Family Education Services

 

Mission

The mission of Family Education Services (FES) is to cultivate and maintain parent and family involvement by bridging the gap between home and school and providing support services and resources for families of deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
Goals:      
      •     To educate families on all aspects of deafness
      •     To empower parents to become advocates for their deaf children
      •     To facilitate better communication among families at home
      •     To help parents feel comfortable in the school environment
    

FES sponsors the following groups and activities:

Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)
PAC is comprised of approximately 12 members who reflect the cultural makeup of ASD's student population. Their role is to advise the school on educational matters and the implementation of programs for parents and families. If you wish to become a PAC member, please contact FES.

The purpose of PAC:

• To advise the school on the educational matters
• To provide assistance to the school in securing regional, state, community and parent support
• To assist the school in developing and implementing beneficial programs for parents and families
• To assist the school in fulfilling its mission
• To assist parents through involvement in their child's education by promoting networking

Parent Support Groups
Based on parents' requests and needs, a variety of support groups are offered in our Parent Center and other locations throughout the school year, including:

• Preschool Parent Support Group
• Elementary School Parent Support Group
• Junior High and High School Parent Support Group
• Deaf with Special Needs (DSN) Parent Support Group
• Hispanic Parent Support Group
• Parent-to-Parent Support Network

 

Annual Family Events
Designed to bring together families of deaf and hard of hearing students to foster networking, education and friendship, FES offers annual activities including:

• Parent Open House
• Family Learning Weekend
• Mothers’ and Fathers’ Weekends
• Potluck suppers, picnics and more

 

Together We Read
Designed to encourage the development of essential literacy skills, Together We Read helps make shared reading experiences fun and educational. A trained tutor makes home visits to teach parents and guardians the most effective techniques for reading to deaf children. This extraordinarily successful program develops and strengthens learning and comprehension skills while nurturing each child’s enthusiasm for reading.

 

FES Parent Center and Parent Lending Library
The Center provides a place for parents to congregate and socialize in a comfortable and relaxing environment. Parents are welcome to take advantage of our resource library with its vast collection of children's and informational books, sign language dictionaries and many other materials related to deafness. All materials are available on a two-week loan program. Also available are computer programs on our parent-friendly computer and an extensive collection of videotapes on sign language. The Parent Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. throughout the school year, and during summer family activities.

For more information, contact:

Betsy Denorfia
FES Specialist, Family Education Services
betsy.denorfia@asd-1817.org
860.570.2371