PACER Center Workshops by Grant

PACER Center
952-838-9000

Champions for Children with Disabilities

All workshop times are listed in the central time zone (CST) unless otherwise noted.

In the event of inclement weather, PACER Center may cancel workshops. If you are registered for a workshop, we will contact you about cancellations. Also, please check this site the day of the workshop for a possible cancellation due to weather problems.

The Minnesota Parent Center is a unique statewide project designed to help families and schools build stronger ties to benefit students.
See all the upcoming MN PIRC workshops >>>

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Workshops

PACER Center offers free workshops throughout Minnesota to parents of children with disabilities and the professionals working with families.

Workshop topics include areas of interest in special education, including information on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) program, early childhood, the area of transition for students 14-21 (housing, post secondary, employment, and community), assistive technology, and many more!

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Workshops Ordered by Program

Alternative workshop listings are available:
Workshops Ordered by Name
Workshops Ordered by Date
Workshops Ordered by Location

Program

Dropout Prevention
Early Childhood
Emotional or Behavioral Disorders
Federal Parent Training (Parents Helping Parents)
Health Information & Advocacy Center
Housing
Juvenile Justice
Public Policy
Rehabilitation
Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
Simon Technology Center
State P.T. Surrogate

Dropout Prevention
- Workshop schedule coming soon!
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Early Childhood
- Families Are Important
  Check back soon for workshop description.
  Tuesday, October 19, 2010
  6:30pm-8:30pm (Anoka)
  Register for this workshop
- IEP's: The Building Blocks of Early Childhood Special Education
  Check back soon for workshop description.
  Tuesday, November 09, 2010
  6:30pm-8:30pm (Anoka)
  Register for this workshop
- Everything You Need to Know Before Your Child Turns 3
  Check back soon for workshop description.
  Monday, November 15, 2010
  6:30pm-8:30pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
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Emotional or Behavioral Disorders
- Workshop schedule coming soon!
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Federal Parent Training (Parents Helping Parents)
- IDEA Fall Kick Off: Blueprint for Understanding the Special Education Process
  Please check back soon for workshop description
  Monday, September 13, 2010
  6:30pm-9:30pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- IDEA: Fall Kick Off: IDEA and the IEP
  Please check back soon for a workshop description.
  Tuesday, September 28, 2010
  6:30pm-8:30pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- IDEA: Understanding the Special Education Process
  Please check back soon for a workshop description.
  Monday, October 04, 2010
  6:30pm-9:30pm (St. Paul)
  Register for this workshop
- Exploring the Invisible Disability of FASD
  Please check back soon for workshop description.
  Tuesday, October 05, 2010
  6:30pm-9:00pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- Is Your Child the Target of Bullying?
  Please check back soon for workshop description.
  Tuesday, October 12, 2010
  7:00pm-9:00pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- A Fitting IDEA: Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Children with Disabilities
  Please check back soon for workshop description.
  Wednesday, October 13, 2010
  6:30pm-9:30pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- IDEA: Understanding the IEP
  Please check back soon for workshop description.
  Thursday, October 14, 2010
  6:30pm-9:30pm (Willmar)
  Register for this workshop
- Six Skills for Effective Parent Advocacy
  This workshop will explore six skills parents can use to become more effective advocates for their child with a disability. Come learn about: understanding your child's disability, knowing your school district, knowing your rights and responsibilities, using clear and effective communication, understanding the special education process, and knowing dispute resolution options.
  Thursday, October 14, 2010
  6:30pm-8:30pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- Tips for Talking with School Staff
  Please check back soon for workshop description.
  Monday, November 01, 2010
  6:30pm-8:30pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- Youth With Disabilities in the Juvenile Justice System
  Check back soon for workshop description.
  Wednesday, November 17, 2010
  1:00pm-3:30pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
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Health Information & Advocacy Center
- Workshop schedule coming soon!
Housing
- PACER's Annual Housing Resource and Information Fair
  Please check back soon for workshop description.
  Saturday, October 09, 2010
  9:00am-12:00pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
Juvenile Justice
- Workshop schedule coming soon!
Public Policy
- Workshop schedule coming soon!
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Rehabilitation
- Social Security and Transition Age Youth
  Please check back soon for workshop description.
  Wednesday, September 15, 2010
  6:30pm-8:00pm (Duluth)
  Register for this workshop
- Focus on Transition
  This workshop will help parents understand the importance of planning for their young adult's future employment and independent living. Covered topics will include: transition legislation, the five transition areas, ways to gather information about their young adult's interests, preferences, strengths, and challenges, and more!
  Monday, September 27, 2010
  6:30pm-8:00pm (Albert Lea)
  Register for this workshop
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Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
- Workshop schedule coming soon!
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Simon Technology Center
- Creation Station: Crafty Magic - see flyer
  This event is recommended for kids ages 4-20 and their parents. Come learn how to create your own amazing magic tricks out of seemingly ordinary craft materials. A guest magician will teach you how to perfect your tricks and --presto chango!--he may even show you a couple of his own.
  Saturday, September 18, 2010
  10am-noon (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- Annual STC Assistive Technology Open House
  Kids, bring your parents to the Simon Technology Center's annual open house. Explore hands-on technology and create wonderful works of art in the Creation Station. It's from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with craft activities offered throughout the day.
  Saturday, October 02, 2010
  10am-2:00pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- Achieving Communicative Competence in Augmented Alternative Communication (AAC)
  During this workshop, learn about a framework for identifying social and strategic competence needs for users of AAC. Specific goals to target communication needs at all communication ability levels will be discussed. Video, activities, discussion, case studies, and planning tools will be used to help attendees personalize the goals and strategies and then determine how to implement them with users of augmented alternative communication (AAC).
  Thursday, November 11, 2010
  9:00am-3:30pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- Creation Station: Xtreme Paper Art - see flyer
  This event is recommended for kids ages 4-20 and their parents. Strips of colorful, textured paper can become anything you can imagine. Weave them, twist them, layer them, scrunch them, glue them, go wild! Then decorate your unique design in your own special way--and your art is ready to hang on your wall.
  Saturday, November 20, 2010
  10am-noon (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- Technology for Girls: Dream It, Build It! - see flyer
  If you can dream it, you can build it! Join us to put your creative thinking skills to test while we design bridges using toothpicks, pennies, aluminum foil, and gumdrops. We will test our structures by adding weight. Come see what structures will fall and which will stand!
  Tuesday, December 07, 2010
  6:00pm-8:00pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- Creation Station: Embellishing Memories - see flyer
  This event is recommended for kids ages 4-20 and their parents. Use decorative papers, beautiful embellishments, and more to make your special photo memories stand out. This scrapbook page could be used as a keepsake or given as a gift. Please bring up to five photos to use on your pages.
  Saturday, December 11, 2010
  10am-noon (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- Creation Station: 3-D Delights - see flyer
  This event is recommended for kids ages 4-20 and their parents. Your artwork will start with a cool design drawn on colorful paper, then you'll add buttons, stickers, tissue paper, and more to transform it into a 3-D masterpiece. Get ready to see your creation jump right off the page!
  Saturday, January 22, 2011
  10am-noon (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- Technology for Girls: My Messy Little Experiments - see flyer
  What weighs more, a pound of gold or a pound of feathers? Does an egg float or sink in water? How about a paper clip? We will answer all the questions you ever had about science and have fun while completing all the little experiments you thought about trying at home but were too messy.
  Tuesday, February 08, 2011
  6:00pm-8:00pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- Technology for Girls: Forensics: Be a CSI! - see flyer
  Put on your lab coat and come to PACER to be a crime scene investigator (CSI). We will explore the science of forensics by fingerprinting, analyzing powders, making teeth impressions, and determining someone's height based on her shoe size. We will test our CSI skills by analyzing data and solving a mock crime.
  Tuesday, April 05, 2011
  6:00pm-8:00pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
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State P.T. Surrogate
- Six Skills for Effective Parent Advocacy - see flyer
  This workshop will explore six skills parents can use to become more effective advocates for their child with a disability. Come learn about these skills which include: understanding your child's disability, knowing your school district, knowing your rights and responsibilities, using clear and effective communication, understanding the special education process, and knowing the dispute resolution options.
  Monday, August 02, 2010
  6:30pm-8:30pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- English: Special Education: What Do I Need to Know
  Special Education is instruction designed specifically to meet the requirements of children with special needs. It is provided in the most appropriate setting for the children and at no cost to parents or families. This workshop will cover topics such as: why is it important for parents to be involved?, how can I work effectively with the school?, what do I need to know about the evaluation process?, how do we make the Individualized Education Program (IEP) fit the child?, and how do special education and regular education work together?
  Tuesday, September 14, 2010
  6:30pm-8:30pm (Bloomington)
  Register for this workshop
- Transition: Pathway to the Future
  Transition planning is an important step in preparing your student for life after high school. Participants at this workshop will learn how to help their students achieve their dreams and goals. Topics will include: using the IEP to develop transition services, having high expectations, understanding age of majority and transfer of rights to the student, identifying required transition areas for planning, and learning about adult services.
  Tuesday, September 21, 2010
  6:30pm-8:30pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- English: Special Education: What Do I Need to Know
  Special Education is instruction designed specifically to meet the requirements of children with special needs. It is provided in the most appropriate setting for the children and at no cost to parents or families. This workshop will cover topics including: why is it important that parents be involved?, how can I work effectively with the school?, what do I need to know about the evaluation process?, how do we make IEP's fit the child?, and how do special education and regular education work together?
  Tuesday, September 28, 2010
  6:30pm-8:30pm (New Hope)
  Register for this workshop
- IDEA: Blueprint for Special Education
  Please check back soon for workshop description.
  Thursday, October 07, 2010
  5:30pm-8:30pm (Anoka)
  Register for this workshop
- English: Special Education: What Do I Need to Know
  Please check back soon for workshop description.
  Tuesday, October 26, 2010
  6:30pm-8:30pm (Brooklyn Center)
  Register for this workshop
- Special Education: Where Does Juvenile Justice Fit In?
  Please check back soon for workshop description.
  Wednesday, November 03, 2010
  7:00pm-9:00pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop
- Planning for Educational Inclusion
  Please check back soon for workshop description.
  Tuesday, November 09, 2010
  6:30pm-8:30pm (PACER Center)
  Register for this workshop

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