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Lawndale board hears pilot update on Parent Empowerment Program at Roosevelt
Summary
The board learned details about PEP, a pilot early‑intervention parent program at Roosevelt that uses parent training and small‑group child sessions; presenters said there have been about 23 referrals and six families are in active treatment.
The Lawndale board received a detailed update on the Parent Empowerment Program (PEP), an early‑intervention pilot for pre‑K/TK/kindergarten families now housed at Roosevelt Elementary.
Dr. Julie Kane introduced the program and said it was modeled on a Vanderbilt University approach. Cassidy McCoy, a school psychologist on special assignment and the PEP lead, described the program structure: families participate in two‑hour sessions twice weekly (morning and afternoon cohorts to increase access), parents receive video training and one‑on‑one case management, and children work in small groups using structured activities and social‑skills work. McCoy said the program began in November, has collected about 23 referrals and currently has six families in active treatment (three kindergarteners, one TK and two preschoolers). She said the program uses a phased approach (active treatment then a "payback" or maintenance phase) and that staff are preparing to graduate their first family after roughly three months of active participation.
Trustees asked about eligibility and scale. Presenters said PEP was piloted at Roosevelt because of higher need and that the goal is to accept referrals from across the district once the model is refined. Capacity limits discussed at the meeting: a maximum of six students per session, which allows the pilot to serve 12 families if both morning and afternoon sessions run concurrently. Kane and McCoy also described teacher collaboration plans (guided observations and consultation) and training supports such as applied behavioral analysis (ABA) training previously provided to TK staff.
Board members expressed support for the program and asked staff to continue building teacher collaboration and options for families on the wait list. No formal action was taken; the presentation was informational.
