Family & Education Training

  • A well-informed family makes all the difference in the quality of life that both children with disabilities and their family experience. Providing support for families, then, ensures that they are not only able to understand how to give the best care to their loved ones but have all the necessary resources to do so.

    Our Family Education & Training sessions provide families with valuable resources and information about service alternatives available to them and how to gain access.

    Family Education & Training (FET) provides education and training to care-givers of children under the age of 18 who are enrolled in the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver. In a given year, families are required to attend at least two FET sessions in order to maintain HCBS Waiver eligibility.

    1. Transitioning to Adulthood-Provides information that helps children better transition into adulthood. Covers topics such as adult services and supports, social security, and more.

    2. Socialization & Recreation-Provides family members and care-givers with general information about community-based resources available to them and their loved ones.

    3. Self Direction-Introduces the Self-Direction service to families and care-givers as an alternative method of coordinating supports and services that are right for the family.

    4. Schooling & IEP-Provides information about schools and the programs they offer, Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), and the rights of parents/guardians.

    5. Play Therapy-Introduces new innovative ways of thinking to families about how play can be a medium for understanding a loved one’s wants and needs.

    6. Self-Advocacy-Provides information on how to encourage independence and self-advocacy in children and young adults as they age.

    7. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (S.N.A.P.)-Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides information on food assistance for low-income families, the elderly and people with disabilities

  • You can check with your MSC to make sure that you are currently enrolled for the waiver service (to be eligible the person receiving services under OPWDD must be 18 or under).

    If you are enrolled you can reach out to the FET Designee, Jennifer Siliato at jsiliato@pccsny.org to schedule a 2-hour appointment that works for your schedule and her availability.

    If an in-person meeting is not possible at the time, the FET Designee can send packets of information that are explained in a session in the mail and if you have any questions you can give her a call and she can walk you through the information she has sent to you over the phone.

  • Currently there are four different topic that we offer:

    Transitioning to Adulthood

    Self-Direction 101

    Schooling & IEP

    Socialization and Recreation

    These topics may be updated or changed at any point so please visit the Family Education and Training page here if you have any specific questions.

    I just received my packet of requested information in the mail, what do I do now?

    Please take your time and read over the information that was sent to you and see if you have any lingering questions about any of the resources sent.

    Feel Free to call Nicole if you have any questions or need for clarification.

    If you are excited to enroll into a certain program or service based on what you have read, contact your MSC and they will assist you through the enrollment process.

    That’s it! If you have only received information on one topic, make sure you schedule for an additional one. If you have received both, you are good to go! Until next year!

    My child is already enrolled in another waiver service such as Community Habilitation. Do I still have to receive Family Education and Training (FET) sessions?: You must maintain your waiver service status as long as you are actively receiving a service. So as long as you are getting Community Habilitation and not just on a waitlist for the service you can be removed from FET. Just contact your MSC directly and they will be in touch with the FET Designee to remove you from the service.

  • That is possible! You can keep your enrollment in FET until your child is 18 years old, at which they age out of the service.