Every summer, we spend a lot of time asking ourselves one question:

"What will make it easier for teachers, therapists, and classroom teams to support communication when the school year gets busy?"

That question has guided every update we've made to the DTA Schools Resources & Materials website this summer.

As educators, we know that great resources aren't helpful if they take hours to prepare. That's why we've continued designing our materials to be practical, easy to implement, and ready to use. Most can be printed or displayed digitally with little to no preparation, making it easier to focus on teaching and interacting with students instead of creating materials from scratch.

This year, we've also been embedding more support directly into the resources themselves. Many of our newest materials now include Teacher Start-Up Tips, Partner Prompts, communication boards, and ELA standards alignment to help classroom teams confidently incorporate communication opportunities into everyday instruction.

We've also continued expanding the variety of resources available to members. Whether you're looking for AAC Cheat Sheets for popular communication systems, Core Word Books, visually simple books, hands-on science activities, visual recipes, AAC Book Kits, or literacy materials that pair with favorite children's books like Pete the Cat, Grumpy Monkey, and the There Was an Old Lady... series, the library continues to grow every month.

One collection we're especially excited about is All Year Core & More. Each monthly theme combines core vocabulary, literacy, communication supports, and classroom activities into ready-to-use lessons that fit naturally into everyday routines. Alongside our existing themes, we're introducing new collections throughout the year, including Transportation, Holidays, Seasons, the Solar System, and Insects & Gardens.

What many people don't realize is that the website has become much more than a collection of downloadable activities. It's a growing library of classroom tools designed to support communication across the entire school day—from literacy and science to daily living, vocabulary development, and academic instruction for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Today, the website includes well over 800 resources, and we're continuing to add new materials throughout the year. Members also receive a monthly Resource Roundup highlighting seasonal resources, new additions, and ideas for expanding communication supports in the classroom.

If you're already a member, I encourage you to spend a few minutes exploring the website before the school year gets into full swing. You may be surprised by resources you didn't realize were available.

And if you're new to DTA Schools, we invite you to take a look and see whether the website might be a helpful addition to your classroom or district. We want these resources to save you time, support your students, and make communication easier to embed into everyday learning.

Next week, we'll be sharing a short video tour of the website to highlight some of our favorite resources—and a few hidden gems that even long-time members may have overlooked.

Here's to a wonderful school year filled with meaningful communication, literacy, and learning!