Announcing Recipients of the Annual ERI Scholarship and Award for School Therapists 2023

The countdown to Therapies in the School Conference is on!

scholarship therapistAs we finalize the finishing touches for this year’s exciting conference, we want to take a moment to announce this year’s award winners of the annual ERI Scholarship and Award for New to School-Based Practice.

We received many noteworthy nominations and it was difficult to choose a winner among the many talented and dedicated therapists. We are thrilled to announce the following recipients as this year’s winners:

Scholarship for Therapist New to School-Based Practice:

Congratulations are in order for Brielle Mayes! This award is meant to celebrate and support an emerging leader who is new to the field of school-based therapy. It is never easy to begin practicing in a new area and we really admire those who persevere and provide quality care despite the challenges they might encounter during those first few years. 

Brielle began her school-based career in the middle of the pandemic and during extended school year in the summer of 2021. Despite the hurdles that extended school year and a global pandemic presented, she has whole-heartedly embraced this setting and shown dedication to advancing her knowledge in the service of her students.

She has long enjoyed being in an educational setting, both as a child herself and during her undergraduate and graduate courses and that love of school and learning shines through when you talk with her. She speaks excitedly about being fully invested in her district community, naming parent conferences, back to school night, staff in services and school events as opportunities to foster more connection between therapy and home. She is passionate about advocating for her students’ best interests, ensuring free and appropriate education is in place and adhering to educational code and law. Speaking of advocacy, she successfully approached the school board in her district to win funding for a sensory room to offer students tools they needed to regulate. What an important and impressive achievement for any therapist, let alone a new-to-schools therapist!

Scholarship for Excellence in Creative School-Based Therapy:

 We’re thrilled to recognize Shelly Weakly! Our awardee was nominated by a colleague, who values her mentorship and support and who wanted to celebrate this therapist’s exemplary demonstration of collaboration, leadership and ingenuity. For over 25 years, this therapist has served an Illinois school district consisting of 25 schools and aside from participating in her normal therapy responsibilities, she has also carved out time to create a unique piece of therapy equipment for her students.

So, how did this awardee’s collaboration, leadership and ingenuity skills come to life in a creative way? Working together with a high school robotics team, she led the charge in modifying a commercially available motorized kiddie car so that it would serve students with mobility challenges. By providing lateral trunk and head supports, safety straps, and adapting the toggle controls for the car, she cleared the way for increased mobility, play and fun for her students. Kids can use the car during PE, at recess and other times during the day. Since early mobility is so important for exploration and learning across multiple domains, this car is offering the keys to success for many students. After several months in operation, the car is still going strong. Well done to her and her co-creators!

Congratulations to Shelly and Brielle! Thank you for your passion, hard work and innovative ideas that help to push our profession forward. 

Both women will receive a scholarship of free tuition to this year’s 24th Annual Therapies in the School Conference, and will be recognized at the event. This is a virtual conference. 

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It’s not too late to register…

school based therapist for children needing services

 

Registration is still open for this year’s Therapies in the School Conference. For 23 years, ERI has been committed to renewing your passion for school-based therapy and providing you with tools and strategies you can use right away to improve learning outcomes for your students. This year is no different! Join the ERI atmosphere that promotes therapists building connections, sharing ideas, and actively learning. We can’t wait!

Questions? Contact our office at 800-487-6530 or info@educationresourcesinc.com 

Celebrating International Neonatal Therapy Week – PLUS Special Offers Just For You!

Neonatal therapy NICU NANT

We’re celebrating Neonatal Therapists all this week!

September 17 – 23, 2023 marks the kick off of International Neonatal Therapy Week (INTW) and we’re excited to celebrate! Started many years ago by the National Association of Neonatal Therapists (NANT), this week honors occupational therapists (OTs), physical therapists (PTs) and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who specialize in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Thank you to this group of highly professional, passionate, and driven caregivers around the globe who dedicate their time to the smallest of patients resulting in a lifetime of positive change.

premature baby NICU infant

As professional partners with NANT, we know that neonatal therapists have an emotional connection to their profession and are always looking for ways to improve upon their practice. To help neonatal therapists meet their professional goals, ERI offers exceptional neonatal continuing education courses taught by renowned faculty.

Special offers all week long!

For one week only ERI is offering $30 off any webinar, live in-person or on demand NICU-related course. Use coupon code INTW2023 at checkout to redeem this offer. This offer is valid through September 23, 2023.  Are you a NANT member? Keep your eyes peeled for a special promotion from NANT coming this week 👀

NICU courses designed to meet your specific needs

Our courses teach the latest techniques and treatments that can be immediately applied to practice helping therapists improve outcomes in the NICU and beyond. The CEU hours from our evidence-based NICU courses count toward the required 40 hours of education for certification offered by the Neonatal Therapy National Certification Board (NTNCB).

If you’re a neonatal therapist looking to grow your career and improve outcomes, register for one of our life-changing neonatal courses which will remind you why you became a therapist and why you love what you do.  

Questions? Contact our office at 800-487-6530 or email info@educationresourcesinc.com

Deadline for Recertification for Certified Neonatal Therapists Coming Up

The deadline for recertification for Certified Neonatal Therapists is fast approaching. If your certification expiration is in the months of July through December, your recertification applications are due September 30th.

Failure to recertify prior to the expiration date of the current certification period will result in inactive status. Those with inactive status who wish to become certified will initiate the process again, including submitting an application and taking the certification examination. Review the full list of requirements on the Neonatal Therapy Certification Board website. 

premature infant in NICU

To recertify, applicants must have 2000 hours of NICU-related practice over the 5-year certification period. If you are still in need of hours prior to September 30th, check out these live webinars that are scheduled before the end of September: 

LIVE WEBINARS:

ON-DEMAND COURSES: 

Need a sooner date? Browse our list of on-demand NICU courses to take your CEUs anytime, anywhere: 

Questions about our courses? Contact our office at info@educationresourcesinc.com or call 800-487-6530. 

NEW On-Demand Course for School-Based Therapists

We hope you enjoyed a nice summer break and had some time to relax and re-charge with family and friends!  As the back-to-school reality sets in…we wanted to let you know about a new ON-DEMAND offering that will help to get yourself ready for the upcoming school year. 

Learn Participation-Based Goals and Strategies to Positively Impact Student Outcomes

child using a magnifying glass to inspect a miniature tree being held by her therapistParticipation-Based Practice to Support Student Outcomes-ON-DEMAND is taught by school-based practice expert Susan Cecere, MHS, PT, and was recorded at her recent live webinar.  In this course, Sue will teach you new ways to focus on participation with your students to improve their outcomes.

Maybe you took Sue’s popular session Shifting to a Workload Model to Support Student Outcomes at ERI’s Annual Therapies in the School Conference last fall where she began to introduce some of these ideas. Now, you can dive in and continue your learning with Sue to focus on boosting participation based on what helps the student most: participating more in the classroom and with friends on the playground. Even if you’re new to learning with Sue, this course is a great stand-alone learning opportunity for school-based therapists!

Here’s what other therapists have said about this course: 

This course served as a huge refresher of the IEP process. Most everything in the course struck me as information to integrate into my practice.  -Catherine K., SLP

I loved the comparison of a child’s IEP to a business plan; it continuously changes to meet the demands of the school environment and needs of the child.  -Jennifer M., PT

It is not our role to treat impairment but to decrease barriers to participation. -Jennifer G., PT

School is not the setting to “treat” kids but to facilitate their participation in school activities. -Kathryn R., PT

Organize Your In-Service Training NOW!

Grab you colleagues and learn together on your next in-service day with this 1-day course! Together, you’re sure to enjoy inspired, thought-provoking conversations as you learn new information that you can put to use in your practice immediately.

Participation-Based Practice to Support Student Outcomes-ON-DEMAND is offered for $199 per person/5 contact hours (0.5 CEUs). Once you purchase, you will have access to the course and downloadable handouts for an entire year. You can watch and re-watch the video as many times as you’d like-whenever it’s convenient for you!

Group rates are available! If you’re interested in bringing this learning opportunity to your district or school group, please contact us HERE.

Questions? Please contact ERI at info@educationresourcesinc.com or 800-487-6530.

Anjanette Lee Presents New “Neonatal Therapy – Establishing Skills for Independent Practice”

Introducing a new, 4-part CEU series focused on Neonatal Therapy.

ERI is excited to announce that neonatal expert Anjanette Lee will be presenting a new 4-part series on Neonatal Therapy. These parts can be taken sequentially, or as stand alone courses. Parts 1 and 2 are scheduled to run in September through November, 2023, with Parts 3 and 4 to follow in spring 2024. All will be delivered via live webinar. 

This 4-part series will be perfect for NTs studying for the Neonatal Therapy Certificate Exam and for those beginning to establish competency by 1) laying a foundation of fundamental knowledge, 2) closing gaps within core competencies, and 3) assuring both fundamental knowledge and core competency knowledge are applied during NICU interventions.

What do each of the four parts cover?

PART 1:
In Part 1 of this beginner to intermediate course, you will learn foundational knowledge pertaining to the philosophical and structural framework supporting neonatal therapy, the impact of the environment on the developing neonate and family, and the body system dynamics that influence the neonate’s development and the neonatal therapist’s supportive interventions.

PART 2: 
In Part 2 of this beginner to intermediate course, you will learn foundational knowledge pertaining to both the maternal and neonatal medical histories, medical and neonatal therapy equipment, and neonatal therapy assessment tools.

PART 3: 
In Part 3 of this beginner to intermediate course, you will take an in-depth dive into the knowledge and integration of skills needed for independent practice in neonatal therapy, covering micro- and macro-environments, family support, the sensory system, and the neurobehavioral system.

PART 4: 
In Part 4 of this beginner to intermediate course, you will take an in-depth dive into the knowledge and integration of skills needed for independent practice in neonatal therapy, covering oral feeding and swallowing and the neuromotor & musculoskeletal systems.

Do I need to attend the entire 4-part series for credit?

No! The beauty of this series is that participants can pick and choose which part(s) they want to attend. Choose to attend only 1 part or all 4 parts – totally up to you. 

Part 1 will be offered on the following dates: 

Part 2 will be offered on the following dates: 

Parts 3 and 4 will be offered in the spring of 2024 with more details to follow. Save when you register for Parts 1 and 2 together! A discounted rate is available for those who register for both Parts 1 and 2. 

Registration is now open! Questions? Reach out to ERI at info@educationresourcesinc.com or call 800-487-6530.