Our original group formed in the fall of 2014, as a group of parents/caregivers at one school seeking to help each other with resources for our dyslexic children. Very quickly others heard about it and people from other schools started to come. Group leaders met the DDCA State Director at the International Dyslexia Association conference in the Fall 2014 and became affiliated with Decoding Dyslexia CA and supportive of its legislative efforts shortly thereafter.
We are a group of parents/caregivers and educators who get together monthly to offer support, share ideas and resources, and empower each other as we experience the successes and challenges of supporting children with dyslexia, and other processing or learning differences. Typically, our meetings include a guest speaker, but sometimes we just talk and share ideas.
The group is parent/caregiver-moderated and free. It is intended to be a safe place where parents can freely share what they are going through and can talk with others who are navigating similar challenges. Members are encouraged to offer insight, experience, and support.
When: Generally the 2nd Monday of the month, September – May, 7:00-8:30 pm
Location: At this time, meetings will be held over Zoom, with scheduled in person coffee meet-ups throughout the school year. RSVP to ddcacontracosta@gmail.com for details on meetings and coffee meet-ups.
Below is the following meeting line up for the beginning of 2023:
1/22/23: Coffee meet-up, Location and time TBA!
2/13/23: Discussion of Emily Hanford’s “Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong” podcast. We will talk about her latest podcast and explore what your school district is doing and how you can advocate for evidence based reading instruction that benefits all learners.
3/13/22: UCSF Dyslexia Center: Phaedra Bell, Ph.D. and Pedro Pinheiro-Chagas, will be our special guests. They will talk about the latest research at the center and give a presentation on math cognition and dyslexia. Here’s a link to some of the research.
5/8/22: Life Design for Students with Dyslexia: Nurturing Strengths. Nicole Ofiesh, Ph.D., Director of Schwab Learning Center at Children’s Health Center will be our guest speaker. Her talk will focus on what parents can do to support and develop their child’s strengths. Dr. Ofiesh’s area of expertise lies with high school to college age and into adulthood. Here’s a link to a recent interview with Dr. Ofiesh about learning differences across the lifespan and another one about transition to college.
Co-Leaders/Contact information:
Jennifer Zimring and Jacki Walker: ddcacontracosta@gmail.com