Aspiring parent leaders, Department of Public Health staff and other guests gathered for the fifth annual Hausslein Early Intervention Parent Leadership Awards Ceremony (Hausslein Awards) on May 25th at the Holiday Inn in Worcester.
The Hausslein Awards are named in honor of one of the most influential parent leaders in the Massachusetts Early Intervention system, Evelyn Hausslein. When Evelyn's youngest son was diagnosed with a developmental disability years ago, the Early Intervention system did not exist in its present form. As a parent pioneer, Evelyn took her strong values of family-centered care and worked tirelessly to develop services for her son, while paving the way for countless families who would follow.
The Early Intervention Parent Leadership Project, through generous funding from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, created the Hausslein Awards to give families the opportunity to take leadership roles in creating supports at their Early Intervention programs and within their communities. Four of the main criteria for the awards are as follows:
This year, nine parent teams from Early Intervention programs throughout Massachusetts received Hausslein Awards of up to one thousand dollars to implement their projects.
Darla Gundler, Director of the Early Intervention Parent Leadership Project welcomed parents and Department of Public Health (DPH) staff to the ceremony. Darla then presented Evelyn with a flowing spider plant with many little spider buds, a metaphor for babies that grow when nurtured. Suzanne Gottlieb, Director of Family Initiatives at DPH, stated that the Hausslein Awards are based on a "unique premise that parents of children receiving Early Intervention services are full of good ideas" and are ready to take steps, given some support, to create opportunities for their own children and others in their community. Suzanne recounted that over the past five years, 80 Hausslein Awards have been granted to parent teams from Early Intervention programs throughout Massachusetts.
Ron Benham, Director of the Division of Perinatal and Early Childhood Health (DPH) congratulated the award recipients and commented that the high quality of work reflects the passion and commitment families bring to a service system on behalf of their children. Ron introduced Evelyn and recognized her as an "educator, mentor, and leader" who in her many roles has been committed to the needs of all children.
Then, Evelyn Hausslein welcomed the parents. She shared insights and anecdotes about her experiences in parenting a child with special needs over thirty years ago, before Early Intervention services were available. Evelyn is gratified to see the development of the Early Intervention system and how families are now supported in and through the system.
Evelyn congratulated the parents on their accomplishments that began as a dream. "This is the beginning of a journey. Now your challenge is to take another step". Evelyn outlined three suggestions to help parents go further along their paths. "The first one is the hardest. To be a leader, you must find another…parent leader and mentor him or her. Help identify the issues that need attention by listening to what other parents say, and then facilitate their action. Encourage them to apply for next year's Hausslein Award, or suggest other paths of action to take. Second, "advocate for change or improvement through the legislature. Third, "think of a family -focused practice that can be improved. Massachusetts has a long history of honoring families' opinions. But we musn't sit on our laurels."
"Although each of you has probably been in the system a short time, there have been parents ahead of you who have paved the way.
Now it is time for you to reflect on how you will work to have others follow you."
Then, it was time to hear about the projects from the nine teams who received Hausslein Awards.
1. Family Support Network - Pentucket Area Early Intervention Program: To combat the feelings of isolation and to support the connection of parents whose children are receiving Early Intervention services, the Parent Team created a Family Network to match parents who have children with similar special needs for advice and information sharing. A questionnaire was sent to parents in the program, asking them to identify areas of interest. This information was used to create a database which was helpful in organizing play groups and also led to an online message board and email newsletter.
2. EI to School Transition Luncheons- Jewish Family and Children's Service Early Intervention Program: Recognizing that transition from Early Intervention services to the Special Education system was an issue that concerned many families, the Parent Team hosted a series of luncheons for parents to meet special education directors. Families from Riverside Early Intervention Program at Dedham also participated in the luncheons. One luncheon was held for each of the fourteen towns served by these Early Intervention programs. It was a wonderful opportunity for parents to meet their SPED director in an informal setting and to learn town -specific information.
3. Sign Language Education and Playgroup - Criterion Heritage Early Intervention Program: The Parent Team recognized that many parents of children who are non-verbal wanted to learn sign language to facilitate communication with their children and to facilitate inclusion in a playgroup. Teaming up with the Thom Western Regional Consultation program, three sign language training classes were held. Parents also received a pocket dictionary of sign and a sign language videotape that they could play at home.
4. Parent Driven Outreach to Increase Community Participation- Children's Community Early Intervention Program: This project focused on increasing awareness about Early Intervention services and opportunities for family involvement to encourage participation by Latino families from Hyde Park and Jamaica Plain. The Parent Team linked their activities with the Martha Elliot Health Care Center and will be providing information for families at an exhibit booth on Latino Health Day.
5. Billerica "Love & Logic- Project BEAM: The Parent Team sent a survey to families at Project BEAM to learn about the needs of families in the program and types of workshops that parents wanted to attend. The survey results indicated that parents were interested in learning about positive discipline and successful parenting. The Parent Team from Project BEAM collaborated with the Lowell Family Foundation Network to present a six-part parenting series called "Love & Logic: Magic for Early Childhood". Books from the workshop were also purchased to become part of Project BEAM's lending library.
6. Yoga For Children With Special Needs - Cambridge-Somerville Early Intervention Program: The idea for a program to teach parents yoga for children with special needs grew out of a lecture about the use of alternative therapies for children who are receiving Early Intervention services. One member of the Parent Team had been practicing yoga with her daughter, outside of the EI services they received. The occupational and physical therapist noticed the benefits to this child in her increased flexibility and muscle relaxation. The Hausslein Award funded a six-week course to teach yoga techniques to parents and their children. Parents also enjoyed the opportunity to take care of themselves, an important consideration for all caregivers.
7. Down Syndrome "First Call" - REACH Early Intervention Program: This project was based on the "First Call" Program instituted by the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, to provide information and support to parents of children who were born with Down Syndrome or who had been recently diagnosed in a prenatal exam. Reflecting on their collective experiences learning about their child's diagnosis, the Parent Team wanted to help other families through the Down Syndrome Resource Group of Western Massachusetts. The Hausslein Award was used to prepare a package for new families with information about local resources, books about Down Syndrome, information about the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress and a developmental toy for the baby.
8. Cape Ann Early Intervention "From Parent to Parent": Families who are entering Early Intervention programs are often overwhelmed with a wealth of information and paperwork. The Parent Team from the Cape Ann Early Intervention program brainstormed about how to help new families organize and locate important Early Intervention information. The idea to provide new families with a "Parent to Parent" Notebook evolved from these discussions. At intake, families receive a binder with information about family rights, parent involvement, resources and a section for progress notes
9. Parent to Parent Down Syndrome Support Group - Greater Fall River Early Intervention Program: The Parent Team used the Hausslein Award to fund an infant/child CPR training class for families who have children with Down Syndrome, to address concerns about choking while feeding. The Down Syndrome Support Group continues to outreach to parents with children who are born with Down Syndrome through "First Call" training provided by the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress. A family picnic is also planned for June.
The Hausslein Award Ceremony concluded with a reading by Darla Gundler of "24 Things to Remember"