Butler County Educational Service Center

As Kinship Care Month comes to a close, our commitment to kinship families continues.

We are grateful for every grandparent, relative and family friend who has stepped forward to provide a child with care, stability and a place to belong. Your role matters, your family’s needs matter and asking for help is a sign of strength.

BCESC’s Kinship Navigator is available throughout the year to help Butler County families find answers, understand their options and connect with support. Whether you recently began caring for a loved one or have been navigating kinship care for years, we are ready to walk alongside you.

Connect with us at bcesc.org.

Thank you to Generations United for helping elevate the experiences of kinship families nationwide.

Connection, collaboration, and support for those supporting our students!

We had a great first Counselors’ Roundtable of the school year, bringing school counselors from across our partnering districts together to share ideas, discuss the needs they’re seeing in their schools, and connect with colleagues doing this important work.

Our next Roundtable is coming up October 21, and we’d love to have you join us! These gatherings are an opportunity to learn from one another, share resources, and strengthen the support we provide students and families across our region.

Learn more and join us: https://trst.in/DE8l68

Sometimes the best support is having the right people in the room.

Our first Leaders’ Lens of the school year brought administrators, instructional coaches, teacher leaders, and other school leaders together to connect and collaborate around timely topics—from AI and student supports to legislative updates and career credentials.

Now, we’re getting ready to do it again!

Join us October 21 from 9–11 a.m. at BCESC as Barbie Gregory from Miami University Regionals | Ohio Career Pathway Support Network shares ways schools can strengthen career-connected learning and build connections among K–12 education, postsecondary opportunities, and our local workforce.

Come connect, collaborate, and leave with ideas you can put into action in your district.

RSVP: https://www.bcesc.org/apps/form/form.BUTCESC.vtBf1a0.L0_?_=1790781779532

Kinship families bring powerful strengths to children’s lives.

When children cannot remain with their parents, being cared for by relatives or close family friends can help preserve important family bonds, cultural connections, community relationships and a sense of belonging. These familiar connections can provide stability during a time of significant change.

At BCESC, we believe supporting children also means supporting the caregivers who step forward for them. Our Kinship Navigator works alongside Butler County families to identify needs, overcome barriers and connect with resources that can strengthen the entire family.

Learn more at bcesc.org.

Generations United

Happy HR Professionals Day!

Today, we recognize the HR professionals who help make it possible for great people to do meaningful work in support of students, families, and schools.

We’re especially grateful for our Butler County ESC Human Resources team, whose work reaches beyond our own agency. In addition to supporting BCESC employees throughout their careers, our team helps recruit and hire substitute teachers who step into classrooms throughout Butler County—helping our partnering school districts keep students learning and supported each day.

Much of their work happens behind the scenes, but its impact can be felt across our agency and throughout our public school community.

Thank you to our HR team for supporting the people who make our mission possible and helping us remain partners in shaping lives.

If your team has ever thought, “We have an FBA, but we're still not sure what to do next,” this training is for you.

Practical FBAs & BIPs: Data to Action in Real Classrooms is designed to help teams make the connection between understanding behavior and taking action.

Across two full training days, you’ll move from:
Data → Function → FBA Hypothesis → Practical BIP

And you won’t just talk about the process. You’ll work through it using real student data with coaching and structured work time.

📅 September 30: FBA
📅 October 28: BIP
Must attend both days
💰 $199
👥 Maximum of 50 participants
If you’ve been meaning to register, now is the time.

Register: https://trst.in/aX6CKr

Presented by Butler County ESC Behavior Coaches Dave Bell & Christy Eichhold.

Kinship caregiving often begins unexpectedly. A grandparent, relative or close family friend may step forward during a family crisis and quickly find themselves navigating legal questions, school enrollment, healthcare, financial needs and challenging behaviors.

That can feel overwhelming—but Butler County families do not have to figure it out alone.

BCESC’s Kinship Navigator can help families understand their options, apply for legal custody, explore financial benefits and Medicaid, connect with community resources and find guidance for supporting the children in their care. The program is available at no cost to Butler County kinship families, regardless of income.

Visit bcesc.org to learn how we can help.

Generations United

More than 100 car seat installations and safety checks—and more than 100 opportunities to help a caregiver feel better prepared to protect a child.

BCESC has six certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians who support families through Help Me Grow, PRIM, Early Intervention and other programs. Our technicians check installations, answer questions and help caregivers understand how to use their child’s seat properly as part of our broader partnership with families.

Learn more about this work at bcesc.org.

AAA National Safety Council NHTSA Safe Kids Worldwide

Healthy habits are even better when families learn together!

Last week, families at three of our Head Start sites participated in Head Start Healthies, a hands-on opportunity that brings nutrition education, skill-building, and family engagement together.

Students started in the classroom learning how to build a healthy plate while parents learned alongside our Nutrition staff. Then, families came together to prepare a healthy meal—giving children the chance to practice motor skills, try new things, and put what they learned into action with the people who matter most.

It’s one more way Head Start supports the whole child and the whole family, building skills and healthy habits that can continue well beyond the classroom.

We’re proud of our Head Start team for creating opportunities like these as we continue partnering in shaping lives!

National Head Start Association