March 2026
Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.
~Helen Keller
Welcome to March’s edition of the Buzz from the Hub! Starting a new month brings a sense of hope for the good things it may hold. The weather, in most parts, is warmer and the days seem longer. Instead of focusing on the what-ifs, these little things remind us that life is wonderful and that joy can be found in the smallest moments.
In this issue of the Buzz from the Hub you’ll find the following resources:
- Featured Resource: What If Everyday Routines Were STEM
Moments? A New Podcast Series - Featured Parent Center: Encircle Families
- Pathways to Partnership: Early Childhood Education
- School Choice Lets Parents Decide How Much AI Belongs in Education
- Understanding the Differences between High School and College
- WIOA, IDEA, Perkins Measures Crosswalk
- Guiding Principles of Collaborative Advocacy
Finally, don’t miss the upcoming virtual events in the Upcoming Events section.
Best wishes and happy reading,
The CPIR Team
Featured Resource!
What If Everyday Routines Were STEM Moments? A New Podcast Series
Want to learn simple ways to embed STEM learning with your child into everyday routines and activities? The STEMIE Family Hotline podcast series is designed for busy families and can be listened to on the go. Each short episode offers practical ideas to help you turn everyday moments into meaningful STEM learning opportunities.
You can listen to the STEMIE Family Hotline podcast series on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or stream the episodes directly on their website https://stemie.fpg.unc.edu/
Featured Parent Center
Every few months we’ll feature a Parent Center on our website and we will now be including the featured parent center in the Buzz!
Encircle Families is the federally funded Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) for the state of Arizona. Encircle Families began in 1979 as a grass-roots effort of families, professionals, and community leaders determined to provide support and information for parents of children with disabilities and special health care needs.
Encircle Families has virtual trainings and workshops for families and professionals on topics such as IEP Development, Positive Behavior Supports, Understanding 504 Plans, Bullying Prevention, and many others.
Shareable Resources
Early Childhood |
Pathways to Partnership: Early Childhood Education
This guide by School House Connection explains how school district homeless liaisons and service providers can work together to connect young children experiencing homelessness with early childhood education programs.
Read the guide here.
Education |
School Choice Lets Parents Decide How Much AI Belongs in Education
This blog post from the U.S. Department of Education’s Homeroom Blog argues that because the long-term effects of AI in classrooms aren’t yet clear, school choice should let parents decide whether they want their children’s schools to embrace AI technologies or stick with more traditional, teacher-centered approaches focused on cultivating independent thinking.
Read the blog post here.
Youth |
Understanding the Differences between High School and College
This guide was created by the Think College Transition team to help teachers, families, and students prepare for college. It discusses the need to plan for the ways that higher education will be different from high school, including higher academic expectations, increasing independence, and new social environments.
Access the guide here (available in English and Spanish).
Young Adults |
WIOA, IDEA, Perkins Measures Crosswalk
Developed by VRTAC-QM and NTACT:C, the guide, Transition Programs – Performance Accountability, was developed to outline intersection points across three primary pieces of legislation that have a transition focus, the Workforce Investment Opportunities Act (VR Performance Indicators), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Part B Indicators), and the Perkins V (accountability indicators).
Access the guide here.
Parent Leadership |
Guiding Principles of Collaborative Advocacy
CADRE’s short video, Guiding Principles of Collaborative Advocacy, combines highly effective communication strategies, facilitative behaviors, interest-based problem-solving skills, and most importantly, a collaborative approach to empowering students with disabilities, their families, and other advocates for the student to effectively navigate the IEP process.
Watch the video here.
Upcoming Events
Families in Focus: AEM Tips for Parent Centers
Family members are often the first to realize that a student with a disability is having difficulty using or learning from classroom materials. Accessible Educational Materials (AEM)Tips for Parent Centers are thirty-minute monthly information sessions highlighting resources and strategies for parents and caregivers of children who need AEM. The series launches March 17.
When:
Mar 17, 2026
Apr 21, 2026
May 19, 2026
Jun 16, 2026
Jul 21, 2026
Aug 18, 2026
Sep 15, 2026
Time: 2:00–2:30 p.m. EDT
Register for AEM Tips.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for Life: Pathways to Independence and Connection for Autistic Teens and Adults
TASK and Autism Speaks have jointly created a new webinar and an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Guide for Autistic Teens and Adults, which will be released in late March or early April. The webinar will explore how Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) serves as a vital pathway to independence and social connection for autistic teens and adults.
When: March 23, 2026
Time: 1:00-2:30 PM EDT
Learn more about this event and register here.
the Hub Central Event Calendar
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