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For many families who have children with disabilities the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for years to come and the need for critical Family Empowerment Centers services (FECs), already great, will become even greater. FECs assist families of children and youth (ages 3-22) with disabilities by providing a wide range of services that include various trainings, information, referrals, and peer-to-peer support related to navigating the very complex systems of supports and special education. For example, there is an alarming decrease in referrals to Early Start so it goes to reason that infants and toddlers who should have received early intervention services, but didn’t, will enter the school system in need of various educational supports. Families report significant learning loss and backslides in development for their children who are in special education programs due to the challenges associated with distance learning. In addition, FECs have reported an increase in families requesting assistance with meeting basic needs and have been able to pivot their work in order to help address immediate needs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
FECs know their communities and work hard to address the needs of their individual communities. In 2001 when Senate Bill 511 established the FECs in California the intent was to ensure that communities statewide could benefit from the important work of the FECs by establishing 32 FECs throughout the state. Today, we still only have 14 FECs and they have yet to receive any funding increases that would allow for expansion or cost of living increases for existing centers. Assembly Bill 126 (Garcia) Family Empowerment Centers: Special Education seeks to address the critical needs of FECs. We are hoping to show the legislature the importance of these critical services by generating a lot of support for this bill. We encourage everyone to support families, children, and youth with disabilities by supporting AB 126.
Letters of support can be sent to the Assembly Education Committee: Tanya.Lieberman@asm.ca.gov
SAMPLE LETTER OF SUPPORT
Assembly Member Patrick O’Donnell, Chair
Assembly Education Committee
1020 N Street, Room 159
Sacramento, CA
SUPPORT: AB 126 (GARCIA) SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS: FAMILY EMPOWEMENT CENTERS ON DISABILITY
Dear Assembly Member O’Donnell,
I write to support AB 126, which would support the critical work of family empowerment centers (FECs), by helping families navigate the special education system and facilitate the formation of peer-support communities. The bill would specifically increase the base grant for current FECs, establish FECs throughout the state, and improve coordination between FECs and the California Department of Education.
For many families who have children with disabilities the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for years to come and the need for critical Family Empowerment Centers services (FECs), already great, will become even greater. FECs assist families of children and youth (ages 3-22) with disabilities by providing a wide range of services that include various trainings, information, referrals, and peer-to-peer support related to navigating the very complex systems of supports and special education. Although the original intent of the legislature, in 2001, was for the establishment of 32 centers throughout the state, there are only 14 operating centers to date. Assembly Bill 126 (Garcia) Family Empowerment Centers: Special Education seeks to address the critical needs of FEC in high need areas and provide for a cost-of-living adjustment to established FECs that have yet to receive an increase over the last 20 years.
I thank the author for making FECs a priority in California and urge your support of this important measure.
Sincerely,