NEWS

FELDER FAMILY OF LEXINGTON TO SERVE AS AMBASSADORS FOR BUDDY WALK 2024

Annual Event Honors Families who have a child with Down syndrome (COLUMBIA, SC, October 7, 2024)—The Felder family of Lexington is serving as Ambassadors for Family Connection of South Carolina’s Buddy Walk 2024. Buddy Walk is held in honor of families who have a child with Down syndrome. Funds raised through Buddy Walk help Family Connection provide services and resources to families across South Carolina who have a child with a disability or chronic health condition. Buddy Walk also supports the vision of the National Down Syndrome Society to help create a world in which all people with Down syndrome have the opportunity to enhance their quality of life, realize their life aspirations and become valued members of welcoming communities.   Claire Felder is a rising fifth-grade student at Lake Murray Elementary School in Lexington. Reading is her strength academically and also a favorite activity outside the classroom. Whether she is

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Parent Survey: Your Child's Special Education Needs During COVID-19 School Closures

We want to hear from you! We would like to understand how the extended school closures have affected your family. Your input will help us continue to serve your needs! All feedback is confidential and no identifying information will be shared. The results of this survey will be used to develop products and programs to better help families and their children during this time. Parent Survey

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Resources for South Carolina Educators, Parents and Students

Columbia, S.C. – As teachers, parents and students adjust to a new and unprecedented way of learning and living, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is dedicated to delivering support as we all navigate and learn together. This week, the South Carolina Department of Education launched SCRemoteLearning.com, a website offering digital teaching and learning resources for teachers, parents and students during the current COVID-19 pandemic. “I know that remote learning can be challenging for everyone,” said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. “We are committed to supporting both our teachers, who are working hard to make it possible for our students to learn at home, and parents and students, who are doing a great job of adjusting to these changes.” The information included on SCRemoteLearning.com was both developed internally and vetted from outside sources for use by school districts as instructional resources. The website offers support for remote learners that can be used by

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Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. In 2020 this takes on heightened meaning in the midst of our current uncertainty. Throughout the month we will post messages to help keep families strong and children safe amid these physically isolated times. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! One way to help? Take the Pledge for Prevention! I pledge to be a good neighbor and help keep families strong and children safe. I will reach out to a family in my neighborhood, support a local family organization or know about family resources in my community.

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SCDHHS Coronavirus Resources and Updates

The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) is providing important resources and updates to ensure Healthy Connections Medicaid members continue to have access to care during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). These updates include temporary policy changes allowing Healthy Connections Medicaid members to access many health care services from home as well as additional resources to answer questions you may have during the current outbreak of COVID-19. Nurse Phone Line Now Available 24/7 for Healthy Connections Medicaid Members Healthy Connections Medicaid members who are not enrolled in a managed care organization (MCO) are now able to speak with a nurse by phone for non-emergency health care-related questions. This resource is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is free to Healthy Connections Medicaid members who are not enrolled in an MCO. If you’re enrolled in an MCO, you currently have access to

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Celebrating our CEO, Amy Holbert

Amy Holbert, CEO, has a lot to celebrate. Recently, she has been accepted into the Diversity Leaders Initiative at Riley Institute, appointed onto the Parent to Parent National Board of Directors, and recognized as an aRPy ambassador. Amy was carefully selected by a panel of DLI alums and invited to apply to take part in the Riley Institute at Furman’s Diversity Leaders Initiative (DLI). All participants are chosen for their ability to impact their organizations and communities. The multi-award winning program provides DLI participants with the knowledge of how to effectively manage and lead increasingly diverse workers and clients. Participants learn their diversity and inclusion “blind spots” and how to remove assumptions. Together, they are united in breaking down the barriers and developing solutions for issues facing their communities.  Family Connection of SC provides parent to parent support programs as a resource for families of children with special health care

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Young Adult Leaders

Family Connection of South Carolina is looking for Young Adult Leaders willing to provide leadership, guidance and support in creating and participating in a variety of projects and community initiatives. The Young Adult Advisory Council (YAAC) is a diverse group of individuals with disabilities. The YAAC is committed to advocacy and educating other individuals, families, government agencies and healthcare professionals on issues that affect young adults with disabilities. The YAAC will be comprised of young adult leaders from across the state of South Carolina. Member Requirements: To participate on a speakers bureau on behalf of the organization To provide input in the planning process for 2 regional showings of ‘Intelligent Lives’ Be on a panel for Hopes and Dreams Conference in February, 2020 To participate in the development of an Outreach Plan for youth and young adults Ambassadors would meet 1x a month through June of 2020 (in person or

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Exceptional SC, 2019-2020 Student Scholarship Application Open

Our portal for the 2019-2020 school year is now open. The legislature granted us $12 million in scholarship funds for this year, and we are working to make sure those funds are raised quickly. Scholarship applications are open until Tuesday, April 30, 2019 at 5 pm. To apply, please visit our website and follow the link from there to TADS. If you applied last year, use the same email address and password. This will allow the form to autofill your contact information and help us track scholarship consistency. Please remember: If you applied before today’s opening, you will need to log in and re-submit your information in order to be considered. To apply, you will need basic household contact information, the eligible school to which you plan to enroll your child, and a copy of your child’s eligibility paperwork. All applicants must use the one of our two eligibility forms

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