START is excited to share that the 2024-2025 Training and Training Series schedule and registrations are available on the START website. We invite you to explore the learning opportunities available this year! 

It is with mixed emotions that we share the departure of Andy West and Stephanie Dyer from the START team. Andy and Stephanie have been invaluable members of our team and have contributed greatly to the project. 

Stephanie has accepted a position as the Special Education Supervisor at Clinton County RESA. Stephanie will continue to stay involved with START as a consultant with a focus on training.

In addition, we are hiring for the Project Lead for Events and Logistics position. 

Please join us in thanking Stephanie and Andy for their dedication to our team and wishing them both success in their future endeavors! If you have any questions during this transition, please reach out to Jana Benjamin or Kellie Fitzgerald. 

START is excited to welcome back members of the CoP and also welcome new members! START is facilitating the following CoP in 2024-2025: 

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

New this year: Each RCN now has a list of their CoP members in their Google Folder (24-25 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, CCSS CoP, and PFA-SBT CoP is by invitation only). 

START will send information and meeting dates to members of each CoP today (August 16, 2024). Please contact START if you have any questions. 

The application for the EPLI Essential Foundations Bootcamp is open. 

The Essential Foundations Bootcamp is an integration of the universal supports, behavioral practices, and instructional strategies from Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Educational Supports and Strategies, and other START training modules and resources. 

The Bootcamp consists of four days of content and coaching and two days of Trainer Days, which are collaborative days intended to strengthen training and presentation skills, for a total of six days. 

Reminder! Enter your Fiscal Agent Information, Report Contact Information, RCN Leadership, and District Representatives on the 24-25 RCN Contacts spreadsheet located in your Google Drive Folder.

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

Is your RCN considering a book study this year? START has copies of Deliberate Coaching, The Impact Cycle, and The Instructional Playbook available at no cost to its RCN partners (up to 15 books per ISD, while supplies last).

Contact Melissa Kurek with "Book Study" in the email subject if interested!

The Peer to Peer Elementary Curriculum is an organized package of resources that Peer to Peer teams can use at the Elementary level to structure their Peer to Peer implementation. Flexibility is also built into the curriculum given the unique needs of each Peer to Peer program. 

Please note that lessons will be populated over the course of the 2024-2025 school year. 

We invite you to explore the new curriculum!

The Peer Friendship Formula is the core of Peer to Peer. This program brings students with autism or
other disabilities and their classmates together to engage in shared activities. These activities may
occur inside or outside the classroom; they may be academic or social. Within the context of Peer to
Peer, these opportunities occur regularly over time, and with repetition, they foster connections.

The updated Fridays for All is a 20-week activity resource for elementary teachers to catalyze inclusive thinking and action in their classrooms. Activities include circle time, team-building games, books or videos for discussion, and teacher tips. With Fridays for All, teachers can plan a personal and classroom journey toward inclusion that helps everyone learn about similarities and value differences.

→ We highly encourage the RCN to distribute the START Training and Training Series Flyers to staff, community members, and families across your region. 

START has also developed Training and Training Series Slides for use in presentations.

 The Statewide Autism Resources and Training (START) Project is funded by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education to provide training and technical assistance to educators in Michigan that serve students with ASD.

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