Minnesota Positive Behavior Support Gathering on February 10

The Minnesota Positive Behavior Support (MN PBS) Network Gathering, titled "Road to Success," will be held on February 10, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., at the Minnesota Department of Education at 1500 Highway 36 West in Roseville. Founded last June by a number of Minnesotans including ICI's Rachel Freeman and Eileen Klemm, the MN PBS Network connects practitioners, teachers, administrators, and family members practicing or interested in Positive Behavior Support (PBS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) across settings, populations, and lifespan. The purpose of the gathering is for participants to learn more about PBS; share stories about how PBS works across the lifespan; connect with other people implementing PBS; join a network of people who want to help make PBS available across the state; and encourage collaboration across education, human services, and other relevant partners.

Participants can attend the event in person or remotely from anywhere in Minnesota. Barry McCurdy, who directs the Devereux Center for Effective Schools and is a PBS leader in education and other support settings, will deliver the keynote address on implementing PBS in schools and other settings. This will be followed by discussions on PBS issues within three "strands" from across the lifespan: children birth through age 6, children and youth 7-21, and adults and elderly populations. Stories at the all-day event will demonstrate how positive behavior support in these life stages improve quality of life and promote social growth, skills, and interactions, with examples describing individualized PBS planning when more support is needed. "The PBS Gathering will be a great opportunity to: (a) meet and network with other people using PBS in school, home, and community settings; (b) listen to real stories about assessment, intervention, collaboration, measurement, training, and how it has changed peoples' lives at home, at work, in the community, and at school; and (c) learn from our local experts in PBS working collaboratively with schools, in-home support providers, and community support providers," says Tim Moore of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

The Gathering is free and all are welcome, but registration is necessary. ICI is co-sponsoring the event, along with the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Minnesota Department of Education, and the University of St. Thomas.