Formed Families Forward is the family partner to the Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports project, an initiative of the Virginia Department of Education, and supports divisions and schools in their efforts to engage families and community partners. Formed Families Forward is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting foster, kinship, and adoptive families of children and youth with disabilities and other special needs. Their mission is to improve developmental, educational, social, emotional and post-secondary outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and other special needs through provision of information, training and support to adoptive and foster parents, and kinship caregivers.”
A few excellent videos and fact sheets, such as Promoting Equity in Education through Family Engagement, may be found on the VTSS page.
A variety of resources are available on this site as well, such as the Transition Planning Guide for use WITH students.
Several virtual offerings may be found on the FFF website. One of interest today might be CATCH My Breath, an evidence-based youth nicotine vaping prevention program that will provide students with the skills to resist peer pressure and media influences to try e-cigarettes.The course is 4 weekly sessions. In fall 2021, CATCH My Breath will be offered VIRTUALLY to youth in 5th through 8th grades.
Virtual Courses are available, such as Learning Your Way. This self-paced course offers family members, professionals and other interested partners brief lessons and vignettes about critical special education content including referral and eligibility; individualized education programs (IEPs); post-high school transitions; and instruction and monitoring the IEP and using high leverage special education practices.
