Kids Included Together

Before you close up for the holiday, be sure to prep for next week's Inclusive Schools Week celebration. Check out our FREE Activity Guide developed in collaboration with Changing Perspectives to help you celebrate. And, be sure to tell us how you celebrated Inclusive Schools Week 2021!! We can't wait to hear all about it. Inclusive Schools Network

Inclusive Schools Week is 12/6-12/10. We've created something special to share... STAY TUNED!!

Our 2nd webinar in the "Communication Basics & Beyond" series is just about to get started. It's not too late! Join Curriculum Specialist, Janet George, to learn more about expressive and receptive language by registering at kit.org/webinars

We are getting started with our LIVE webinar now. Join Janet to learn more about child and youth communication by registering at kit.org/webinars

It's not too late! Join us tomorrow, Wed. 10/27 at 10am for our LIVE webinar "What's That You Say? Speech, Language, and Communication Basics." Kids are communicating, even if they are not speaking! Explore the progression of speech and language development. Register at: kit.org/webinars

Welcome to the start of our Demystifying Disability Read Along. Learn more about it and how to participate on our blog post!

We just got started with today's live webinar "Unpacking Behavior" But, it's not too late to join us! Military learners go to: elearning.kit.org and all non-military learners go to: learnonline.kit.org

Join us for our September KIT live webinar next Wednesday! Register at: - elearning.kit.org (Military Learners only) - learnonline.kit.org (Non-Military learners) Hope to see you there!!

In honor of September's National Hispanic Heritage Month, we are shining the KIT Spotlight on one of our favorite KIT friends, Diego Mariscal, entrepreneur, founder and "Chief Disabled Officer" of @2Getherinternational, a nonprofit devoted to helping entrepreneurs with disabilities start and scale businesses.

We couldn't be more proud of our KIT friend and amazing BOD member Emily Ladau whose new book "Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally" launched yesterday. We can't wait to share more about it in the coming weeks. But, if you're ready to read it NOW... you can get your copy on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Demystifying-Disabilit//ref=sr_1_1

It's not too late!! We're just about 1 hour away from starting today's live webinar. Join Curriculum Specialist, Janet George, MS, CTRS, who has over 33 years of experience in disability inclusion at 10am Pacific. She'll be presenting our last webinar in our Staff Empowerment Series - How To Convert Learning To Doing! Learn how to put your training into practice and welcome all kids. To enroll, go to: https://www.kit.org/webinars/

Attachment to a baby is a long-term process, not a single, magical moment. The opportunity for bonding at birth may be compared to falling in love staying in love takes longer and demands more work. T. Berry Brazelton, MD. For August Healthy Child Month, we shine our KIT Spotlight on Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, pediatrician, author, speaker, tv host, and pioneer in child development.

Happy International Friendship Day!! In the cookie of life, friends are the "chocolate chips!" So, we want to help you promote friendships among all kids in your program or classroom as we head back to school. To help, we're giving away our course "Promoting Friendship Among All Students" for FREE until the end of August. Just enter coupon code FRIENDS at checkout. Friends are important to everyone and when you have trouble with the skills to make friends it affects all the other aspects of your life. This course will teach you how to promote friendships between all kids in your classroom or program. Just go to: https://learnonline.kit.org//1113408-promoting-friendship-

Join us Aug. 25th for our final webinar in the Staff Empowerment Series! Register at elearning.kit.org (military) or learnonline.kit.org (non-military). We hope to see you then!

In honor of #WomensHistoryMonth, today's inclusive #thursdaythought comes to us from activist for female education and youngest Nobel Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai. You can learn more about her and her work at www.malala.org.

Celebrating a legend in disability advocacy this #WomensHistoryMonth - @judithheumann and all of her work fighting for the rights of the disability community.

This week, we shine the KIT Spotlight on author and activist The Keah Brown. Learn more about her from Anna's blog post. https://www.kit.org/kit-spotlight-on-keah-brown/

Today's #inclusive #ThursdayThought comes to us from Rita F. Pierson, who passed away in 2013. She was an educator who taught elementary, junior high and special education who had a passion for focusing on under-served students. She also delivered a TedTalk entitled "Every Kid Needs A Champion."

Today's #ThursdayThought comes to us from Robert M. Hensel, #GuinnessWorldRecord holder for the longest non-stop #wheelie in a #wheelchair, covering a total distance of 6.178 miles. Athletic AND smart too!

Our Inclusion Specialists have received many calls from school age providers asking how best to support children in their program, including those who have IEP’s or other learning challenges, who are doing virtual learning in your home or program. #KITCanHelp with some tips in this video. And, for even more information on this topic, be sure to join us for our live webinar, Wed at 10am PST, "After School and the IEP." Click the link in the comments below to choose the appropriate button to register (military, KIT Account or New User).

CDC recommends face masks for teachers & caregivers which can hinder communication. NOW is the ideal time to teach & use simple signs with infants, toddlers, & teens in your program or class. #KITCanHelp w/ our latest microlearning video "Teaching Signs."

From Education & Training Specialist, Janet George's virtual training visit earlier today on "How To Use The Connect & Redirect Strategy." She started with some basic information about the brain and the 3 different brain states and then walked participants through how to use the 4 steps to "Connect" with kids and then the 2 steps to help "Redirect" their behavior. Let us know if we can virtually help you and your staff better understand this concept to promote positive behavior from the kids in your class or program.

Wonderful advice and guidance to move inclusive education forward!

Today's #ThursdayThought is a perfect way to close out the month of October where we observed #invisibledisabilitiesweek2020, #mentalillnessawarenessweek2020, #adhdawarenessmonth2020, #learningdisabilitiesawarenessmonth, and #downsyndromeawarenessmonth2020.

Some #WednesdayWisdom to share as we could all use some help learning how to be better listeners these days!!

We are getting started now with today's webinar "Making Behavior Support Plans Work For You" with our presenter, Brooke Matthews, Education & Training Specialist. We will post some key takeaways if you can't join us live.

Just a reminder to register for our 2nd webinar in the School Age Series - "Making Behavior Support Plans Work for You." We go live tomorrow, Wed 10/28 at 10am PST. Free for military and KIT Pass holders.

The ongoing changes and uncertainty in daily life caused by the current pandemic can cause anxiety and stress for kids (and adults). Here's a great resource from @nasponline to help children cope.

Inclusion is the guiding light we all need to move forward. As we face a pandemic, and we feel our fears rise, we can be vulnerable, proactive, relational, and collaborative. These were best practices before COVID-19 and they can help us move forward without leaving anyone behind.

Today's #ThursdayThought comes to us from Life with a Side of the Unexpected by Laurie McLean in observance of #InvisibleDisabilitiesWeek2020.

This week is #InvisibleDisabilitiesWeek by @InvisibleDisabilities to raise awareness of the invisible nature of frequent or chronic illness & pain which can lead to disbelief, misunderstandings, & rejection by friends, family & health care providers. It's also another reason kids may be excluded. Learn more https://invisibledisabilities.org/

"I am so encouraged that even in a time when we are all distanced from each other, advocacy for inclusion is still going strong and things are happening!"

#wednesdaywisdom from #brookespublishing that we can’t agree more with!!!

October is #ADHD Awareness Month. To help people better understand misconceptions around ADHD, we are offering a FREE webinar "ADHD: Myths Debunked." This webinar will provide insights into the myths about children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and give the actual facts so you can support children with ADHD in your program. Check it out! https://kit.learnupon.com/store/782878-adhd-myths-debunked

Today is Mental Health Awareness Day. We must remember that: Nearly 1 in 5 Americans will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any given year. 46% of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life, half of those people will develop conditions by the age of 14. Unfortunately, many people do not seek treatment in the early stages of mental illnesses because they don't recognize the symptoms. The 7 major mental hea...lth conditions are: #anxiety, #bipolardisorder, #psychosis, #eatingdisorders, #depression, #PTSD, and #addiction or #substanceusedisorder Please take a moment to check in on yourself and the children in your lives. Go to: https://mhanational.org/mental-illness-awareness-week for free screenings and more information.

It's Mental Health Awareness Week! All October, we're sharing a FREE webinar "Characteristics of Mental Health" & a FREE tip sheet about 3 common types of mental health challenges to help you gain a basic understanding of red flags and support youth. For military personnel, you can receive CEU's on your transcript for viewing this webinar and taking the quiz. Access the webinar by logging into your OLC account at www.elearning.kit.org and search "Characteristics of Mental Health" and download the tip sheet "Mental Health Basics."

As Inclusionistas, we are committed to deeply understanding how race and other dimensions of diversity intersect with and impact the work we do on behalf of kids and families. We thank you for your support as we walk this path together.

As Fall approaches, we are unfortunately reminded of some of the reasons children with disabilities are excluded from their communities, programs and classrooms, robbing them of the chance to reach their full potential. Here at KIT, we believe that every child has the right to be included, no matter their ability and we can teach you ways to make sure everyone is meaningfully welcomed. During the month, we will be sharing resources to help understanding and acceptance, either from our own library, or curated from other trusted sources. #adhd #downsyndrome #learningdisabilities #mentalillness #dyslexia

Although we're a little late, we still wanted to take a moment to recognize today 10/6 as World Cerebral Palsy Day. CP is the most common physical disability in childhood and affects 17MM people around the world. Please take a moment to learn more about CP and remember that #inclusionmatters!