FREE OR LOW- COST FAMILY WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITIES
You don’t have to deliver every workshop for families at your site. There are many New York City organizations that offer free to low-cost workshops for families. Use the resource list below to let families know about learning opportunities available to them and the information and skills they need to build their own capacity to support their child’s growth and development.
NYC Parent Academy
This Collaborative citywide program between the NYC Department of Education and Long Island University is dedicated to creating and enhancing partnerships within school communities by strengthening parent involvement to support student achievement. The Parent Academy is designed to offer school communities the training and resources needed to best support their families and workshops to help parents become informed and involved partners in the educational lives of their children. Through free community-based workshops, parents can find out what their children are learning in school and how they can support their children’s learning at home. Sample topics include:
- Identifying resources to support your child’s learning and developmental needs
- Understanding Common Core learning standards, standardized tests, and response to intervention
- Learning how to help your child be ready for college and careers
- Understanding special education and how to support your child’s ability to learn
- Technology training, including basic computer skills, social media, and cyber-bullying awareness
- Partnering with your school’s parent coordinator to access services.
Advocates for Children
This organization conducts hundreds of free trainings and workshops year-round on a wide variety of education topics. The trainings and workshops provide parents and professionals with the most up-to-date information so that they are equipped to advocate on behalf of their children. Topics Include
- ADHD and School Strategies
- Alternatives for Adolescents (school to adult programs)
- Students in Temporary Housing
- General Education Behavior and Discipline Issues
- Navigating the NYC Department of Education School Choice
- Immigrant Rights (educational) including NYC School System, ELL Rights, Services for Parents with Limited English Proficiency
- Juvenile Justice/Court Involved Youth
- Out-of-School Youth
- Preschool Special Education System and Transition to School-Age Special Education
- Preventive Services and Foster Care – Special Education
- Promotion Issues
- Special Education Behavior and Discipline Issues
New York Immigration Coalition
The Immigrant Concerns Training Institute (ICTI) offers a full calendar of trainings on topics critical to organizations, social service providers, government employees, and attorneys serving immigrant communities. It also provides free informational talks to the staffs of community-based organizations and the members of the communities that they serve to help them better understand immigration law.
Planned Parenthood of New York City
The Adult Role Models workshop series is fun, interactive, and free of charge. Four workshops are offered:
- “Talking to Your Children about the Facts of Life” is designed to help parents talk with their children about sexuality.
- “Child Development and Sexuality” takes parents through the stages of child sexual development and explores how they can help their children to become sexually healthy and responsible adults.
- “Opening the Lines of Communication” helps parents to identify the sexuality messages they want to send to their children and the best way to communicate those messages.
- “It Takes More Than Talk” focuses on the importance of combining good communication with parental monitoring and other behaviors that support and enhance the bond between parent and child. This workshop will also help parents respond to the growing relationship that children have with technology, including cellphones and social networking sites.
Dial a Teacher
Provides free online help from a NYC school teacher to students and parents. Dial-A-Teacher staff attend PTA meetings, school fairs and other events to make presentations about their services.
Financially Clean
Helps to make financial literacy accessible and affordable for students, parents and emerging athletes so that they can all learn to be more confident managing their money to create generational wealth and accomplish their dreams.
Qualitas of Life Foundation
Provides basic financial education to Hispanic individuals and their families in New York., Its workshops include: “Family Communication and Family Finances”, “Budgeting for Individuals and Families”, “Budgeting for Entrepreneurs”, ”U.S. Banking System,” “Financial Scams,” “Credit, Insurance and investments.” Trust-building, self-empowerment, and community-building elements have been strategically embedded into the curriculum.
The Family Center
Walk-in borough-based centers for victims of domestic violence, elder abuse, and sex trafficking. Services are free and available to all victims, including undocumented immigrants. Staff can speak more than 30 languages and interpretation services are also available in many more languages. You can arrange for the Family Center staff to come to your site to talk to the community about the services they provide.
Sanctuary for Families
Works to end gender violence (domestic violence and sex trafficking) through three key strategies: direct services, outreach and training and systems-change advocacy.
The organization provides outreach, education and trainings to community members and groups including schools, service providers, law enforcement, courts and judges, faith communities, cultural groups, and many more. It is also available to set up a table at your health or volunteer fair and to speak, on your panel, in your classroom or office, or at your meeting or conference. Most outreach is available in English or Spanish, as well as in additional languages depending on availability of staff.
Resources for Children with Special Needs
Offers a selection of workshops for both families of and professionals working with children with special needs in three categories-
Educating Your Child with a Disability
- Special Education Basics
- Your Top 5 Rights in Special Education
- Get Organized!
- Resolve Conflicts Through Mediation
Navigating the Years from 0-26
- Turning 5
- The NYC High School Application Process
- The High School Years
- Life After High School: College & Career
- Life After High School: Supported Learning, Earning & Living
Parenting Solutions
- Strategies for Challenging Behaviors
- Facebook to Texting: Parent Your Child’s Digital Life
- Put an End to Bullying
- Relaxation + Bonding = Powerful Parent
Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled
Staff travels throughout Brooklyn to provide free workshops to parents, grandparents and caregivers of children with disabilities. Workshops are also conducted for students with disabilities. Sample topics include:
- An Overview of the New Individual Education Plan (IEP)
- An Overview of the Special Education System — Laws and Advocacy
- Bullying Special Education Mediation
Resources for Older Adults
- The Elder Care Resource Center is a website that provides links to resources including government benefits, support organizations, geriatric doctors and skilled nursing facilities. http://www.eldercareresourcecenter.info/ and http://tullyelderlaw.com/download-free-elder-care-and-estate-planning-guidebook/
- The mission of the Department for the Aging (DFTA) is “to work for the empowerment, independence, dignity and quality of life of New York City’s diverse older adults and for the support of their families through advocacy, education and the coordination and delivery of services.” http://www.nyc.gov/html/dfta/html/about/about.shtml and http://www.nyc.gov/html/dfta/html/about/about.shtml
- NYC Parks offers a variety of programs for older adults to keep active, healthy, social and engaged in their community. From sports to nature walks, from dancing under the stars to laps in the pool, older adults can continue to lead physically active lives through sports, fitness, and outdoor adventure. https://www.nycgovparks.org/seniors
- Age Friendly NYC is New York City’s plan to sustain and enhance its age-friendliness for its growing population of seniors. Age-Friendly NYC: Enhancing our City’s Livability for Older New Yorkers (2009) (in PDF)
