March 18 ~ The Power of Music Workshop

The workshop will be presented by Melissa St. John, MM, MT-BC, Director of PCDA Creative Arts Department, on Tuesday, March 18, 2014 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Lanterman. At the workshop, you will learn why music works and how to use music to help your child:

• Engage in a range of activities (preferred and non-preferred)
• Build connections and strengthen relationships
• Improve speech and communication
• Establish routines and handle transitions

Hands on examples and demonstrations of various techniques will be provided, such as how to:

• Turn any book into a song
• Compose and create songs specific to your child’s needs and interests

Contact the Koch-Young Resource Center at 213.252.5600 or kyrc@lanterman.org for more information or to register.

Reserve your space before Monday, March 17, 2014.    

NO CHILDREN PLEASE.

March 25 ~ Spring Playgroup on Tuesday Afternoons for Children 2 to 5 Years of Age Starts, and Monthly Baby Play Day

Quality play time with parents can lead to improvements in skills such as communication, engagement, sensory awareness, cognitive ability and creativity. Each session of the parent-child playgroups typically runs for six weeks and will provide caregivers with play strategies and tips for engaging children with special needs to make playtime more fun and meaningful as well as exposure to a variety of play mediums and ideas for low-budget activities that can be done at home. Caregivers will also get expert advice and answers to questions from therapists who will visit the group.

Sessions are conducted in English and Spanish concurrently for various age ranges between 2 and 5 years of age and at various days and times to accommodate the needs of the community.

Program made possible by a contribution from the Fred and June MacMurray Foundation.

Upcoming playgroup sessions are all held at Lanterman and dates and times are as follows:

Spring Tuesday Afternoon Session 1
Tuesdays, March 25 and April 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, 2014
1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Monthly Baby Play Day on March 25 Too
And don't forget about the monthly Baby Play Day being held on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Register online to attend, view the flyer or online for more information about the baby play day.

For more information on the sessions, and to register, contact Play Program Coordinator Lisa Anand at 213.252.8348 or lanand@lanterman.org.

March 25 & 28 ~ Music Together: Two Series of Parent and Me Music Series Start

Lanterman presents two sessions of Music Together, both 10-week series, one starting Tuesday, March 25, 2014, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. running through Tuesday, May 27, 2014, and the other starting on Friday, March 28, 2014 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and running through Friday, May 30, 2014, at Lanterman. 

The series brings together families in sharing songs, instrument play, rhythm chants and movement activities in a relaxed, playful, non-performance-oriented setting.

Music is learned through developmentally appropriate activities that support and respect the unique learning styles of young children from 1 to 5 years of age. Infants, toddlers and preschoolers participate at their own levels in family-style classes of mixed ages.

Program made possible by a contribution from the Fred and June MacMurray Foundation.

Space is limited, registration required.

For more information, contact the Koch-Young Resource Center at 213.252.5600 or kyrc@lanterman.org.

March 26 ~ Public Meetings to be Held Regarding Purchase of Services Differences

Lanterman Regional Center will be hosting two public meetings on Wednesday, March 26, 2014, one in Spanish at 10 a.m. and one in English at 7 p.m., at the regional center. During the meetings we will be reviewing data on the disparity in purchased services for Lanterman clients related to age, race, primary language, and disability.

El Centro Regional Lanterman llevará a cabo dos reuniones públicas el miércoles, 26 de marzo de 2014, uno en español a las 10 a.m. y otro en inglés a las 7 p.m., en el centro regional. Durante las reuniones vamos a repasar los datos sobre la disparidad en los servicios comprados para clientes de Lanterman relacionados con la edad, raza, idioma y la discapacidad.

These meetings are held, as they were for the first time last year, to comply with (Welfare & Institutions Code, 4519.5) that calls for the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and regional centers to annually compile data relating to purchase of service authorization, utilization and expenditure, and report with respect to several indicators including age, race, language and disability. Each year, this data will be compiled and posted by the regional center by December 31st  for the prior fiscal year with public meetings to be held by the following March 31st.

Estas reuniones se llevan a cabo, como fueron por primera vez el año pasado, para cumplir con (Código De Bienestar & Instituciones, 4519.5) que pide el Departamento de Servicios del Desarrollo (DDS) y centros regionales anualmente compilar datos relacionados con la compra del gasto, utilización y autorización del servicio e informar respecto de varios indicadores, incluyendo la edad, raza, idioma y discapacidad. Cada año, esta información será compilada y publicada por el centro regional antes del 31 de diciembre para el año fiscal anterior con reuniones públicas conducidas antes del siguiente 31 de marzo.

View more information online

March 27 ~ Special Education, Inclusion and Transition to Preschool Presentation

This presentation will be held on Tuesday, March 27, 2014 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at BCR in Burbank and is for families with school-age children and will cover the following topics:

• What is special education and how to get the most out of a child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP)
• How to ask for a new assessment and when and when not to sign the IEP
• Strategies to include a child at school and in the community
• Special section for parents with children 2 to 3 years of age that focuses on what happens when a child transitions to preschool

For more information, dates and to register, contact Edward Perez at 213.252.4986 or eperez@lanterman.org.

Reserve your space by March 26, 2014.

Register online via