TIES Center

Summer is close — and so is the end of many school funding cycles.

Before those PD dollars disappear, consider investing in your paraprofessionals. The Empowering Inclusive Schools series is ready to go, self-paced, and designed specifically for paras supporting students with disabilities.

Don't let funds expire unused. Give your team the training they deserve.
https://tiescenter.org/paraprofessional-training

You may have seen the Empowering Inclusive Schools: A Learning Series for Paraprofessionals Supporting Students with Disabilities training series. But do you know the story behind it?

The latest issue of CEHD Connect Magazine takes you inside how a decades-old evidence-based curriculum got transformed into a credentialed, University-backed online program — and why it matters for paraprofessionals and the students they support.

📖: Read the full article: https://connect.cehd.umn.edu/empowering-inclusive-schools

Empowering inclusive schools For a student with a disability, the right support doesn’t just help them get through the school day - it unlocks the door to a truly inclusive education. Recognizing this, CEHD has developed a new comprehensive training series designed to turn that vision into reality. By equipping paraprofession...

We agree! Inclusive education for all applies PreK to College. The TIES Center is honored to be part of this work and presenting at LACOE’s Inclusion Symposium on Tuesday, March 10th!

NEW RESOURCE ALERT! 🎉
We're excited to share "Creating Family Belonging Together: A Reflection and Planning Guide for Teams and Families" — a new resource created in partnership with the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI)!

This guide helps early childhood teams and families work together to build more inclusive programs where every family feels they truly belong. It features:
✨ Ten dimensions of belonging centered on family experiences ✨ Reflection prompts for meaningful conversations ✨ A practical planning tool to turn insights into action.

Perfect for practitioners, specialists, and program leaders supporting children birth through age 8, this resource can be used in family meetings, team discussions, and leadership planning.

Let's celebrate what's working and plan next steps together — in true partnership with families!

https://www.challengingbehavior.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/creating_fam_belonging_together.pdf

Fantastic roundtable at ! 🌴 Jessica Bowman from TIES Center & Joanna Ryan from University of North Dakota led a deep dive into practical inclusive strategies for students with ESN.
Loved seeing teachers, administrators, and researchers collaborating to make general education more inclusive for all! ✨🎓

🎉 Celebrating Jacqui Kearns! 🎉

We're thrilled to celebrate our former TIES Center collaborating partner and leader, Dr. Jacqui Kearns, recipient of TASH's prestigious June Downing Breakthroughs in Inclusive Education Award!

Over her remarkable 34-year career, Jacqui has championed inclusive practices, helped create Kentucky's alternate assessment program, and worked tirelessly to ensure students with disabilities have access to communication and meaningful educational experiences.

Her focus on Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) has been transformative, breaking down barriers and dispelling myths about the multiple ways students communicate.

"I will continue to advocate for communication and the inclusion of people with disabilities, because in those environments, kids have access to peers and access to peers is what dispels myths and builds communities." - Jacqui Kearns

Thank you, Jacqui, for your partnership, passion, and unwavering dedication to inclusion. This recognition is so well deserved! 💙