Blog Post Listing

Each year, those in the special education community reflect on the importance of Dec. 2.  On this day in 1975, President Ford signed the landmark Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which ensured special education programs were available in all public schools and allowed students with varying needs to receive the help they needed. Since then, Dec. 2 has been celebrated as National Special Education Day. On this day, we strive to bring awareness to the special education community and honor educators that work in this field

Special education is essential to ensure students with various needs develop the life skills they need to succeed. Our Healthy Relationships Curriculum is designed to help students with these needs gain skills and form meaningful relationships. When teaching students with varying needs, it is crucial to have a curriculum that can easily adapt to their needs. Our curriculum features a variety of resources, including in-person role-playing activities, 180+ videos, scenario cards to help discuss the skills learned, and games to reinforce skills.

We also want to thank all special education teachers for their work. Filled with compassion, these teachers care so much about their students and want to see them succeed.  Those who teach our Healthy Relationships Curriculum know how much we care about them and their students. We provide these instructors with professional development to effectively teach lessons and adapt to their students’ needs. I’ve seen firsthand in talking with our teachers that they are always looking for new ways to help every one of their students excel and find the proper ways to teach their lessons. Special education teachers go above and beyond what is required of them and make an impact on so many lives.

Thank you to all special education teachers out there. And, if you are not using our Healthy Relationships Curriculum, you might want to click this link to schedule a demo.

Author: Jen Falkowski, MEd — Supervisor of Special Education

All teachers strive to relate to their students, especially teachers of students with various needs. Relating to students helps them pay attention in class and absorb the information they are learning. The students may also want to ask the teachers questions and feel empowered to do their best in the classroom. However, a language barrier can prevent the students and teachers from properly interacting in the school may occur.

That’s where our Healthy Relationships Curriculum can help. We understand language barriers make it more difficult for students with varying needs to learn the life skills their educators are trying to teach them. To help solve this problem, our resource is designed with home supplements and videos available in English and Spanish.

Our Spanish videos provide the same level of quality instruction as our English videos. They still cover our three essential modules for lifelong success: hygiene, human development, and forming relationships, but they are available in the first language the students speak. These videos feature Spanish-speaking students and take-home Spanish resources that encourage parent/caregiver involvement to reinforce these skills.

Additionally, our program also features an extensive library of videos that demonstrate examples of the student’s skills in the classroom, reinforce the importance of the skills, and show how to use these skills in real-life situations. Our library of videos is accessible not only in the classroom but also at home, making retention of lesson concepts easier with family encouragement and involvement.

Our lessons will help you relate to your students and allow them to access the materials when needed without someone there to translate for them. That’s what helps set our curriculum apart. We continually look for new ways to involve students who speak different languages – whether in the classroom or at home. We make it easy for educators to give the same level of attention and care to students who speak Spanish in their class and build lessons they will understand. We also can provide educators with ongoing consultation to help answer questions and make their lessons the best they can be!

As a  special education teacher for more than 20 years, I have yet to see a program with the level of detail that our lesson plans provide.  If you think our curriculum might be suitable for your students, please reach out and request a demo!

Author: Jen Falkowski, MEd — Supervisor of Special Education

As we transition into fall, many fun activities start to happen. People enjoy picking apples and making their way out of corn mazes. The crisp smell of bond fires fills the air. Halloween is right around the corner. I do not know about you, but I love the fall season—especially Halloween. Something about the costumes and decorations makes this holiday fun and exciting. Receiving delicious candy also helps.

However, as a special education teacher for over 20 years, I know that this time of year can be challenging for students with varying needs. There can be a lot of overt stimulation because of parties, costumes, and families’ schedules change frequently. That is why I recommend special education teachers use Halloween and the fall season as an opportunity to reinforce—not shy away—the skills that your students are building.

Our Healthy Relationships Curriculum teaches students a variety of social skills topics including setting appropriate physical boundaries, building, and maintaining relationships, and even what to wear.

When students are invited to Halloween parties and fall get-togethers, these are opportunities where their social skills may be evaluated. Our program offers numerous resources to help you craft lessons that can fit into any situation. For example, you might want to teach students what appropriate attire is for various events. Our program will help you teach proper ways to inform students why they need to wear clothes that can get muddy at a corn maze, why warm clothes at a bonfire is necessary during cold evenings, and why the fun of wearing a custom should be limited to wearing it on Halloween.

When you purchase this program, you will receive access to more than 180 videos, lesson plans, role-playing and demonstrations, and an online portal that allows you to teach these concepts more concretely to those students and clients we work with daily. Because our team has spent decades teaching and working with students with various needs, we have been in your position and are poised to answer any questions you might have. I would encourage you to take a look at a sample lesson or reach out to request a free trial to learn how you can implement this program with your students.

Enjoy a safe, fun fall season filled with good times and memories!

Author: Jen Falkowski, MEd — Supervisor of Special Education

As a former special education teacher, I, know all too well, the time, work, and sometimes, yes, frustration that is involved with lesson planning. With schools across the nation back in session for the academic year, September has always proved to be one of the busiest months of the year. Trying to get students acclimated to classes after the long summer break can be difficult, and educators’ professional development needs often gets moved off the priority list.

When my colleagues and I started to develop the Healthy Relationships Curriculum years ago, I immediately understood the benefits it provides to educators. Not only was it developed by individuals that are passionate about special educational programming, but it was also designed to save educators time, so they can teach their students more efficiently and effectively.

Our team understands that standardized requirements and IEPs can often be in direct conflict with one another. Our Healthy Relationships Curriculum addresses these divergent priorities, giving you the tools you need to prepare your students.

In fact, our Healthy Relationships Curriculum provides many benefits for instructors so they can achieve real results with students. These benefits include:

• Our Healthy Relationships Curriculum fitting seamlessly into lessons/activities you have already developed.
• Our Healthy Relationships Curriculum is designed to meet IEP efficiency standards, so you will not need to worry about your lessons being scrutinized.
• Our Healthy Relationships Curriculum addresses real world life skills to prepare students for adulthood.
• Our Healthy Relationships Curriculum comes ready to use and has built in measurement tools to gauge students learning outcomes.

And just don’t take my word for it!   Our Healthy Relationships Curriculum has helped countless educators navigate the unique challenges that arise in their classrooms. Take for example Alicia, an Autistic Support/Life Skills Teacher at Carlynton School District in Pennsylvania. Alicia told us that she appreciated how the program not only provides “great information” for her students, but it served as a professional development for herself.

The professional development and support that our Healthy Relationships Curriculum provides is one of the key features that make it stand out from other educational programs.  I spent more than 20 years as a special education teacher & now a supervisor and have never come across a program that simultaneously supports educators and students. I would encourage you to look at our sample lessons and request a free demonstration of our Healthy Relationships Curriculum! You can also contact us at any time  by reaching out through our the chat function on the website. We are always happy to take questions from educators in live time.

Author: Jen Falkowski, MEd — Supervisor of Special Education

 

Happy back-to-school month! All throughout this month, schools over the United States will welcome students back to begin another year of learning. Teachers of students with various needs are ready to welcome them back into the classroom to teach them life and relationship skills. Below are a few tips to keep in mind for this school year and how our Healthy Relationships Curriculum can help you accomplish them.

• Establish a robust curriculum: The most essential step for setting students with various needs up for success is using a curriculum built to tackle their requirements. Without a strong curriculum, students might fail to learn the skills they need to succeed in life. Special education teachers designed our Healthy Relationships Curriculum for special education teachers, so you know you’ll share lessons that work with your students.
• Be adaptable: As special educators know, being flexible with your students is important. Adapting to their learning style will help them succeed. That’s why we include multiple ways to help students learn. Our Curriculum features over 180+ videos, visual cue cards, and role-playing/demonstration scenarios.
• Communication with family is critical: Parents/guardians of students want to be involved in lessons and help their children succeed. Our Healthy Relationships Curriculum encourages parental involvement by sharing videos and online, revisable documents directly with families. We encourage our educators to discuss what their children learn in the classroom and how they can help practice these skills at home.
• Do not teach alone: We know planning the perfect lesson can be difficult. That’s why we offer special educators support and professional development in addition to an outstanding curriculum. This means whenever you have a question or need help, we will be able to guide you through the curriculum and help your students succeed.

Being a special education teacher can be as challenging as it is rewarding. However, teaching a program like our Healthy Relationships Curriculum can help make teaching simple and allow your students to achieve better learning outcomes. Trust me, I have spent over 20 years in special education and have never seen a Curriculum as comprehensive as this. It gives you and your students all the tools you need to succeed.

Teachers all around the country are using our Healthy Relationships Curriculum and seeing their students thrive. I encourage you to take a minute and read their feedback. After reading their stories, please request a demonstration of our Healthy Relationships Curriculum so you can start using it with your students!

Author: Jen Falkowski, MEd — Supervisor of Special Education

During the middle of summer, many people feel that educators are relaxing and enjoying their time off. Nothing could be further from the truth!  In fact, the average teacher spends 12 hours a week researching and developing lesson plans. This time could be better spent helping students achieve their goals.

That’s why the best teachers plan as many of their lessons as possible over the summer. As a former special education teacher, I know from experience that many are hard at work planning for the upcoming school year.

Preparing for the new school year can be especially challenging for special education teachers because they must account for and balance the varying needs of their students. Our Healthy Relationships Curriculum can make the planning process easy and provide you with all the materials and resources to feel prepared for the upcoming school year.

The Healthy Relationships Curriculum comes with an abundance of materials and resources. It includes our ready-to-use curriculum manual that features easy-to-use modules to guide you in planning future lessons. Our program also features over 180 role-play & demonstration videos, over 60 scenario cards to help students practice real-life skills, role-playing games, and an interactive guide to help with family involvement.

We also realize that planning everything on your own can be tricky, so we offer guidance and consultations. We want to be your partner and offer support as you work through daily or challenging topics throughout the year.

Since special educators and counselors have thoughtfully designed our program, I am confident that you will find exactly what you and your students need with it. They know what you are looking for in a curriculum and what does not work. In my 20 years working in special education, I have never seen a program that supports both students with their needs, while teaching students social skills through activities.

But don’t just take my word for it. While planning your lessons for next year, I encourage you to look at a sample lesson to see what our program is all about. After that, please request a free demonstration of our Healthy Relationships Curriculum so you can start teaching it!

Author: Jen Falkowski, MEd — Supervisor of Special Education

With summer about to be in full swing, students often daydream about their vacation plans and patiently wait for the last day of school. However, there is no rest for special education teachers! Many spend their summers planning their lesson plans for the upcoming school year. It can be a challenging task for many, but our Healthy Relationships Curriculum makes it easy for students to learn over the summer with video lessons.

We have been told that one of the best parts of our program is the extensive library of videos. Our videos cover topics that are essential to the lifelong success of our students with varying needs. These videos cover topics essential to our three key learning modules: hygiene, human development, and forming relationships. We even have examples on our website for educators to sample.

In fact, we believe in our lesson plans and videos so much that we have expanded the collection which now includes over 180 videos! Many of our new videos are available in English and Spanish.

Our new videos also focus on topics that teach students about social settings, small talk, and making friends. During the summer, students may also have more free time to be on social media. That is why our new videos feature content to teach students what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior on social media in an effort to help keep students safe online.

As a special education teacher for more than 20 years, I know firsthand how unique our program is and how it has helped thousands of students with varying needs. Summer is an exciting, yet busy time, for all of us. As you begin to close out this school year and prepare for the one ahead, I would welcome the opportunity to speak with you directly about your students’ unique needs. Please take a look at our sample lessons and request a free demonstration of our Healthy Relationships Curriculum!

Jen Falkowski, MEd — Supervisor of Special Education

Spring has finally arrived! This time of year brings the beginning of warm, sunny weather and outdoor fun. However, it also means Spring Break is right around the corner. While all students want to enjoy this break to recharge before the last few weeks of school, students with varying needs may need extra help and support to stay engaged and continue learning and building their skills. I’m proud to say that our Healthy Relationships Curriculum makes it easy for these students to enjoy time off from school and continue their learning.

Special education teachers may feel uneasy and worry that their students will not retain vital information when a break from school occurs. As we know, repetition is vital in allowing students to make strides. Our Healthy Relationship Curriculum offers virtual and at-home options to allow students to return from their break without losing the information.

Our school’s special education team designed our Healthy Relationships Curriculum to provide teachers and counselors with all the tools to help their students with various needs. Our lessons can be taught both in-person and virtually and have been designed with built-in online lesson plans. Home reinforcement is also an essential part of the curriculum, and ways to practice the learned skills at home and helps get students’ parents involved in the learning process.

One of the best components of our Healthy Relationships Curriculum is that it comes with over 140 videos that students can watch during the break. Each of these videos is on a different topic and can teach the students anything from hygiene skills to skills on forming relationships, to social media safety and how to make a friend. These videos are designed in a way that both promotes learning critical skills and are fun for the students.

I believe these features of The Healthy Relationships Curriculum make it stand out from other options available. During my 20+ years as a special education teacher, I have not seen a program this well designed to keep students engaged when out of the classroom. If you think this sounds like the right curriculum for your students or just want more information, I encourage you to look at sample lessons and request a free demonstration of our Healthy Relationships Curriculum!

Jen Falkowski, MEd — Supervisor of Special Education

Special education teachers often face unique challenges when trying to find a curriculum to use with their students that have varying needs. Students in special education often lack critical social skills and require programs that will aid them in their development.

I know how overwhelmed special education teachers can feel when it comes to teaching full-time, working with students who have various needs, crafting IEPs, and finding programs that can support their efforts.  I spent over 20 years in the classroom as a special education teacher, and never found one program that was as comprehensive to teach social skills—until I discovered the Healthy Relationships Curriculum.

Unlike other curriculums, our program was designed by special educators for special educators. It provides all the resources and tools that you will need to help teach your students with varying needs. Our program provides lessons on everything from dating, how to maintain personal space, and even hygiene and cleanliness.

One of the best features of the Healthy Relationships Curriculum is that the methods it uses to teach students these skills are fun, interactive, and designed to hold their attention. We have created over 140 videos and dozens of lessons designed to show students how to develop and strengthen their social skills and we also feature role-playing scenarios so students can get that practical, hands-on experience.

It is probably obvious by now, but I’m very passionate about our Healthy Relationships Curriculum and firmly believe it is truly the best resource available for special education teachers. Don’t just take my word for it. Take a look at our sample lessons here and schedule a free demonstration with me to learn more about the Healthy Relationships Curriculum.

Jen Falkowski, MEd

We all want students to succeed in schools and build critical life and social skills that will help them as they become adults.

However, many students in minority communities that have various needs sometimes are not set forth on an educational path that leads them to success. Frequently, these students do not get adequate support services or special education programs they need and are left floundering in school.

Take for example this essay that TIME Magazine ran about Tophs Harris, a young African American child whose parents struggled to navigate his special education needs. We know that not every child or community receives adequate and equal support services and programs when it comes to special education.

With February being Black History Month, now is the time to reflect, honor, and recognize the contributions of Black Americans and understand that there is still so much work to do to ensure that students receive the support services and programs they so rightfully deserve.

That is why I am passionate about the Healthy Relationships Curriculum. Educators, counselors, and school psychologists developed the Healthy Relationships Curriculum, and it is a unique program that teaches students how to navigate everyday life activities.  It is specifically designed for students that have various needs, so they have support in the classroom and at home. It uses positive reinforcement methods to help them achieve their goals.

With over 20 years as a special education teacher, I can say that the resources, tools, and materials, that students receive from this program are unparalleled. Educators receive over 140 unique videos and lesson plans, an online portal to bring the material to life outside the classroom, and so much more!

Finally, your school can use American Rescue Plan funds to help cover the purchase of the Healthy Relationships Curriculum. There is a concerted effort taking place right now by school districts to bridge the gaps in special education programs that exist among minority populations. Every student deserves to receive quality special education programs, and our Healthy Relationships Curriculum may just be the program you are searching for.

I would encourage you to look at our sample lessons, and if you are interested please reach out to me to schedule a  free demonstration.

Jen Falkowski, MEd