Our webinars will help you develop the parenting style that best meets your teen's needs, and provide you with a wealth of information and practical suggestions to navigate through these exciting but challenging life experiences.
Presented by the MIT HR Center for WorkLife and WellBeing
Special Education: 504s and IEPs – What Is the Difference and Why Does It Matter?
Are you concerned about your child’s progress in school but afraid to have your child “labeled”? Are you new to the process and feeling confused about how special education works? Is your child already receiving special education services, but you are still feeling confused? You are not alone. The world of special education is important to our children but can be quite mysterious to parents. This class will help you understand the laws behind your child’s rights. You will learn about what to expect from two different kinds of services for children with disabilities: 504 Plans and Individual Education Programs (IEPs). The difference between the two is confusing to many parents. It is important, however, to recognize the difference so you can be an effective part of your child’s planning team and have the skills to evaluate whether your school is effectively meeting your child’s needs.
After this workshop, you will be able to:
- Define eligibility for an IEP based on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a special education law
- Define eligibility for a 504 Plan based on the Rehabilitation Act, a Civil Rights law.
- Recognize why certain children qualify for special education and others do not
- Identify the difference between an accommodation and a modification
- Define an IEP and a 504 Plan and recognize how they relate to your personal experience
Presenter: Andrea Brinnel, Ed.D.; Parenting Teacher and Coach, Peace at Home Parenting Solutions
Teens in Love: Romantic Relationships, Dating, and Health
Learning to have romantic relationships and deal with maturing bodies are essential tasks of healthy teen development. As parents, you may feel as unprepared as your kids feel when preparing to navigate this ever-changing stage. While adolescents sometimes act like they know it all, they often feel vulnerable and unprepared for the realities of romantic relationships. And the same may be true for you – maybe you are wondering how to support exploration and independence while keeping your child safe, especially during these challenging times.
After this workshop, you will be able to:
- Apply steps to navigate teens’ romantic relationships with trust, compassion, clarity, and consistency
- Identify strategies to balance monitoring with trust
- Recognize the connections between physical and romantic relationships with parental relationship health
Presenters:
Ruth Ettenberg Freeman, L.C.S.W.; Founder and Lead Parenting Teacher and Coach, Peace at Home Parenting Solutions
Suzanne Levy, Ph.D.; Parenting Teacher and Coach, Peace at Home Parenting Solutions
Preparing College Applications
In the confusing and competitive college admissions process, preparation and timing are key to your student’s success. But juggling the many different components and making sure your student is maximizing all of them — can be overwhelming. This webinar will go over application process details, including deadline strategies, and highlight how to help your student submit their best application. You will learn:
- Application components and how to tackle each one with less stress
- Tips for writing an impactful essay while avoiding common mistakes, pitfalls, and tricky topics
- How to be proactive with deadlines
Presenter: Christine Kenyon, M.A.; Director of Educational Counseling, Bright Horizons College Advising
Paying for College: Knowing the Options
Overwhelmed by the thought of paying for college? Taking control of the college finance process is possible — and Bright Horizons College Coach can help. During this webinar, you will learn how to determine what you are willing and able to pay for college, and strategically select schools that are the best financial fit for your family. You will also get strategies to help:
- Make the most of family savings and cash flow
- Establish reasonable borrowing expectations
- Maximize need-based financial aid eligibility
- Identify colleges most likely to offer scholarships
- Effectively negotiate for deeper college discounts
- Distinguish winnable scholarships from time-wasters
Presenter: Alex Bickford, M.B.E.; Director, College Finance, Bright Horizons College Coach
Mental Health Essentials for Parents: Knowledge and Skills to Support Your Child
All children are sad, anxious, irritable, or angry at times. Occasionally, they may find it challenging to keep agreements, focus on tasks, or interact with others. In most cases, these are just typical phases in their development. However, these behaviors may indicate a more serious problem. Without attention, mental health conditions can prevent children from reaching their full potential. Whether you want to prevent future issues, your child just doesn’t seem like their usual self, or you have significant concerns, the good news is that you can help.
This workshop will highlight the nature of stress as it relates to your children, the impact of family conflict, and the power of connection and joy. Without recognizing that certain behaviors tell a story about your child's unmet needs or the mismatch between our expectations and our kids' capacities, it's easy to miss important signs and symptoms. Sometimes we even make things worse in our efforts to remedy the problems.
After this workshop, you will be able to:
- Identify and apply relationship strategies and everyday habits that support good mental health in children and teens
- Recognize the impact of parents’ mental health on the family
- Recognize and respond to signs in children and teens that more mental health support is needed
Presenter: Ruth Ettenberg Freeman, L.C.S.W.; Founder and Lead Parenting Teacher and Coach, Peace at Home Parenting Solutions
Let’s Get on the Same Page: Practical Steps to Resolve Parenting-Style Conflicts
Parenting differences between partners can be helpful, but over time those differences can become problematic. Learn how to decrease the polarization of your parenting styles and reach agreements that will reduce conflict. Each of us grows up in a unique family and when we come together as a couple, we often do not talk about our parenting beliefs until children have arrived. The more intentional parents are about sharing their stories and values with each other, the more likely it is that they can agree on parenting approaches. Sometimes there are differences between genders or just individual styles. Those differences can be helpful to children, but only if you recognize the strengths of each other’s approaches.
After this workshop, you will be able to:
- Recognize and celebrate your partner’s strengths and differences
- Identify ways to decrease the polarization of your parenting styles
- Apply strategies that allow you to have productive conversations with each other and reach agreements that will reduce conflict
Presenter: Ruth Ettenberg Freeman, L.C.S.W.; Founder and Lead Parenting Teacher and Coach, Peace at Home Parenting Solutions
PSAT: What a Score Means, Why It Matters
Understanding the PSAT and how to interpret and use your student’s score are important first steps in the standardized testing process. Preparing for and taking the PSAT can help set your student up for maximum success on the SAT or ACT, which, in turn, will help your student fare better in the college admissions process. This webinar will offer insight into the PSAT and why it’s important. You’ll also learn:
- How to convert PSAT scores to predict your student’s SAT or ACT score
- Which test your student should take based on their PSAT score
- How to compare your child’s PSAT score to scores of other students in the state
- National Merit Scholarship opportunities for high-percentile students
Presenter: Tessa Selch, Senior Academic Advisor, Revolution Prep
Note: You must log-in/create a Bright Horizons College Coach account in order to register for this webinar.
College Admissions and Financial Advising
Wondering how your family will navigate the college application process and financial landscape? Take advantage of expert, personalized guidance on the college admissions process and how to finance your teen’s college education.