STAR NET shines bright for parents seeking answers

If there is one thing I have come to realize over the last few years, it is that parents of a child with special needs can be their child's best advocates. An informed parent is a formidable parent.

But the journey to becoming informed can be like heading through a tunnel without a light. There is a tremendous learning curve from the first diagnosis. Finding relevant, accurate information can be difficult.

Thankfully there are beacons of light along the way. Doctors and therapists offer their expertise. Seasoned parents bring invaluable experience. Then there are organizations that provide resources on every imaginable subject. They can be nationally based such as the National Association for Downs Syndrome (NADS) or they can be grassroots like local parent groups.

One resource in particular, the Illinois Support and Technical Assistance Regional NETwork, or STAR NET, is one of those bright lights. STAR NET was created to educate parents of children birth to age 8. A federally granted program, its mission is to provide information and resources to parents and professionals who touch the lives of young children, especially children with special needs.

STAR NET has four ways of providing support for parents and caretakers. The first are its popular workshops. "We focus our workshops specifically on the needs during the preschool years, but we also try to cater to all parent needs for this age," says STAR NET Region II Project Director Resource Specialist Katherine Slattery. The workshops cover specific disabilities as well as typical life occurrences such as getting ready for school.

They work closely with the early childhood division of the Illinois State Board of Education, so workshop topics are aligned with the ISBOE goals. They also get input from Head Start professionals, medical professionals, school professionals and parents.

Upon request, STAR NET will conduct its trainings with parent or school groups, child-care centers and other groups. Most recently they have spoken on topics such as best practices for assessments, IEP development and early intervention.

"We really count on collaborating with other organizations so we can offer workshops throughout the region," says Slattery. "We look for an organization to share their space with us and we bring in the presenter."

Can't make a workshop? Not a problem. STAR NET offers webinars and a complete lending library of audio tapes, books and videos. It can also help connect you with national and local parent support groups.

Then there is the "technical assistance," which could include "helping parents problem solve, offering coaching and mentoring, answering questions, and referring parents to other sources," Slattery says.

Perhaps the best part for parents who are already taxed with doctor and therapy bills is that all the workshops are free. In fact, it goes a step further. With their Family Fellowship funding, parents can apply to receive funds that will lighten the burden of incidental costs of attending training programs. "Our goal is to help families access the trainings that are going to help their child," explains Slattery. "Parents might need childcare or incur travel expenses."

Parents can also apply for Family Fellowship funds to pay for training offered by other organizations, using the funds for registration, parking and/or child-care costs. Requests can go up to $200 per year. There are some restrictions to applying such as your child must have an IEP and be of preschool age.

Illinois STAR NET trainings, shared resources, and coaching and mentoring can provide a tremendous asset to navigating that early childhood learning curve. To find the STAR NET near you, contact Region II at (224) 366-8579.

• Sherry Manschot is the marketing/public relations manager at Western DuPage Special Recreation Association. She leads a parent network of special needs families at WDSRA. Manschot can be contacted at sherrym@wdsra.com. More information about WDSRA can be found at wdsra.com.