U.S. Department of Education Announces $2.5 Million in Grants to Operate Centers for Parents of Children with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Education announced today the award of $2.5 million in grants to operate 23 Community Parent Resource Centers in 17 states and a Parent Training and Information Center to serve American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Republic of Palau. The centers provide parents with the training and information they need to work with professionals in meeting the early intervention and special needs of children with disabilities.

With the new grants, the Department now funds 87 information centers for parents of children and youth with disabilities. Every state has at least one Parent Training and Information Center that assists parents as they work to ensure their children receive a free, appropriate public education as guaranteed by federal law. In addition, the centers provide services to underserved parents of children with disabilities in targeted communities throughout the country.

“Parent centers empower families who have children with disabilities by helping them understand their rights and the services to which their children are entitled under the law,” U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. said. “These community parent resource centers are powerful levers for ensuring equity in diverse communities across the country.”

The training center and many resource centers work closely with state and local school systems to engage parents in working collaboratively to improve outcomes for their children. Community Parent Resource Centers receive grants to assist underserved families of children with disabilities in metropolitan areas like Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, while others work in rural areas in Alaska, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, for example. For a list of Department-funded parent training and information centers, visit www.parentcenterhub.org.

The following is a list of grantees and the contacts for Community Parent Resource Centers, which will receive $100,000 annually for five years. The Parent Training and Information Center serving the Pacific is getting $200,000 annually for four years.

Wasilla, AK – LINKS Mat-Su, Eric Wade, eric@linksprc.org Springdale, AR – Arkansas Support Network, Inc., Candia Nicholas, cnicholas@supports.org Berkeley, CA – Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Susan Henderson, shenderson@dredf.org Napa, CA – Napa Valley Child Advocacy Network, Inc.—Parents CAN, Marlena Garcia, marlenag@parentscan.org San Francisco, CA – Support for Families of Children with Disabilities, Joe Goyos, jgoyos@supportforfamilies.org Denver, CO – THRIVE Resource Center, Yvette Burkhalter, Yvette@thrivectr.org Hartford, CT – African Caribbean American Parents of Children with Disabilities, Ann Smith, asmith@afcamp.org Miami, FL – Parent to Parent, Isabel Garcia, igarcia@ptopmiami.org Gulf Breeze, FL – Project Empower of Northwest Florida, Gary Walby, gwalby@comsysinn.com Hewitt, NJ – Association for Special Children & Families, Angela Abdul and Julie Rikon, ascfamily@hotmail.com Albuquerque, NM – EPICS, in Alvino Sandoval, asandoval@epicsnm.org Buffalo, NY – Parent Network of Western New York, Kim Walek, kmw@parentnetworkwny.org Queens, NY – United We Stand of New York, Lourdes Rivera-Putz, lriveraputz@uwsofny.org Asheville, NC – FIRST, Gaile Osborne, gaile@firstparentcenter.org Morganton, NC – Family Support Network HOPE, Vickie Dieter, vbdieter@fsnhope.org Panama, OK – Pervasive Parenting, Kodey Toney, kodeytoney@hotmail.com Philadelphia, PA – HUNE, Luz Hernandez, lhernandez@huneinc.org Erie, PA – Mission Empower, Jill Hrinda-Patten, advocate@missionempower.org Charleston, SC – Family Resource Center for Disabilities and Special Needs, Bev McCarty, bevmccarty@frcdsn.org El Paso, TX – Children’s Disabilities Information Coalition, Patricia Santibáñez, patricia.santibanez@cdicelpaso.org Fairfax, VA – Formed Families Forward, Kelly Henderson, formedfamiliesforward@verizon.net Tacoma, WA – Open Doors for Multicultural Families, Ginger Kwan, gingerk@multiculturalfamilies.org Milwaukee, WI – Alianza Latina Aplicando Soluciones, Elsa Diaz-Bautista, elsa@alianzalatinawi.org Honolulu, HI – Learning Disabilities Association of Hawaii, Michael Moore, MMoore@LDAHawaii.org