The Contract Activities Worksheet (CAW) will be completed in the START Planning and Data System (PDS) and is now referred to as the Implementation Plan. The Implementation Plan and its instructions will be available approximately mid-October. Thank you for your patience as we enhance this process. Please contact Stephanie Pulido (pulidos@gvsu.edu) if you have any questions.

We are excited to announce that school staff will be able to use the Classroom Environment and Teaching Assessment (CETA) in the START Planning and Data System (PDS) this school year. Access the CETA in the START PDS and its instructions on the 2025-2026 RCN Application and Contract Forms page. Please contact Stephanie Pulido (pulidos@gvsu.edu) if you have any questions.

START is excited to welcome back members of the CoP and also welcome new members! START is facilitating the following CoP in 2025-2026: 

We invite you to review the information and meeting dates for each CoP and disseminate this information within your RCN.

CoP Membership: Each RCN has a list of their CoP members in their Google Folder (25-26 CoP Members) This list will be maintained by START and there are additional instructions included in the Google Sheet. 

If you have someone who is interested in joining a CoP (and was not previously a member), please have them submit this form (note: participation in the Coaching CoP and PFA-SBT CoP is by invitation/request only and the FAPE in the LRE CoP is invitation only). 

Please contact START or your START RCN Representative if you have any questions. 

START has made important updates to EPLI to strengthen the program. These include:

We encourage you to review the information below and visit our website for detailed information.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to START at autismed@gvsu.edu. We appreciate your commitment to high-quality, evidence-based practices and look forward to enriching the EPLI program together! 

The Fall RCN Leadership Day will be held on October 27, 2025 from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing.

Registration will open on September 17, 2025. START will send registration information to the RCN leadership. 

Reminder! Enter your Fiscal Agent Information, Report Contact Information, RCN Leadership, and District Representatives on the 25-26 RCN Contacts spreadsheet located in your Google Drive Folder.

START will send RCN update emails to the District Representatives and RCN leadership.  

→ We highly encourage the RCN to distribute information about START's 2025-2026 Trainings and Training Series to staff, community members, and families across your region. 

START has developed flyers, images, and slides for the RCN to use and disseminate. 

Promoting Early Childhood Independence and Engagement

📅Date: September 26, 2025
⌚Time: 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Location: Zoom

How can we support young children with autism to become more independent and engaged in early childhood settings? This evidence-based strategies training shows how clear expectations and consistent routines support learning, engagement, and positive relationships. You’ll explore practical strategies like breaking tasks into steps and using prompts to encourage success in early childhood settings.

FAPE in the LRE

📅Date: October 3, 2025
⌚Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom

Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is the foundation of special education. This interactive session helps all school staff-including all teachers, administrators, and support teams—understand what FAPE and LRE means and their role in supporting students with disabilities. Participants will engage in activities and use tools designed to strengthen their ability to support students with disabilities effectively.

Foundations in Peer to Peer - Secondary (Middle and High School) Series

📅Dates: October 2, 2025; October 8, 2025; and October 15, 2025
⌚Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom

This series introduces how to build a Peer to Peer program at the secondary level that connects students with and without disabilities to promote belonging throughout the school day. Participants will learn guidance on recruiting, curriculum, and maintaining the program, plus the idea of a “medium of exchange” to help create meaningful student connections. While each Peer to Peer program is unique, the outcomes are clear: better experiences for autistic students, those with IEPs, their peers, and a more positive and accepting school culture for all.

Foundations in Peer to Peer - Elementary Series

📅Dates: October 2, 2025; October 9, 2025; and October 16, 2025
⌚Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom

This series introduces how to build a Peer to Peer program at the elementary level that connects students with and without disabilities to promote belonging throughout the school day. Participants will learn guidance on recruiting, curriculum, and maintaining the program, plus the idea of a “medium of exchange” to help create meaningful student connections. While each Peer to Peer program is unique, the outcomes are clear: better experiences for autistic students, those with IEPs, their peers, and a more positive and accepting school culture for all.

Proactive Approaches to Behavior: Script and Strategies for De-escalation

📅Date: October 30, 2025
⌚Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Location: In-person

This team-based training walks a school-based team through the process of understanding the cycle of behavioral escalation and proactively planning for adult responses across the cycle. Teams are introduced to behavioral scripts and a template for developing individualized scripts to support a student. Through a combination of scenarios and real-world applications, teams will learn how to facilitate the development of and support the use of behavior scripts that embody a prevent, teach, respond/reinforce approach to supporting both students and adults.

The Statewide Autism Resources and Training (START) Project is funded by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education and is is housed in the Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Autism Education Center (AEC). 

START Project | autismed@gvsu.edu | (616) 331-6480