with Lorraine Terrell

Thursday, the 18th of November 2004

The opinions and statements made in this chat session belong to the individuals posting them and appear in unedited form to promote the free exchange of information. However, they may not represent the views and/or policies of the Georgia Center for Resources and Support.

Gigi: Welcome. Tonights speaker is Laveda Doxey LCSW of the Ga. Center for Resource and Support. Ms. Doxey will be speaking about Home schooling and why so many families are choosing it.

Gigi: There is a lot of controvesry about home schooling and socialization. Could you give us some understanding of why more families are taking the rout?

Ms Doxey: Good evening everyone.

rosalief: it's my understanding now families can have their children home schooled by other families. Is this correct?

cindy: - has joined the chat -

andreas: Good evening.

cindy: Good evening

Ms Doxey: Before I begin I would like to say that all foster families will need to speak with their caseworker if they would like to homeschool.

Ms Doxey: In the state of GA. the Foster parent can request a Waiver in order to homeschool. The caseworker will know the process to follow.

Ms Doxey: Yes GiGi, socialization is a question that many homeschoolers are asked.

cindy: Since the children aren't theirs do they need a degree to teach them?

JudyR7: - has joined the chat -

Ms Doxey: There are a number of activities for homeschoolers to be involved in, such as church activities, the Y.M.C.A., other sports in the community, and so on.

chatadmin: Laveda How do you families who opt to homeschool handle the challenges of providing sufficient socialization for their child?

Ms Doxey: Rosalief, in the state of GA. only the parent can homeschool. The child can join in with other children who may be a part of a homeschooling group.

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Ms Doxey: In GA. the parent who homeschools only needs to have a high school diploma.

cindy: if only a parent can teach, what do the foster parents have to do to qualify?

rosalief: a parent that chooses to homeschool, how are they to get on board with the curriculum for the children?

Gigi: My Husband and I home school out special needs son. Our reasions are not necessarily the school system but the one on one that he would not receive in the class room. What are other reasions someone might want to homeschool.

Ms Doxey: A foster family would need to discuss their desire to homeschool with their caseworker.

Ms Doxey: Academic success is the primary reason for homeschooling.

Ms Doxey: For the Foster & Adoptive parent it may also be to foster good self esteem, attachment, and to remedy some of the poor social skills the child may come with.

JudyR7: How can a parent best evaluate the curriculum that is out there and make the best choice for their child?

rosalief: laveda have you heard of many children in foster care in homeschool programs?

Ms Doxey: Today there are a variety of curriculums to choose from. Many can be found online at various websites, such as John Holt's website for unschooling.

Ms Doxey: I apologize for the computer gliche.

andreas: A big curriculum fair is held every year in Jonesboro.

Ms Doxey: It is best tolearn the child's learning style before choosing a curriculum.

Ms Doxey: The homeschooling fairs are a good place to review the various curriculums on the market.

Gigi: Some of the families in our group teach via satilite. Bob Jones U. is one for exampel.

Ms Doxey: The Fairs are plentiful.

rosalief: how does one get started if homeschool is the best choice for their child? Also, how do you get the board of education involved or do you?

cathy: Ms. Doxey,

Ms Doxey: For adoptive & foster parents homeschooling allows a child time to bond with his family.

rosalief: also what a huge undertaking for a family. Is there support system set up for families?

cathy: do you have to have a degree in special education to home school a child with a learning disability? ?

Ms Doxey: Also, many children come into care with significant gaps in their education. Homeschooling allows the child to move at their own pace.

Ms Doxey: All of you have very good questions. I don't know if I will be able to answer all of them. Feel free to contact me at the Center to get all of your questions answered.

Ms Doxey: Homeschooling is a huge sacrifice for families, but has its rewards.

Gigi: I can answer the one about the degree and the special ed and LD, its no!

Ms Doxey: For a child with a learning disability, it can make a world of difference. Parents only need to have a high school diploma to teach the child with ld.

Ms Doxey: We have some very good articles at the Center on homeschooling a child with special needs.

Ms Doxey: There are support groups for families who choose to homeschool.

cathy: this is great information to pass on to parents that are considering home school a child with a LD

rosalief: how will a family find these groups?

cindy: would you recommend home school one of the children and sending others to public school?

Ms Doxey: There are homeschooling groups throughout GA. They can be found via the fairs, going to the various homeschooling websites, & talking with other parents.

Gigi: We had to go to the Board of Ed. and let them know that we were home schooling. They provided a list of Stores that catered to home schooling needs. From there we found out about groups and lost of other things.

Ms Doxey: Since each child is different, the parent has to decide what is best for each child and what will best meet the needs of the child.

Ms Doxey: Most newly placed children benefit from some creative cooperation between home and school.

andreas: In Bartow County there is the Bartow County Home School Association--we helped start that support group!

Gigi: We also did a trial HS over summer break to makesure we would work for us. I think that really helped us see that we could do it.

cindy: also, you need to let the board of ed know if you are going to home school your teen as if they are not registered as a home schooler or in a school they will not be able to get their drivers license

Ms Doxey: GiGi's response about how to get started is correct...

Ms Doxey: most school districts want parents to submit an attendance sheet each month.

rosalief: i have heard there are test the family will have to take to make sure they are on track as for grade level. Is that true?

cathy: - has joined the chat -

Ms Doxey: All of you, like GiGi & Andreas who have homeschooled are sharing some very good information too.

rosalief: test with the board of education i mean

andreas: We did not have to take a test.

Ms Doxey: No, there are no tests that I am aware of. Most parents are concerned about their child's academic progress so they may get academic testing on their own.

Gigi: From what I know, Just the typical standered testing. I think 3ed and 8th gread. I'm not sure though it may vary in different counties.

andreas: Our daughter did have to take the standardized tests at the time other students did.

Ms Doxey: If the student wants to go on to College then he/she must take the ACT or SAT tests.

andreas: But we had those administered by teachers we knew.

Ms Doxey: I homeschooled my son and there were no tests other than those required for everyone to get into College.

Gigi: Do you think HS students do better in College?

Ms Doxey: Should a homeschooled student want to attend a State school they must take the GED. That serves as a h.s. diploma.

Ms Doxey: Yes, GiGi and so do most Colleges.

Gigi: Wow!! Time has gone by so fast. This has been great. Thanks Laveda for all your information and thanks to every one for all the questions. This is a big topic and a lot of people are interested in this.

andreas: This would be a good Tuesday night support group chat topic

Ms Doxey: Just as most adoptive & foster parents are finding that the child thrives in many ways from receiving individual attention and a comitted, involved teacher.

andreas: Anyone want to meet tomorrow night?

cindy: the school here that does the GED testing also offers caps, gown, pictures and a prom, they have a graduation just like the high schools, also, they give the students a grant for $500 that can be used at any Ga college or tech school

rosalief: thank you laveda, we really appreciate your information...

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Ms Doxey: Thank you! We have more information at the Center.

cindy: yes this will be great to share with other families

cindy: thank you, have a good evening

cathy: great information, thanks.

Gigi: I can meet tommrow.

cathy: - has left the chat -

andreas: Thank you !

cindy: I can meet depending on the time

Ms Doxey: - has left the chat -

JudyR7: Thanks you, Goodnight

chatadmin: Thanks everyone for all your input.

andreas: 9:00 tomorrow night chat

cindy: do we get to count the hours

andreas: Yes! Count the time!

andreas: Support group time is work

chatadmin: - has joined the chat -

cindy: see you tomorrow

andreas: Call your families and tell them the topic and anything else they want to talk about

andreas: We are trying to build up the support group online

andreas: See you then! Night!

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Raine: Hello

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rosalief: hello, having some serious problems with my computer. I hope I haven't missed anyone tonight.

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bronte: needs to talk to someone

bronte: anyone there today

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bronte: no one present will check back later

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jeannie: ok HI

jeannie: ok HI

jeannie: may I ask a question?

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sue: Hello

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Kim: Hi

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Raine: Hi Gigi, I'm here, Lorraine

Raine: Hi Shannon:

andreas: Hi!

Raine: Hi Andrea:

andreas: Hello

Shannon H: Good evening everyone, and welcome to our chat. This evening we are fortunate to have Lorraine Grimes Terrell, the Private Service Coordinator of Babies Can't Wait, as our speaker. Welcome, Lorraine!

Raine: Good Evening everyone, I am delighted to be with you this evening

Shannon H: I suppose we should begin by asking a general question regarding Babies Can;t Wait. Can you describe the focus of the program?

Raine: Yes, Babies Can't Wait /Early Intervention Program is Georgia's Part C EArly Intervention Prgoram under the federal individuals with Disabilities Education ACt (IDEA). Our program serves children birth to three with specific disabilities.

Shannon H: Sounds wonderful! How specific does the need have to be to obtain services?

Raine: There is two categories of that a child may become eligible under, the first category is a child that has been diagnosed with a disability that is known to have at risk delays, such as Cerebral Palsy, Down Synderome. The second category of services falls under suspected developmental delays and this could be a child that simple is delayed in speech or motor skills but does not have a diagnosis.

andreas: How are families referred for services?

Raine: Normally parents will call and make the intial referral. Other referals are health departments, physicians, therapist or childcare centers. All referals must be approved by the parent of course.

Shannon H: I have been telling alot of folks who adopt internationally about you. Many of these children come with some developmental/motor delays due to institutionalization. Is BCW a good place to start for them as well?

andreas: Where are the Babies Can't wait services rendered?

Raine: Absolutely, the initial phase consist of an intake coordinator visiting the home to gather history information and then the child will be set up for an overall developmental assessments which will give parents information on how the child is doing developmentally.

cindy: - has joined the chat -

Raine: All of Babies Can't Wait services are rendered in the natural environment which is defined as "settings that are natural or normal for the child's age peers who have no disabilities. This is home, daycare ,grandmothers, etc.

Shannon H: Is there a cost to the families you serve?

andreas: Is this by MDs, nurses, etc?

Raine: Each parent has to complete a cost participation form to verify income and depends on their income whether there is a cost share. The inital evaluations are at no cost to the families,. Families with medicaid has no cost .

Raine: Yes, the referral can be by the physician or nurse.

Shannon H: Sort of a sliding scale then?

andreas: Who renders the care?

Raine: Yes,sor t of a sliding fee scale.

Raine: The services are rendered by a variety of professionals depending on the need of the family. Each family is assigned a Service Coordinator initial to assist them with locating resources in the area. If the child has motor delays a referral may be made to a physical therapist.

Shannon H: Are the intake coordinators trained to work with foster/adopt issues and know what to look for?

cindy: do the babies live full time in ;these homes?

cindy: do the babies live full time in ;these homes?

Raine: As of July 1 when the state decided to initally referr all children entering foster care who are birth to three, a lot more training has been done with staff on foster/adoptive issues.

Gigi: - has joined the chat -

Raine: The babies are normally in the homes with their parents.

Shannon H: Are your services available in every county in Georgia?

Raine: Yes, there are 10 regions in the State of Georgia.

andreas: How would a parent locate a BCW representative?

Raine: The State Babies Can't Wait office is located in Atlanta and t heir number is 1-888-651-8224. The other way is to contact your local health department as the program is a public health program.

Shannon H: Aside from the cost share with families, how is the program funded?

Raine: The program is a federally funded program.

cindy: does a medical person come in on a regular basis and teach the parents how to help the babies?

Raine: Actually, depending on the need of the child, their may be a nurse as the person but normally it is a physical, occupational, speech threrapist or an Early Intervention Specialist.

Shannon H: Obviously you want to provide intervention as early as possible, but what is available to families whose children are older when placed or a problem is detected, such as four or five years old?

Raine: The local school systems are responsible for providing services after a child turns 3. This program within the school systems is call Program for Exceptional Children. This is a free program within the public school system.

Shannon H: If they are under three and "graduate" to the age of four or five and still have need for services, would the same individual be able to continue their work with them under this program?

Gigi: Are you all affiliated with Children with Special Needs?

Raine: All service coordinators work with the families and children until the child turns 3 and the goal is to develop a transition plan for each child so that resources are in place when the child turns 3.

Raine: Yes, we work closely with Children with Special Needs.

Gigi: Are they located in the same Regions?

Raine: Yes, they are in all 10 regions that BAbies Can't Wait Services.

Shannon H: It would be nice to have a listing of all the regional contacts. Do you have a website?

Raine: Yes, you can go to the www. dhr.state.ga. us and go to public health and click on programs.

Shannon H: Are there areas of disability that BCW does not service?

Raine: No, we serve all children with all disabilities.

Shannon H: I guess I am thinking of something like mental conditions like a diagnosis of bipolar disorder or something such as that.

Raine: I am sure that we will serve children with this diagnosis however, a lot of mental conditions are not diagnosed in children birth to three.

Shannon H: How do you recruit the therapists and specialists who work with the children?

Raine: Each local program is responsible for recruiting, Normally, they are recruited from schools, newspaper ads, hospitals, etc.

Shannon H: I might have missed this and someone has already asked, but does BCW help train family members to do the therapy, not as a replacement to the specialist, but as an added set of hands to enhance the services to the child?

Gigi: Do lend special therapy toys to families who do therapy at home?

Raine: What t he main focus of BAbies Can't Wait is not to overwhelm parents witha lot of therapist but to have therapist on a consultant basis to help parent with teachable moments during their normal daily routines. For instance, during meal time how can I encourage my child to use language, this is a great opportunity to imitate words for the child, label objects and do a lot of language.

Raine: Some Babies Can't Wait Programs have a lending library which they hav e toys, therapy equipment that they will loan to families. A Therapist has to recomment the item though.

Shannon H: Is Lekotek one of your lending library resources?

Raine: Lekotek is a resource that BAbies Can't Wait can refer families to.

Shannon H: Has BCW been around for a while, and are they in other states as well under the same name?

Raine: Yes, I want to say at least 10 years. Each state has a program but they are not called BAbies Can't Wait. Most states refer to their program by other names but you can locate it by using Early Intervention if you are searching.

andreas: Good info!

Shannon H: Some folks I have met who have recently moved here have talked about similar programs in other states.

Gigi: Does a parent need a referal? Who would tell them about you? I have told many parents about you and they had never heard of you.

Raine: Yes, I have had several families on my caseloads that moved out of state but I made referrals to their local Early Intervention program and they were able to accept evaluations and assessments that were done in Georgia.

andreas: So your assessors may catch a delay that might be overlooked in a routine exam because of the volume of special children you work with?

Raine: Parents do not need a referral, a parent can call their local BAbies Can't Wait Program and make a referral on their child themselves if they have developmental concerns. You will find that most physicians will tell parents about us, hospitals, childcare centers. We have a public awareness committee that delivers brochures to childcare centers, schools, pediatricians and especially NICU units at hospitals.

Raine: Yes, because our evaluators are trained in completing overall developmental assessments to include looking in all five areas of development, Speech, Cognition, Motor, Adaptive And Social/Emotional.

Shannon H: What excellent services! I realize we are running out of time, but could you give the contact information once again for anyone who might want to contact BCW with questions?

cindy: what is the earliest that they can detect problems in babies?

Raine: The State BAbies Can't Wait phone # is 1-888-651-8224 or you can go to www. dhr.state.ga.us and look under public health programs. On the website their is a listing of each region and you can look under the regions to see your county central office location and contact #'s.

andreas: Thank you! Great chat!

Gigi: Thank you for all the great information! Good Night.

Raine: The earlist detection is at birth and sometimes before, now for instance is a mom finds out her child is born with SPina Bifida in utero she will want to contact BCW after birth because of the at risk diagnosis for developmental delays.

andreas: - has left the chat -

Shannon H: Thank you Lorraine for all of your terrific information! It was a pleasure having you here this evening!

cindy: this is wonderful information thank you for chatting with us.

Shannon H: Thank you also to everyone who joined us!

Raine: Thank you guys, great questions, please call and make referrals if you know children that need the service. Good Night,.