Family & Educator Partnership/FEP works to develop and sustain effective partnerships between families, educators, and community providers to promote the success for all children and youth with disabilities.
FEP coordinators work with parents, educators, and local school districts to provide FEP programs, services, and activities; they are also parents of children or young adults with special needs. Please call your coordinator for more information about what the FEP can do for you.
Annette Clarahan
Family & Educator Coordinator
641-682-8591 or 800-622-0027 Ext. 5517
annette.clarahan@gpaea.org
Districts Covered: Albia, Cardinal, Centerville , Chariton, Davis County, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, Fairfield, Keota, Maharishi, Moravia, Moulton - Udell, North Mahaska, Oskaloosa Christian, Oskaloosa, Ottumwa, Ottumwa Christian, Ottumwa Seton Catholic School, Pekin, Seymour, Sigourney, Tri County, Van Buren, Wayne.
Kelly Wallace
Family & Educator Coordinator
319-753-6561 or 800-382-8970 Ext. 3034
kelly.wallace@gpaea.org
Districts Covered: Burlington, Burlington Notre Dame, Central Lee, Danville, Ft. Madison, Holy Trinity, Keokuk, Keokuk Catholic, Mediapolis, Morning Sun, Mt. Pleasant, New London, Waco, Wapello, West Burlington, Winfield/Mt. Union.
The Iowa Department of Education, AEAs, and districts have developed the Iowa IDEA Information (i3) website to provide parents, families, educators, and partner agencies with a one-stop-shop for procedures, guidance, and resources for both early intervention and special education. To access these additional resources, please visit the Resources page within i3.
"ASK an Expert" Webinar Series FAQs on Return 2 Learn with
Dr. Barb Guy, Iowa Dept. of Education's Special Education Director
Now Available on the ASK Resources YouTube Channel
During these recorded webinar sessions, Dr. Barb Guy, Iowa Department of Education's Director of Special Education and Thomas Mayes, Iowa Department of Education's Special Education Attorney, answered some of the questions families most frequently contact the ASK an Advocate Helpline regarding Return 2 Learn.
Have you been invited to attend an IEP meeting via Zoom?
Are you unsure how to use Zoom?
Click here for step-by-step directions.
Virtual Parent Cafe
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 : 9:00AM-11:00AM via Zoom
Simply click this link to register and the zoom link will be sent to your email.
Now more than ever parents are recognizing that It Takes A Village to build strong families! We welcome you (from the comfort of your own home) to make connections, share your wisdom & enjoy great conversation about the victories and challenges of raising a family.
Parent Cafés are an introduction and reminder to families of the 5 Protective Factors that build strong families. (Resilience, Relationships, Knowledge, Support & Communication) Cafes are structured conversations that create peer to peer learning experiences where parents share in conversations what they already know about building a strong family and practice listening to each other with the intent to learn a new way to keep their family strong. We bring together a variety of families to create rich conversations, build social connections and community connections. Participants leave Parent Cafés feeling inspired, energized, and excited to put into practice what they’ve learned.
Check out the Iowa Secondary Transition Learning Community site. There is some great content here including an informational video where you will learn about Iowa programs for young adults with special needs. Some of the topics covered are; Medicaid, HCBS waivers, supported employment, and much more. All of the resources covered in the video have also been posted to the site for easy access. We have created a shortcut document for this webinar to help viewers easily locate information within the video to share with families, educators and others. Click here for the document.
Are you interested in learning more about Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services? As an educator, would you like to know how to refer families and what services they can provide? Click here to watch a short video featuring Jaime Claywell-Herrera, IVRS Counselor, describing Voc Rehab's services available to all LEAs and identified students in Iowa.
This informational video will help families and educators
understand the guardianship/conservatorship process.
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Free Online Learning Opportunities for Families and Educators 
For free online educational opportunities from the PACER Center please visit http://www.pacer.org/workshops/
Look for the live streaming symbol below, to find classes offered on the web.
Understanding the Special Education Process
See the materials below to help families and educators better understand the special education process.
| Universal Support Material | Suggested time for Distribution | Link to Order Document |
| FEP Brochure |
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| Procedural Safeguards Part B Bookmark |
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| Early ACCESS Procedural Safeguards Bookmark |
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Bookmark For Early ACCESS |
| Planning for Your Child's IEP Meeting |
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| Special Education: Child Find Process |
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| Functional Behavior Assessment |
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Behavior Intervention Plan
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All of these documents and more are available at:
Special Education Resources for Families and Educators
Transition Related Resources
- Age of Majority - Parent Guide
- Age of Majority - Student Info
- Age of Majority in Multiple Languages
- Graduation Guidance for Families
- Graduation Guidance for Educators
- Graduation Guidance Video
- Transition Tool Kit Hard Copy Request Form
Transition Related Websites
- Autism Speaks-Transition Tool Kit
- Autism Speaks- Housing and Community Living
- Autism Speaks- Housing and Residential Supports
- Autism Speaks- Job Portal
- PACER Center- Transition to life after High School
- Secondary Transition Website; Transition Iowa
Parent Support Groups/Classes
- Ft. Madison/Keokuk Salute to Parents of ASD and Non-Typical Individuals
- Mt. Pleasant - Our Special Kids
- Oskaloosa - Families of Autism
- Ottumwa - Rocking the Spectrum
Related Links
- Autism Society or 1-800-3-AUTISM
- CHADD: The National Resource on ADHD
- Children at Home: Assistance in securing services and support to help children remain at home.
- Department of Education
- Disability Rights Iowa
- Easter Seals Iowa
- Epilepsy Foundation of Iowa
- Information and Referral Search, 2-1-1 help with food, housing, employment, health care, counseling, etc.
- Iowa Compass Disability Resources Database
- Iowa Family Support Network
- Iowa IDEA Information (i3) website
- NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness
- National Tourette Syndrome Association
- Office of Civil Rights
- Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
- Parent Guide to Section 504 from the Iowa Department of Education
- Parent Training and Information/ASK Resource Center
- Special Education Resources for Families and Educators
- Understood: for Learning & Attention Issues
- US Department of Education Publications
- Youth Advocate to Advocate
Related Documents
- Access 2 Independence
- Child Find Document for Special Education
- Education Terms/Definitions
- Family Resource Guide
- Graduation Requirements
- Graduation Information & Guidance for Families
- Graduation Information & Guidance for IEP Teams
- Iowa Family & Educator Partnership Brochure
- Iowa Family & Educator Partnership State Wide Repository
- IFSP vs. IEP
- Impact of Home-School Partnerships
- Parents Guide to Transition Planning Brochure
- Parent Rights Summary
- Planning for Your Childs IEP Meeting
- Procedural Safeguards Bookmark for Part B Parents (Regions 1-4, Clarahan)
- Procedural Safeguards Bookmark for Part B Parents (Regions 5-7, Wallace)
- Procedural Safeguards Bookmark for Early ACCESS Parents
- Regional Coordinators of Disability Services-Full list of Contacts
- Special Education Discipline Guide
- Universal Tier Materials List and Suggested Use
- University of Iowa Transition Clinic
Newsletters
- 2020 September
- 2020 March
- 2020 January
- 2019 November
- 2019 September
- 2019 March
- 2019 January
- 2018 November
- 2018 September
Other Newsletters
- Each and Every Child, Iowa Department of Education
- Center Lines, Newsletter from the U of IA Center for Disabilities and Development
- Please Pass the Love, Empower school communities to embrace and sustain mental health and wellness supports for their students.
