to develop policy and programmatic recommendations.

What's Next from Family TIES? Next Steps!
Family TIES (Together In Enhancing Support) is a statewide information, referral and support network for families of children with disabilities, special health care needs or chronic illnesses. They also provide parent-to-parent support and workshops.

Currently, Family TIES is presenting "Next Steps," a series of three skill-building workshops for families of children 4 -12 years old. Participants will learn organizational and problem solving skills, advocacy and community building. For more information call Family TIES at 1-800-905-TIES (8437) or speak directly with Joanne Spencer at 508-947-1231, ext. 5180.

Be sure to stop by the Family TIES table at the Federation's annual conference in March!

Back to Top

MassCARE: A Unique Program for Families Living with HIV

MassCARE (Massachusetts Community AIDS Resource Enhancement) is a statewide program, administered through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), Division for Special Health Needs, that offers comprehensive, family-centered medical care and case management services to women, youth, children and their families living with HIV. MassCARE also offers Family Support Initiatives that include a Family Advisory Network, annual family support activities, and a family newsletter. Families do not have to receive their medical care through MassCARE in order to receive case management services or to participate in the Family Support Initiatives.

In partnership with DPH, the Federation has been involved in helping MassCARE promote family involvement in state and national HIV/AIDS policy development. Federation staff member Fernanda Gudino-Valentin leads MassCARE's Family Advisory Network, a group in which women, youth, children, and their families living with HIV can support each other and become involved in program planning at the local, state, and national level.

MassCARE clinics and special events include:

Brockton: MassCARE in Brockton is beginning a new women's support and art therapy group, which will meet Thursdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Art therapist Linda Lufkin will lead projects that help clients use their creativity to express their emotions and experiences. Other ongoing events include a monthly consumer luncheon and a teen/young adult HIV prevention and education networking group. All groups will be held at Brockton Area Multi Services, Inc (BAMSI), 500 Belmont Street, Brockton.

New Bedford: Clinic is held the third Thursday of each month from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Greater New Bedford Health Center, 874 Purchase Street, New Bedford. The Family Support Group, in effect since 1992, is a group for children and their family members affected by HIV and their primary caretakers. The group meets the second Thursday of the month. Additionally, a family support specialist is available for consultation. Call 508/992-6553 for an appointment.

Lawrence: Clinic continues to be held the first and third Wednesday of each month at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, 34 Haverhill Street, Lawrence.

Lowell: Clinic is held the second Wednesday of the month at Lowell Community Health Center, 585 Merrimack Street, Lowell.

Springfield: Clinic is held in Springfield at 3300 Main Street on Mondays from 9-11:30 a.m. and Thursdays from 2-5 p.m. In Holyoke, clinic is held at Holyoke Pediatric Associates on the 4th Wednesday of every month. Mother's group meets on the 2nd Wednesday of every month. Teen group meets on the 4th Wednesday of every month.

For more information on any of these events call Fernanda Gudino-Valentin at the Central Regional DPH office, at 508-792-7880. For more information on the MassCARE program, contact Donna Shecrallah at DPH, 617-624-5978.

Back to Top

"A medical home is not a building, house or hospital, but rather an approach to providing health care services in a high-quality and cost effective manner. Children and their families who have a medical home receive the care that they need from a pediatrician or physician (pediatric health care professional) whom they trust. The pediatric health care professionals and parents act as partners in a medical home to identify and access all the medical and non-medical services needed to help children and their families achieve their maximum potential."

--American Academy of Pediatrics

So, what exactly is a Medical Home? Is it a place? Is it a concept? While medical home services may be delivered in a place and was originally designed as a concept, it is now defined as "an approach to providing health care in an accessible, family-centered, continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate and culturally effective way." If you think this sounds too good to be true and are wondering when medical home services will be available to your child with special health care needs, your wait is almost over.

A team from Massachusetts including pediatricians, public health officials and parents recently attended a training in Hawaii to learn more about what a medical home should be, what other states are doing, and how to create a plan to make medical homes a reality in Massachusetts.

If you would like to learn more about the Medical Home Initiative or would like to participate in implementing this in your community, please consider taking an active role in one or more of the opportunities listed below: 

• Attend the Federation's Annual Conference on March 17th where there will be a presentation about Medical Homes.
• Visit the Family Voices Massachusetts website at www.massfamilyvoices.org,
• Contact Polly Sherman, Family Voices State Coordinator, at (508) 947-1232 ext. 5144 or e-mail polly.sherman@state.ma.us 

Back to Top

Family Voices is a national grassroots coalition of families who work together to ensure that health care for children with special needs is comprehensive and family-centered. Last year, Family Voices initiated a national project where families interviewed staff at managed health care plans. This year, Family Voices at the Federation, in conjunction with New England Serve, joined together to train parents to meet with and interview staff from health plans in Massachusetts. Fifteen parents, working in teams of two, conduct these interviews and gather information about: how managed health plans identify children with special needs, how specialty services (including mental health services) are accessed, what types of disagreements occur between families and plans and how they are resolved.

This information will help define policies of importance to children with special needs and will identify exemplary practices. These parent interviewers are also setting a positive tone for communication between plans and families. We'll keep you posted on their progress and findings.
Back to Top

Children in Hospitals Survey Results Available

Children in Hospitals is a Massachusetts' parent organization that was created in 1972. Every two years, with support from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Federation for Children with Special Needs, Children in Hospitals conducts a survey of hospitals throughout the state. This information is compiled into a directory that lists hospital policies related to family-centered care, in table form; the tables are annotated with notes and explanations that are based on families' experiences. This directory is written for families who want to know statistical information about hospitals, how to support their children during a hospitalization, how to minimize separation from family members when either children or parents are hospitalized, and what questions families may want to ask prior to a hospitalization.

The latest survey was conducted in 1999; the directory was completed and printed in April 2000, and an abbreviated version can be viewed on the web at www.state.ma.us/dph/bfch/cih/cih.htm. 

Since the survey was completed, hospitals may have made changes to their programs and policies. Families should call the hospitals directly to be sure the information is still current and to have policies adjusted to meet individual families' needs.
Back to Top

Family Voices in SCHIP Implementation Project

In 1997, the U.S. Congress enacted the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts played a key role in the passage of this legislation that allocated money to all 50 states to provide health insurance to uninsured children. Each state used the money differently. In Massachusetts, SCHIP funding was used to expand Medicaid eligibility and create the MassHealth program. All children, less than 19 years old from low to moderate-income families are eligible for free or low-cost insurance, or for assistance with their families' health insurance premiums. Call MassHealth at 800-841-2900 or visit www.state.ma.us/dma to find out if your family is eligible for one of the many types of MassHealth coverage. SCHIP legislation requires that families participate in advisory roles in each state's program.

The Family Voices in SCHIP Implementation Project at the Federation has been helping families become familiar with the SCHIP program so they can participate in these leadership activities. In addition, Family Voices will publish comparisons about how effectively each state seeks consumer advice about their SCHIP. Contact Barbara Popper at the Federation for more information.

More information about SCHIP is available at www.childrensdefense.org, www.hicitizen.com, www.coveringkids.org, and www.familyvoices.org.
Back to Top

Bright Futures Pocket Guide

Family Voices at the Federation has a new publication, Bright Futures Family Pocket Guide: Raising Healthy Infants, Children and Adolescents. The Family Pocket Guide is designed for all families, whether or not their child has special health care needs. It is 100-pages, written in family-friendly language, and covers:

• What happens at health visits from birth to age 21
• How to choose and work with a health care provider
• How your child grows
• What to expect when your child gets older
• Tip sheets
• Family web sites
• Resources for families And moreÉ

PAL News

Over the past two years, PAL has joined with many groups and families to advocate for increased funding for mental health services to children and adolescents in Massachusetts. Last year an additional $10 million was allocated through the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to address the crisis of kids being "stuck" at various points in the mental health care system. The majority of these funds were utilized to develop two new clinically intensive residential units for adolescents. The funds also provided for the development of clinical staff positions to assist children and adolescents as they move through the system.

The $10 million showed a serious commitment on the part of the administration to address the crisis in the delivery of mental health services to children in our state. PAL thanks those legislators, advocates, and state officials who were involved in securing these funds. However, this is just a start! To fully address the crisis, there must also be funding on the other end of the spectrum--for community-based services!

Governor Cellucci released his budget recommendations for fiscal year 2002; there is $4.375 million in new funding for mental health services. Again, thanks to the administration. However, the problems are greater than ever. PAL is going to approach the legislature and ask for a serious and bi-partisan commitment to the children and youth of Massachusetts by providing additional funding for children's mental health. It is our belief that a minimum of $10 million should be allocated solely for developing and strengthening community-based mental health services. There are over 3000 children and adolescents waiting for various services at the community level. We cannot turn our backs on these youth!

You can add your voice to these requests by contacting your legislators over the next few months. PAL will make information and sample letters available on the Federation website (www.fcsn.org) and on the PAL website (www.ppal.net). You can email PAL at pal@fcsn.org with questions, comments and ideas. We look forward to hearing from you.
Back to Top

Parent Training and Information | Parents Engaged in Education Reform

Back to Top	Home