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 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.

Sara Kupzyk
University of Nebraska at Omaha Department of Psychology
Applied Behavior Analysis

Apryl Poch
University of Nebraska at Omaha College of Education
Special Education and Communication Disorders

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. Their son Sam is a Junior, Parker is in Eighth Grade and Scarlett is in Sixth.

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. Mimi attends college and plans to continue with medical school. Caleb is in middle school. He 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 25 years old, 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 five children. The three oldest are a sibling group.

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 twelve-years old 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 an 18 year old daughter named BreAnna who is attending Metro Community College, a 14 year old son named Wyatt who is severely autistic and non verbal, and an eight year old son named Nathan that 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 an eight-year-old daughter with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Ehlers-Danlos.

Marlene Trinidad and Marcelo Abarca:

Marcelo y Marlene son una familia con seis hijos, incluida su última niña de 5 meses que tiene Síndrome de Down. Han estado casados por casi 18 años. Son originarios de México.

Marcelo Abarca and Marlene Trinidad are a family with six children, including their last 5-month-old baby girl who has Down Syndrome. They have been married for almost 18 years. They are originally from Mexico.

Mariela Tribulato:

Mariela Tribulato- Mariela is a Bilingual Family Navigator for Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands.

This project was funded by a grant from the Nebraska Council on Developmental Disabilities, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in collaboration with UNO. The content does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of UNO or the policy of the DHHS.