NCDCT


Parent Advocacy and Resources

Parent Transition Information Manuals

Parent Advocacy and Resource Organizations

Alabama:

1. Special Education Action Committee, Inc.

Marcy McFarlin

3322 South Memorial Highway, Suite 238

Huntsville, Alabama 35801

Website: http://home.hiwaay.net/~seachsv/

Email: seacofmobile@zebra.net

SEAC was founded in 1983 as a nonprofit coalition of parents of children with disabilities, concerned citizens and organizations of parents and professionals serving Alabama's children with disabilities.  SEAC operates a parent training and information center (PTI) that is committed to the task of helping parents of children with disabilities to become full participants in their child's individualized education program (IEP).  Now SEAC also operates a parental assistance center (PAC) The PAC program is designed to help parents of children in regular and special programs to better understand their educational needs. Parents learn how to work with educators to plan and  successfully monitor learning programs for their children. 

Indiana:

1. IN*SOURCE

Richard Burden

809 North Michigan Street

South Bend, Indiana 46601-1036

219-234-7101

Website:  www.insource.org

 Since 1975 IN*SOURCE has been providing  parents, families, and service providers in Indiana with the information and training necessary to advocate for effective educational programs and appropriate services for children and young adults with disabilities. The governing Board of Directors is made up of a variety of individuals, a majority being parents or individuals with disabilities. Any interested person may receive a quarterly newsletter, information on current early intervention and special education issues and suggested strategies for enhancing the quality of education and services for infants, toddlers, children and young adults with special needs.

North Carolina:

1. ECAC

Connie Hawkins

P. O. Box 16

Davidson, North Carolina 28036

704-892-1321

Website:  www.ecac-parentcenter.org

Starting out as an all volunteer agency, The Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center (ECAC) has grown into a statewide  parent organization providing  parents with  training, information  for families of children with and without disabilities. The Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center now employees 25 full and part-time staff members many of whom are parents of children with disabilities. ECAC’s current programs include: Parent Training and Information Center (PTI), Parent Partners, Parent Technical Assistance Project, First in Families, Bridging the Gap, and N. C. Family Faculty Institute.

 Ohio:

1.  Child Advocacy Center

Cathy Heizman

1821 Summit Road, Suite 303

Cincinnati, Ohio 45237

513-821-2400

Email: CADCenter@aol.com

 

Parent Centers (Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers) work with families of children and young adults from birth to age 22 with all disabilities: physical, mental, learning, emotional, and attention deficit disorders. Parent Centers train and inform parents and professionals, help families obtain appropriate education and services for their children with disabilities, work to improve educational results for all children, resolve problems between families and schools or other agencies and connect children with disabilities to community resources that address their needs.

2.  OCECD

Margaret Burley

Bank One Building

165 West Center Street, Suite 302

Marion, Ohio 43302-37741

740-382-5452

Website:  www.taalliance.org/PTIs/regohio/

 

OCECD's experienced staff, many of whom have children or other family members with disabilities, are available to assist individuals or groups with such areas as: advocacy, legislation, and legal rights, identification of disabilities, early intervention for infants and preschoolers, family support systems, special education, community based services, information, referral and networking services, employment in the community, resources for professionals, and team work between persons with disabilities, their families and service providers. Tools used by OCECD to provide assistance include: one-on-one consultation, group presentations and training sessions, and numerous published materials, including a bi-monthly newsletter.  OCECD also collaborates with local parent support organizations to offer information, training and support to parents of children with disabilities.

 

South Carolina:

 

1. Parent Training and Resource Center

Beverly McCarty

C/o Family Resource Center

P. O. Box 250567

Charleston, South Carolina 29425

843-876-1519

Email:  mccartyb@musc.edu

 

Parent Centers (Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers) work with families of children and young adults from birth to age 22 with all disabilities: physical, mental, learning, emotional, and attention deficit disorders. Parent Centers train and inform parents and professionals, help families obtain appropriate education and services for their children with disabilities, work to improve educational results for all children, resolve problems between families and schools or other agencies and connect children with disabilities to community resources that address their needs.

 

 

 

 

 

2.  PRO-PARENTS

Mary Eaddy

652 Bush River Plaza, Suite 218

Columbia, South Carolina 29210

803-772-5688

Website: http://www.midnet.sc.edu/proparentssc/

 

Parents Reaching Out to Parents of South Carolina, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization which provides information and training about education to families of children with all types of disabilities. Experienced advisors assist parents to become more aware of their rights and responsibilities through telephone counseling, workshops and written material.  Parents are trained and encouraged to  participate as equal partners with professionals on behalf of their children. PRO-Parents also provides materials and training to  professionals in education and related fields throughout the State of  South Carolina.  

 

3.  South Carolina Parent Assistance Project

Marga McKee

803-256-4670

Website:  www.scchildren.org

 

The South Carolina Parent Assistance Project seeks to provide sound early child development information and skills to parents because we feel parents are the first and best teachers of their children.  We offer parents the tools, skills and support they need to accomplish this goal.  We focus on parents of children between birth and five years of age, but our services are available to parents of children at any age.  This work is accomplished through four regionally placed parent resource centers around the state in Beaufort, Florence, Greenville and Lexington. Each Parent Resource Center hosts parent workshops and support groups, community outreach, resources and referrals, and a book and toy lending library.  In addition, each regional center seeks to be responsive to the needs of its location.  The core work of each center, however, is an intensive home visitation program using the Parents As Teachers or Parent Child Home curricula.  Each center is staffed with trained parent educators. Topics addressed by parent resource centers include: Reading To Children, Child Development, Nutrition, Discipline, TV and Kids, Health and Safety, Behavior, Immunization, Brain Research, Transition into First Grade.