Producer – Pleasantville Community Television

Producer: Tara M. Klein

Tara received a Bachelor of Science degree from La Roche College in 1982. Born and raised in Albany, NY, Tara's mother was a resource room special education teacher. Her father was an attorney. She currently lives in Westchester County with her husband, Russ, and their four teenage sons. Tara became committed to advocating for appropriate special education programs through her own personal experience with her learning-disabled twin sons. She joined Westchester Arc in the spring of 2008 to work with the "Life Planning" team and to further her knowledge in the area of transition planning.
Tara was the co-founder of the Special Education PTA (SEPTA) chapter in her school district and is the current WEP Regional Special Education PTA Chair. She is actively involved in developing educational programs and encouraging community support and awareness for families of children with developmental disabilities.
Tara was one of only 20 candidates in NYS to complete the first federally funded COPAA Special Education Advocate Training program on the East coast. She is also a certified "Yoga for the Special Child" practitioner, teaching yoga classes in the Westchester County area. In addition, Tara has created a web based transition planning toolkit resource to support school staff and parents access and organized the complex documents required for the process.
Go to www.tickbang.com for more information.

Series By This Producer/Host

Pleasantville Special Education PTA presents
The Pleasantville Special Education PTA (SEPTA) is a district-wide Parent Teacher Association organized for the specific purpose of providing information and support to parents and caregivers of children with special needs, including those with 504 plans or IEP's, receiving RTI or general building level support. Our mission is to create a true sense of community for all families of children with disabilities, from EI and CPSE through high school to age 21. SEPTA sponsors speakers, parent gatherings, library resources and educational programs in an effort to create a true parent support, community network.
Special Education Parenting Video Collection
Working in conjunction with the Pleasantville Special Education PTA, as well as with local professionals in the field, this collection of informal interviews, professional presentations and school district workshops has been created to provide important tips and resources to parents and educators who live and work with children who have special education needs. Additional reference materials on these topics is also available in the main branch of the Mt. Pleasant Public Library in the Pleasantville SEPTA Parenting Collection.
Arc of Westchester Tranistion's Q & A
Arc of Westchester knows that the complex world of transition planning for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities can be frustrating. We're here to help. With the support and guidance of Arc of Westchester's Navigation Team, this new video series has been created by parents for parents. Our hope is that by breaking the transition process down into small, sequential steps, you will feel informed, empowered and able to connect your child to the important adult services they will need to live a full and happy life within their community.

Specials By This Producer/Host

Speak Out with Sandy Galef
New York State Assembly Member Sandy Galef hosts "Shrinking School Budgets Through Sharing & Consolidation" held at Cortlandt Town Hall on September 16, 2010. This program starts at 10 seconds into the video clip.