In this issue

Stress: What's it good for?
What should I do when...
Get organized!
Getting what you need from FOT
Web site of interest

WELCOME...
to the first issue of the 2004 TIPS Parent Advisor E-Newsletter!

We hope that this new way of bringing you news, articles and events is a more efficient and effective way of delivering information to you. Please be patient with us as we learn about this process. If you have any difficulties reading this or want to make a comment, please send me an e-mail (jaajennings@comcast.net), so we can correct and improve the format. Happy 2004!

STRESS: What's it good for?

by Ernie Simms, parent advisor

Most people think stress is a bad thing. But the right amount of it can keep us motivated. It can help us get out of bed each morning, and know our lives are worthwhile. What else does stress bring to our lives? As parent advisors, if we can grasp how stress can work for us in our lives, we can pass it on to the families we work with and help to redirect their lives.

One good thing about stress is that it makes us stop and reflect. We are forced to ask some hard questions, such as: how did I get so out of balance, or how did my priorities get so rearranged, or even better, what is really most important to me during this season of my life? Stress ushers us into a change process we most likely would not walk through willingly. Being aware that our peace of mind, or even our health, is at stake suddenly makes us much more yielded to change. Making those changes means we often reach out to new people or resources with whom we otherwise would not have connected.

Another benefit of stress is it can cause us to take positive action. If we first recognize the symptoms of stress (such as irritability, depression or anxiety, insomnia, muscle aches and pains, lack of focus, etc.) and take time to address the cause, good things can result. Our bodies, minds, and spirits are struggling to work together. They can scream loudly to warn us about our imbalance. Getting our priorities and relationships in order is a great way to start off 2004, so enjoy your stress along with the rest of us

What Should I do When...
The Parent or Child Is HIV Positive?

As a parent advisor we work with many families with different or unusual health situations. In the case of HIV, a certain level of fear may be present due to the severity of the disease and the lack of knowledge most people have about it. When faced with the situation where a parent or child you are working with is HIV positive, here are some suggestions for maintaining peace of mind while providing the family with the help and service needed to insure a successful TIPS experience:

• There is little risk of being infected by HIV through routine contact. The virus is not present in saliva or nasal secretions, and it cannot be airborne.


• Be aware of cuts or open wounds. The virus can be passed through contact with blood.


• Be sure to use universal precautions such as washing hands before and after visits, cleaning toys and other equipment with a mixture of bleach and water.


• Get more information about HIV and AIDS. There are many sites available on the internet to educate people about this disease. Knowledge is power. It chases away fear.


• If you still feel uncomfortable with the situation, talk to your RLT about other possible options.

Get Organized—Good Ideas to Try for the New Year

Tote Bags – Joyce Al-Kishaly
You know those free tote bags companies handout at conferences or businesses provide as a thank-you? Try this idea - use one tote bag per family –each week put all the items you need to take into the house in each totebag. Usually the tote bags are just the right size to fit neatly in to the back of a car, easy to carry in, and the variety of colors / advertisements make them immediately recognizable.

Spreadsheets with dates – Ginger McMullen
If you have a computer software spreadsheet program, you can create an excellent means of keeping track of dates, paperwork, and data that is required each month. The TIPS secretary can discuss with you the data most needed by the office on a regular basis as well as the spreadsheet software that would work best. Another benefit in keeping-up with your own data is the ability to print off information you specifically want – sorting by topic, such as IFSP due dates.

Calendar with IFSP dates – Michelle Quinn
Many banks and other companies provide checkbook sized calendars to their customers. You can take this free calendar make it your Official TIPS IFSP and Reports Due Calendar. Recording the dates of IFSP’s, TIPS reports, and other information one month before it is due, the date to mail it to the TIPS Office, PLUS the date it is due makes it easy to remember details.

If you have a handheld calendar (such as the Palm Pilot), you can enter the same information on it along with an alarm. The alarm will not go off until you read the entry and turn it off. That is a great way to remember!

Notebook – Mirian Ferrer
Several Parent Advisors in Clarksville use a three ring binder hosting several free-standing internal pockets as well as pockets on each side of the binder all contained within a zip-around topcoat. This product can be found at Target, Wal-Mart, Office Max, etc. One binder is used for the week. The free-standing, internal pockets are assigned to each family they will see that week. Printed materials (documents, handouts, and newsletters) are placed within the folders. Home Visit Logs and other frequently used forms are three-hole-punched and stored for used. Pens, business cards, etc. are stored in the binders side-pockets. As you plan the week, the necessary documents are placed inside the pockets. At the end of the week the pocket is emptied and re-filled to begin the new week.

Carry-all Clipboard – Joyce Al-Kishaly
This product has become very popular and is available in numerous locations. The clipboard is a translucent plastic, hollow on the inside – hinges at one end and a handle that snaps open and shut at the other end. The size and angle of the clipboard is perfect for writing on while holding it in your lap. Documents, pens, forms, and newsletters neatly fit inside the clipboard-carrier – it is easy to carry in and out of the car. The clip on the exterior holds the paper to help you remember to have the log signed, prevent slipping, or losing paper as you move between the car and the house.

Track Mileage Easily
Use mapquest.com to find out what the mileage is from your home to a family's home. Mapquest can identify a step-by-step travel route for you, estimate the travel time, and give you exact mileage. Forgetting to record the mileage is a common problem faced by PA's when they sit down with their travel claim form at the end of the month. (Expedia.com also gives mileage under "get driving directions").

Lesson Plan Organizing – Cheryl Brown
Cheryl Brown uses a Lesson Plan Book (designed for teachers in the classroom) to organize the families she visits. Each page in the Lesson Plan Book is formatted in large blocks with only the days of the week written along the top. Cheryl assigns one page per family by writing their name at the top of the page. She records what she is working on (IFSP goals, therapy notes, family priorities) and keeps track of their progress / events. Cheryl keeps track of the number for each visit, resources she has shared with the family, name of the service coordinator, information about other programs (contact names, phone numbers, address, distance travel, etc.) all in this book so she can refer back to each families activities and plan for future visits. A transparent page protector - slotted at the top - is assigned to each family page with a paperclip. It holds her Home Visit Log, TIPS Family Newsletter, Announcements, and a pen that she will use for the visits each week. Cheryl says Lesson Plan Books are easy to find and are often given away to teachers. If you have questions about this idea or would like to see her Lesson Plan Book, she would welcome a call from you: 612.6001.

If you have ideas that work for you, please share them! Send the description to the editor for future publications.

TIPS is a school system. If you are a teacher in a school, you know how you must look for money to do anything extra for the kids. Just like your county school system, the state of Tennessee has a budget that pays TIPS salaries and for a limited amount of resources. Consider all of the resources TIPS has that you use during your home visits – most are provided by FOT. Maybe the family you visit has received money to help during a hard time or to travel to a special workshop about their child’s condition. If you have not tapped into FOT for resources, think again. Read the following and look for those things we have in middle Tennessee:

Statement of Purpose: Friends of Tennessee Infant Parent Services is a non-profit organization comprised of parents, early intervention professionals, and concerned community members who seek to provide support for the special needs of families with newborn to three year old children with disabilities and developmental delays. FOT offers support and services to over 3,000 Tennessee families served through the TIPS School.

Friends of TIPS offers funding for (italics indicates most requested items in Middle TN): respite care; adaptive equipment, loaner hearing aids, assistive technology, family educational opportunities, educational toys, emergency funds, bereavement support, family learning days, parent support groups, workshops, lending libraries, toy closets, information networks. Yes there is fundraising, but the pay-back is tremendous!

The “Zero to Three” web site (www.zerotothree.org) offers professionals and parents a vast amount of well researched information on caring for children from birth to three years of age. For the professional working with young children and their families, zerotothree.org provides news, special features, Spanish resources, professional journal articles, and tips of the week. Additionally, there are multiple handouts that can be printed and distributed to families free of charge. Handouts such as “The Magic of Everyday Moments” (which offers advice on how to turn mundane routines such as cleaning and grocery shopping into exciting opportunities to nurture your child’s development) can be valuable resources for our TIPS families and can be downloaded and copied without copyright violations! I encourage all TIPS professionals to indulge in both the “parent” and “professional” sections of www.zerotothree.org as they both contain a wealth of information.