O.H. Perry K-8 School to Release Balloons for Red Treehouse Website “Maiden” Launch: First region of state-wide resource for families and professionals goes LIVE!

Children at O.H. Perry K-8 School will release helium-filled balloons on Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 9-11 am, to celebrate the Cuyahoga County regional launch of the state-wide website www.redtreehouse.org .  The balloons will carry a message announcing the website’s availability!  OH Perry K-8 School was selected because of its strong commitment to family/school/community partnerships and educational opportunities.  O.H. Perry is located at 18400 Schenely Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44119.

 A collaboration between Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland and Ohio Family and Children First Council, with support from many state agencies and organizations, www.redtreehouse.org  helps families and professionals promote the wellbeing of children and young adults, from birth to age 25.  This includes the specific needs of families with a child with a disability.

The website offers three main types of support for families and professionals:

            · Resources, guides and tool-kits (“how to” information with examples)

· Contact information for organizations (the go-to person and how to reach them)

· Calendar of events, training and activities (opportunities to learn more)

Research shows: When families have information they need, outcomes for children are much better.  This is especially true, when the child has a disability.  www.redtreehouse.org  will, eventually, house information and connections from the entire state…in one “place.” 

Professionals, including teachers, report difficulty finding reliable resources and opportunities for training.  The Red Treehouse website will assist those efforts!

A red treehouse logo was selected to symbolize a welcoming, personal place – a place to explore, discover and see beyond   immediate surroundings. It is a place where people come to find new possibilities, where people gather to help children and young adults meet needs, to overcome challenges and develop to their fullest potential.

A treehouse doesn’t stand alone. It is anchored by and interacts with surrounding branches. Strength and resiliency as individuals and as a community are enhanced by those branches, by connections to others.  There is a network of community members to provide support.

The Red Treehouse website, is designed to help make  connections, to actively engage, motivate and empower families to recognize their own needs, strengths, and resources, and to take an active role in their child’s education and training.  It is a resource to encourage parent/professional partnerships to better meet the needs of any child or family.

Families and professionals will be able to search the www.redtreehouse.org by location (county), age of child or young adult, or any topic of need or interest.  The other nine Ohio Regions will be launched through April 2013.