The School District of Osceola County, Florida

Parent Workshops and Trainings

This school year, the ESE Department is excited about working with a number of organizations in our community to provide parents with a variety of resources and supports that they might find to be beneficial. This year, we will have workshops and trainings provided by Family Network on Disabilities (FND), the Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resource System (FDLRS), Carelon, FIN (formerly Florida Inclusion Network), and Project 10. Our goal is to provide parents and families of students with disabilities the training and information they need to help their children reach their highest potential as responsible, productive citizens.

Lunch and Learns will continue in the 2025-2026 school year!! The tentative dates for these events…

~~Wednesday, 9/3 FND- Helping with Homework~~

~~Wednesday, 10/1 Simply Health/Carelon- Communicating Childhood Experiences: Promoting Positive Peer Relationships~~

Wednesday, 11/5 FND- Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Wednesday, 12/3 Simply Health/Carelon- How to Talk to Kids About Mental Health

Wednesday, 1/7 FND- Caregiver Stress and Burnout: Tips for Taking Care of Yourself

Wednesday, 2/4 FIN- Parent Tips for Executive Functioning

Wednesday, 3/4 FIN- Tips for Supporting Organizational Skills

Wednesday, 4/1 FND- Beginning the Journey I and II (combined)

Wednesday 5/6 FIN- Building Independence

These events are virtual and will take place at 11:30 AM on the scheduled day. Information for each of these events will be provided at a later time.

This year, we will also be offering Empower Hour Parent Trainings! The tentative dates for these events are:

~~Wednesday, 9/17 Project 10- Overview~~

~~Wednesday, 10/15 FDLRS- Developing an IEP~~

Wednesday, 11/19 Project 10- Transition Basics

Wednesday, 1/21 FDLRS- Successful Home Connection

Wednesday, 2/18 Project 10- Deferment and Extended Transition Programming

Wednesday, 4/15 FDLRS- Early Literacy

Wednesday, 5/20 Project 10- Self-Determination and Self-Advocacy

These events are also virtual and will take place at 2:00 PM on the scheduled day. Information for each of these events will be provided at a later time.

We are excited to announce that we will also be having four face-to-face events this school year! The tentative dates and topics for these events are:

Tuesday, 10/28: College and Career Readiness Night from 5:30 PM-7:30 PM at Osceola High School (Auditorium)

Thursday, 12/18: Program Highlight Night

Thursday, 2/26: An Evening with the Agencies

Thursday, 4/23: Early Education Parent Night

The times and locations of these events will be shared at a later date.

Below you will find the resources and recordings (if able to be recorded) for the 2025-2026 Lunch & Learn and Empower Hour Virtual Parent Trainings

2025-2026 Parent Training Resources

September 2025

FND PEN "Helping with Homework" 9/3/25 (Lunch&Learn)

Powerwalk through Project 10's Publications, Trainings and Website Virtual Parent Training 9/17/25 (Empower Hour)
Project 10: Transition Education Network is Florida’s statewide IDEA funded state project supporting the secondary transition of youth with disabilities. It is funded by the Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services (BEESS), within the Florida Department of Education (FDOE). Project 10’s primary charge is to assist school districts in providing appropriate planning and timely transition services and programs to assist youth with disabilities in their transition to adulthood

The training featured the following Project 10 publications:

Middle School Secondary Planning Trail Map for Families

This resource will assist families to identify ways to support their youth as they transition to middle school, to high school and, ultimately, to adult life. The resources and references are contained in a separate document

Secondary Transition Roadmap for Families

This resource assists families to become familiar with graduation and post-school options available to students with disabilities. This sixteen-page booklet shares easy-to-follow directions that guide families and students toward transition destinations, including high school graduation and beyond.

Considering Age of Majority

This resource describes the age of majority and what families and schools can expect with the transfer of rights from the parent to the student at age 18. New related legislation that went into effect on July 1, 2023 is included. Other topics addressed in this resource are an overview of decision-making options from guardianship to supported decision-making and a list of additional related resources.

The 411 on the Big 5

This resource offers vital information, including contacts and links, regarding five organizations outlined in Section 1003.5716, Florida Statutes, dedicated to assisting students and their families with secondary and postsecondary transition. These organizations comprise the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD), Division of Blind Services (DBS), Florida Association of Centers for Independent Living (FACIL), Florida Center for Students with Unique Disabilities (FCSUA), and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR). The provided information is organized to address three fundamental inquiries: 1) How each agency supports transition-age youth with disabilities, 2) The process and age requirements for students to apply for agency services, and 3) Key insights that families and school districts should grasp regarding each agency.

For a complete list of publications, you can visit the Project 10 Website

October 2025

Simply Health Carelon Effective Communication Skills Virtual Parent Training 10/1/25 (Lunch & Learn)
Effective Communication Powerpoint Presentation

Simply Health/Carelon Effective Communication Parent Training (Re-recorded)

Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources System 10/15/25 (Empower Hour)
This training was not recorded—FDLRS trainings are not able to be recorded. The following resources were shared for the training:

Exceptional Student Education Acronyms
Parent Questions to Ask for IEP Meetings
Guided Notes for Developing an IEP FDLRS Training

Below are the Archives of videos for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years.