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Hosemann Foundation provides scholarship to local educators for new Holmes course Pictured is (center) Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann with Holmes instructors at a College and Career Fair in Canton on Feb. 14. Secretary Hosemann not only supports Holmes at local events, but provided a scholarship though the Hosemann Family Autism Foundation that enabled 20 teachers to complete PSY 2543 – Applied Behavior Analysis at Holmes. (Photo credit: Leah Rupp Smith, Assistant Secretary of State of Communications)
An advocate for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann is helping more Mississippians gain credentials to work in the field. One such way is through the Applied Behavior Analysis Scholarship for Teachers, provided by the Hosemann Family Autism Foundation. The scholarship was offered to the first 20 Mississippi educators that applied, registered and passed the PSY 2543 – Applied Behavior Analysis course at Holmes Community College that began on Jan. 22.
"This course is one of a kind in this country—and it is offered at Holmes Community College," Secretary Hosemann said. "It is aimed directly at providing teachers for some of our most vulnerable citizens. The goal is two-fold: first, we want to educate teachers to become familiar with ABA therapy and take it back to their classrooms. Second, these teachers will have the educational background to become Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs). Truly, these graduates will change the lives of our children."
In the spring of 2018, Holmes made history as the first community college in the nation to offer PSY 2543 – Applied Behavior Analysis. This online course satisfies the 40-hour training requirement which is required to sit for the RBT Competency Assessment and RBT National Exam. This allows the individual to directly implement behavior-analytic services under a supervising Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). RBTs meet directly with clients and work in a variety of settings, including behavioral health clinics, schools and development centers.
"I am excited and appreciative to have the opportunity to be an instructor for the PSY 2543 – Applied Behavior Analysis course at Holmes," said Dr. Kimberly Bellipanni. "As a practitioner in Mississippi, I am aware of the constant need for more availability of resources for families with children diagnosed with autism. I am happy to be a part of a course that is providing opportunities for students to become Registered Behavior Technicians for ABA clinics within our state."
The cohort of students who began in January are the fourth group to take the course, but the first to be eligible for the ABA Scholarship for Teachers. To qualify, they had to be a teacher, teaching in the State of Mississippi. The cost of tuition for the course will be paid by the Foundation upon successful completion of the course with a grade of a C or higher. The Foundation will connect interested teachers with a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), as well. This allows teachers who successfully complete the course to satisfy one of the criteria toward becoming a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT).
One of those scholarship recipients was Leflore County Elementary School teacher Kim Different.
"I am so grateful to the Hosemann Family Autism Foundation for providing the scholarship that allowed me to take the Applied Behavior Analysis course PSY 2543 at Holmes," Different said. "Throughout my 19 years as a special education teacher, I have been involved with collecting data to use in a Functional Behavior Analysis Assessment. Now, I have such a better understanding of the complete process. In addition, I have learned so many strategies that I can begin using with my special needs students as well as my general education students. I would like to offer my most sincere thank you to this organization for this opportunity."
The group who took the 1st 8-week course offering included teachers from all across the state, representing 15 counties. The next course will begin March 18, during the 2nd 8-week term.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for Holmes Community College to be involved with offering the first Applied Behavior Analysis course in the nation," said Vice President for Academic Programs Dr. Fran Cox. "This course addresses autism, and I continue to realize what a great service this is to our Mississippi communities. As I read that one out of every 59 children are affected by autism, it becomes very real to me that there continues to be a large amount of work to be done. The Hosemann Family Foundation Scholarship that is being provided to our Mississippi K-12 educators will certainly serve as a catalyst to provide some of the necessary knowledge and help for autistic children."
Formed in 2017 by Delbert and Lynn Hosemann and their children, the Hosemann Family Autism Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to assist children on the autism spectrum and their families in accessing educational, therapeutic, medical and behavioral health-related resources.
For more information about the Hosemann Family Autism Foundation has created the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Scholarship Program for Mississippi's Teachers scholarship program, please contact hfautismfoundation@gmail.com.
For more information about the Holmes Community College PSY 2543 – Applied Behavior Analysis course, contact Dr. Bellipanni at kbellipanni@holmescc.edu or call Holmes Community College at (662) 472-9146.
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