February 2002

BACKGROUND: In the spring of 2000, Multnomah ESD and the MESD Foundation submitted a grant proposal to the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) under its “Ready to Learn” initiative. The proposal, titled Learning in Family Teams (LIFT), was awarded $60,000 over three years - the largest OCF grant under the initiative. LIFT is a parent-to-parent resource center that builds literacy and language skills in young children with disabilities by promoting wellness and growth in families. The program:

• expands and enhances parents’ knowledge about early language development;
• helps volunteer parents learn how to coach and mentor one another in interacting with their children in all activities, including literacy learning; and
• provides opportunities for parents themselves to build a sustainable support network.

FUNDING PARTNERSHIP: One of the ways in which LIFT is significant is its funding partnership involving Multnomah ESD, the MESD Foundation and the Oregon Community Foundation. This evolved because Multnomah ESD encourages staff to pursue non-traditional funding to enhance effectiveness, scope and quality of programs and services. In addition to public grants and contracts, the agency has received significant private support through the MESD Foundation. The MESD Foundation was established in 1994 and has raised over $750,000.

ABOUT THE MULTNOMAH EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM: Since 1995, Multnomah ESD has provided federal and state mandated early intervention services for children from birth to age five with developmental delays and disabilities in Multnomah County. Families whose children meet eligibility criteria work with a team of professionals who develop and monitor an individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Children eligible for MECP have delays in one or more of these five areas:

• cognitive (ability to learn)
• social/emotional (eye contact, conversation etc.)
• language
• motor skills (fine and gross)
• adaptive (self help in eating etc.)

Services are provided at home, in child care centers, and in preschool classrooms. The program has two components: 1) evaluation and early childhood special education for children ages 3-5; 2) evaluation and early intervention for children birth to three. MECP serves families in Centennial, Corbett, David Douglas, Gresham-Barlow, Parkrose, Reynolds and Riverdale school districts. In 2000-01, 570 children were enrolled at MECP. Over one-fourth of this group (approx. 150 children) are very young children in the birth to age three category.

NEED FOR A PARENT-TO-PARENT NETWORK: In early childhood special education, the primary focus of professional attention is on children. However, families need help too, and professionals can help children more effectively when families are involved. Further, professional help often comes with a negative message ("something's wrong with your child and maybe with you too") or is negatively perceived ("here, let me show you, I know how to do this, you don't").

“The emphasis in the field of early childhood special education is shifting from the traditional model with experts addressing parents ‘from the top down,’” said Nancy Anderson, principal of the Multnomah ESD Early Childhood Program. “This implies that the child is broken and here's how to fix the problem. We’re using a new partnership model addressing the whole family, drawing from all resources to help family members become coaches.”

Part of this shift, as new best practices emerge from current research, involves parents learning from other parents. The partnership approach is more ecological and natural, working with the family in its own context. Because families respond more positively to this approach, it has the potential to reach and benefit many more children.

The need for parent-to-parent support for MECP families reflects this shift. Parents are resisting the "top-down" approach, yet they are needing and asking for help. A core group of MECP parents and staff developed the partnership approach in ways that more fully involve the children's families. With grant funding, LIFT has a paid coordinator who provides infrastructure and moral support for volunteer efforts.

THE LIFT PROGRAM: LIFT is a parent-directed, parent-to-parent support center for families of children served by the Multnomah Early Childhood Program for special education (MECP) in Multnomah County. Using proven models and guidelines for such centers, LIFT raises levels of literacy and language development among these children by giving their parents and families opportunities to:

• expand and enhance their knowledge about early language development
• coach and support each other
• build a sustainable parent network.

Besides providing access to formal training and information, LIFT is a focal point and location for day-to-day emotional support through personal relationships and connections with other parents and extended families of children with disabilities.

LIFT adds value to MECP's work of preparing children with developmental delays and disabilities to learn in school. LIFT provides resources to help parents help themselves, as well as help other parents, in addressing all five early childhood developmental areas which are closely interrelated in literacy and language learning readiness.

The LIFT coordinator recruits parent volunteers, builds cadres of trained parent mentors and matches them with parents needing help, organizes family social events and activities, and maintains the Center's library and referral center with computer facilities, books and videos - a place where parents can find resources and connect with one another. The library is available to families, teachers, staff, project collaborators and the community, offering hope and information to parents who may feel isolated and overwhelmed in the early stages of parenting a child with special needs, as well as to parents who are farther along in the journey.

LIFT gives parents a chance to give back - to act on their experience and empathy with others facing similar situations, and to share through coaching and encouragement what they have learned. LIFT emphasizes the positive aspects of parenting to counterbalance the often negative and frightening information parents receive from health care providers and other professionals. Through LIFT, experienced parents provide practical how-to information to parents who don't know where to start, who lack knowledge or confidence about how to help their child, or who simply feel alone. LIFT provides a way for parents not just to listen to experts, not just to ask questions, but to see what works and experience the answers for themselves.

Parents are a powerful resource and the best source of hope for other parents. The nationwide parent-to-parent movement is finding ways to tap into this resource and put it to better use. No one can understand a parent's situation better than another parent. As one MECP parent volunteer said, "We are the heart connection to these kids." LIFT is not so much about "empowering" parents as it is about helping them connect with the power they already have.

PROJECT PARTNERS:
Oregon Community Foundation provides a three-year, $60,000 grant to Multnomah ESD Foundation.
MESD Foundation Board members work with MECP staff and parent volunteers to secure additional funding for LIFT and other community-linked projects, identifying grant and corporate resources and partners.
Family Resource Support Team is funded by Multnomah County and is partnering with MECP. The team provides lots of community resources help to families with things like utilities, clothing, food, agency referrals and paperwork on applications. 
Early Head Start shares a facility with MECP. 
Head Start community preschools have many MECP children placed in their centers.
Portland Early Intervention Program parents attended the parent mentor training and are collaborating with the Mentor Developer to secure and train new mentors and increase family resources.
Coalition in Oregon for Parent Education (COPE) provides training materials and resources for families. 
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) representatives attended parent mentor training and co-facilitated a parent support group for parents of children with Cerebral Palsy. 
Early Head Start (EHS) & Head Start (HS) members participated in the parent mentor training. HS is represented on the LIFT Advisory Board.
Family Voices was represented by Lauren Bridges who attended the parent mentor training. 
Local Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC) is the advisory group for the Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education Programs in Multnomah County. The Mentor Developer regularly attends this meeting and shares information about LIFT. This group is helpful in disseminating information about LIFT.
Community Health Nurses provide many referrals to MECP.

RESULTS: Currently, LIFT has 18 parent mentors, and it will train another 15 during the March and June 2002 workshops. Training materials are developed and will continue to be refined. Marketing information to secure mentors has been developed and linkages have been created with partner agencies to develop a cadre that meets the variety of family needs.

Project staff recognize the need to enhance the parent mentors’ skills through ongoing professional development. Ongoing training for the group includes workshops, conferences, and mentor meetings. A professional development calendar will be generated to ensure relevancy, and mentors will participate in regional and state training that will augment their capacity in working with other families.

LIFT staff take intake calls and match parents with appropriate mentors; the staff track requests using the database; and the staff develop new strategies to inform parents of the parent mentor project. New marketing materials are sent to parents of 520 children in the program. Approximately 1,025 families receive information about parent mentors during the intake process.

The “Family Place” library is becoming a gathering place for children and their parents. The LIFT program will continue to expand the offerings at the Family Place and augment the current information available through the library resource files. Volunteers will be secured to support Internet access and training for families. The resource team will purchase new materials for the library, and project staff will continue to expand their partnership with Multnomah County Library.

Mentors will be used to develop family events, drop-in groups, workshops, volunteer activities, and research and design a method to improve the participation of fathers in a mentor or peer support relationship. Groups will be developed based on parent needs and will be facilitated by parent mentors. “Connections," the parent newsletter, is mailed to 520 families on a monthly basis. The MECP web site will be enhanced to include a mom and dad link to a chat room.

The LIFT Advisory Board met in the Fall 2001. The membership includes representatives from partner organizations. The Advisory Board was helpful in reviewing current marketing materials and making suggestions to improve them.

LIFT completed a logo design and marketing bookmarks. LIFT Parent Mentors shared the bookmark with Multnomah County Community Health Nurses and Community Health Workers at a meeting in Spring 2001. Pediatricians working with East Multnomah County families received a letter with bookmarks for their offices.

LIFT Parent Mentor opportunities have been shared in the parent newsletters each quarter. Invitations for mentor training have been sent to MECP parents. The Parent Resource Library has a large bulletin board that promotes their services.

MECP has completed three parent mentor workshops. During the first training, July 29, 2000, six parents with children in the MECP, received training; during the second training, March 17, 2001, eight parents received training; and on October 20, 2001, the Mentor Developer led the third training with a parent partner from the Portland Early Intervention Program (PEIP). Four new parent mentors were trained (four parents scheduled to participate canceled due to child/family illness). In total, the LIFT Project has successfully trained 18 Parent Mentors.

The Parent Mentors have bonded as a group, and they met one time each month for an hour. Sylvia Hess, MECP Family Resource Team Specialist, facilitates these meetings which focus on providing ongoing training and support for the Mentors.