Parent/Caregiver Speaker Series
Through our Parent/Caregiver Speaker Series, the Downingtown Area School District furthers its commitment to promoting healthy communities by featuring speakers and presentations that support our mission of providing wellness opportunities for our families.
Cartwheel Webinar Series
Supporting Family Wellness and Mental Health Webinars
Dates: various throughout 2025-2026
Location: Register for webinars: live or replay
Website: Cartwheel
- January 14, 7 pm: Building Resilience and Emotional Exposure in Kids, Alex Hirshberg, Psy.D.
- February 11, 12 pm: Promoting Healthy Relationships with Food and Body in Schools, Dana Sedlak, LCSW, CEDS-C
- March 11, 12 pm: Navigating the Tough Talks: Strategies for Talking to Teens about Substance Use, Amy McCarthy Baluch, LICSW
- April 15, 12 pm: 5 Keys to Parenting a Child with ADHD, Erin Schoenfelder Gonzalez, Ph.D.
- May 12, 7 pm: Learning How to Recognize and Treat Youth with OCD and Related Disorders, Erica Greenberg, M.D.
- June 4, 12 pm: Supporting Boys: Mental Health Strategies for Young Men, Chris Smith
Communities that Care (CTC) Podcasts
Listen and learn! What is a Prevention Specialist? Learn about the role they play in our elementary and high schools. How do they support our students? When should parents reach out to them for help? What trends are they seeing with our students?
CTC has many, many podcasts covering many, many topics. Sign up, listen, learn, feel supported!
2025-2026 Parent/caregiver Speaker Series
Communities That Care of Greater Downingtown (CTC) and DASD Wellness: In partnership CTC and DASD offered a virtual parent/caregiver speaker series to increase education and awareness on mental health and ATOD topics focused on the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (2023) risk and protective factors and provided parents with resources and support during the school year.
January Focus:
Challenges and Strategies for Students with School Avoidance: School avoidance is a complex and challenging issue for students, parents, and school staff. This program brings together experts from our community who directly work with parents , students, and our DASD schools to understand the contributing issues of school avoidance and identify helpful strategies and resources to support parents and students.
February Focus:
Neuroscience for High Risk Behavior: Protecting and Growing Executive Functioning Skills explains how alcohol, drugs, technology overuse, and other high-risk behaviors disrupt the developing brain systems that support planning, self-control, and decision-making in children and teens. This program shares parent tools such as parenting scripts, daily routines, and life skills to support healthy behaviors and resilient youth.
Focus on Substance Use, Prevention and Wellness
CTC Podcasts:
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Episode 23: How Our Youth Really Feel About Substances and More: Breaking Down PAYS Data Part 1
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Episode 28: Do “all kids” drink by the end of high school? Underage drinking perceptions and norms
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Episode 43: Stealth vaping, Snapchat & Other Drug Trends with Shannon DiCandilo
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Episode 46: You did it right? How much do we tell our kids about our past alcohol and drug use?
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Episode 47: Nothing That Isn’t Yours! Opioids and Fentanyl Use in Chester Co.
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Episode 52: What is California Sober? With Be A Part of the Conversation
Parent Speaker Series:
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DASD Parent Speaker Series: Substance Use Prevention and Wellness for Student Athletes
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DASD & CTC Parent Speaker Series - Spring 2025 - Power of Parents
Prevention Resources:
24-Hour Crisis Support
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call, text or chat 988
Valley Creek Crisis Intervention
24-Hour Hotline
Safe to Say Something
24-Hour Tip Line
1-844-SAF2SAY
www.safe2saypa.org/tip
Are you afraid someone you know may hurt themselves? Submit an anonymous tip and school officials and law enforcement (as necessary) will immediately respond.
CHESTER COUNTY
CHILD & ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Parent/Caregiver Speaker Series Past Events
Belonging
- Dr. Temple Grandin meets with DASD community
- Search for Identity: Be A Part of the Conversation
- Trauma, Resilience, & the Importance of Self-Care: Chester County ACEs Coalition and Chester County Health Department
- You can’t always be invincible: Vince Papale
Bullying
- A Conversation About Bullying: Sara Shepard and Zakiya Young
Parenting
- Being Comfortable in the Uncomfortable: How to have tough conversations with your kids: Dr. Jennifer Benjamin
- Healthy Boundaries, Healthy Family: Sara Brooks, LPC, Bethann Cinelli, D.Ed., Chrissie Dziembowski, MPH, Judy Hirsh, JD, CFRS, Kim Porter, CFRS, Lex Romillard, MSW, LCSW
- PREP: Prevention Resources & Education for Parents/Caregivers: Sarah Brooks, Bethann Cinelli and Selena Moressi, Caron
- Power of Parents: Communities that Care & Beth Bruton, Holcomb Behavioral Health Systems
Technology
- Digital Parenting with Family Tech: How to Manage Tech in your home with your kids of all ages: Sarah Kimmel, Family Tech
- Internet Safety: Joe Myers
- Online Safety Parent Night: DASD Technology Department
Substance Use
- CTC: Episode 23: How Our Youth Really Feel About Substances and More: Breaking Down PAYS Data Part 1
- CTC: Episode 25: “I Always Felt Loved”: A Parent’s Story About Supporting Their Child with Substance Use Disorder
- Mock Teen Bedroom: Be A Part of the Conversation
- Nicotine, Vaping & Smoking - Understanding Psychological & Physiological Health Risks for Adolescents: David Fialko, B.S., NCTHS, ICPS
- Peak Performance: Substance Use Prevention and Wellness for Student Athletes: Tina George, MSW, CPS
- Prevention Resources and Education for Parents: Vaping: Selena Morresi, Caron's Educational Alliance
When School is Out
- Embracing Summer: Keli Laverty, BC - DMT
- Wellness Reset for the Summer: Meghan Belamorich, MD, Jennifer Benjamin, PhD., LPC, Amanda Daley, Jan Michener, MA, Pricilla Singleton, LCSW, LMFT
Mental Health
- Community Connections: Addressing Student Mental Health with Experts
- Eating Disorders Amongst Youths: Shelby Milne, Renfrew Center
- Helping Students in Distress: Recognizing and Responding to the Warning Signs of Depression and Suicide: Dr. Matthew Wintersteen
- Recognizing the Signs of Suicide and Depression: Dr. Matthew Wintersteen
- Signs of Suicide- Helping Your Child Save a Life: Greta Neff
Help at/With School
- Challenges and Strategies for Students with School Avoidance: Anthony Bertolino, Katie May and Dr. Daniel Stone
- Prevention Specialists: Learn about who they are, what they do and how they can help. CTC podcast
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