Family-Engaged Educational Training
The Family-Engaged Educational Training program enhances collaboration between families and school professionals with the anticipation to improve child outcomes.
The Family-Engaged Educational Training Project (Project FEET): Taking Steps to Build Meaningful Family-School Partnerships began as a project that was funded through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Service, Division of Public Health Nebraska Council on Developmental Disabilities from 2022-2024.
Faculty from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) partnered with the Munroe-Meyer Institute’s (MMI’s) Family Care Enhancement Project (FCEP) and the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), the Parent Training and Information (PTI) Center of Nebraska, and local families to develop a family-engaged training curriculum to use in college courses taken by school professionals.
The curriculum is now used within courses at UNO. We collect feedback from participating families and school professionals and use the information to make improvements.
The proposed impact of this program is to enhance collaboration in practice between families and school professionals, which is likely to lead to improved child outcomes.
Project Goals
- Increase school professionals’ knowledge and skills in engaging diverse families in the special education process
- Increase family knowledge about special education and skills in partnering with school professionals
This grant is funded through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Service, Division of Public Health Nebraska Council on Developmental Disabilities
Meet the faculty
 Sara Kupzyk |
Sara Kupzyk University of Nebraska at Omaha Department of Psychology Applied Behavior Analysis |
 Apryl Poch |
Apryl Poch University of Nebraska at Omaha College of Education Special Education and Communication Disorders |
Meet 2022-2024 Project Manager and Advisory Board
We are grateful to our project manager and advisory board who provided valuable insights and suggestions as we developed and refined materials.
 Grace Karloff |
Grace Karloff University of Nebraska at Omaha Department of Psychology |
Anne Keith |
Anne is a Special Education Program Facilitator for Millard Public Schools. She and her husband, Corey, have three kids. |
| Faith Kubai | Faith came to the United States from Kenya in 2020 and speaks Swahili and English. She is a mother of two wonderful children, Mimi and Caleb. Caleb has been diagnosed with autism and an intellectual disability. He enjoys making other people smile and playing games. Faith is passionate about education and supporting families. |
| Phoebe Landrum | Phoebe Landrum is the Program Coordinator for Parent University at the Learning Community Center of North Omaha. She has extensive experience collaborating with families and overseeing family-focused programming. She is passionate about her community, education, and family literacy. |
| Mary P McHale |
Mary P McHale and Joe Holm are the parents of Daniel who is deaf/hard of hearing and born with Down Syndrome. Daniel is a young adult, lives in his own apartment with support, and is employed. Mary has been an advocate for their son while he was in the educational system, along with being an advocate for all individuals with disabilities. She continues to be an advocate. Mary is the founder of the Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands 6 months after her son, Daniel, was born. Mary was also on the committee that founded PT I Nebraska along with serving on the committee to start the NE Chapter of Hands & Voices. Mary has served on the boards of Disability Rights Nebraska, OPS SEAC, OPS Superintendent's Bond Committee, and is currently serving on the Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands board, along with being the Board President of the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities. |
Linda S McKleny |
Linda S McKleny is a Food Service Coordinator at the Learning Community of North Omaha. She is a single foster parent to children. |
| Jenn Miller | Jenn is the Executive Director of PTI Nebraska, a statewide resource that helps families of children with disabilities and special healthcare needs navigate the special education process. She has three amazing children, and her oldest has complex, multiple disabilities and is currently receiving services at school in the 18-21 Transition Program. Her son with disabilities is known for his great smile and laugh and for his ability to eat Goldfish crackers and fruit snacks by the pound for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and during snack time. |
| Claudia Pinto | Claudia is an interpreter with more than 30 years experience. She bridges the communication gap with the Spanish speaking community. |
| Paige Rivard | Paige and her husband have two children and their youngest son, Jake, is living with two rare genetic disorders. Paige is the former CEO of a national rare disease organization (PWSA USA) and is passionate about education and advocacy in all settings (school, healthcare, etc.). |
| DeAnna Ruckman | DeAnna has been in Early Childhood Education for almost 24 years. She has been married for 20+ years, and has three Children. She has a daughter named BreAnna, and two sons. Wyatt is severely autistic and non verbal, and Nathan is on the autism spectrum and has ADHD. |
| Georgia Ryba |
Georgia Ryba is a Respite Care Associate with the Munroe Meyer Institute where she runs the Respite Employer Engagement Initiative through the DHHS. She has worked in Nebraska public education with both Bellevue and Omaha public schools, having received a Bachelor's in K-12 Music Education. Georgia helped establish the Zoo Afterschool Program (ZAP!) that is still running today in collaboration with Bancroft and Castelar Elementary. She was also a Registered Behavior Technician for Applied Behavior Analysis therapy with the Munroe Meyer Institute. She is mother to her daughter with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Ehlers-Danlos. |
| Marlene Trinidad and Marcelo Abarca |
Marcelo Abarca and Marlene Trinidad are a family with six children, including their younges who has Down Syndrome. They have been married for almost 18 years. They are originally from Mexico./p> |
| Mariela Tribulato | Mariela Tribulato- Mariela is a Bilingual Family Navigator for Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands./td> |