The Parent Mentor is a special needs parent who provides information and support to families of a child with a disability and their school districts.
A parent mentor provides information and support to families about special education issues and assist school districts in receiving perspectives and input from special needs families.
Services include:
- guiding families through the special education process;
- helping families understand their rights and responsibilities;
- providing resources and information to local school districts;
- providing resources and information to families, including information on educational laws and programming in their school districts;
- assisting families in engaging community resources;
- attending IEP meetings and other meetings at the request of the parent or school staff;
- provides and collaborates with other agencies to provide information sessions and workshops for both families and professionals;
- supports collaboration between families, community and schools to benefit students with disabilities.
The goal of the Parent Mentor Program is to support a working relationship between the school and the family of a child with a disability to provide a pathway for the child's success.
All services provided by the Parent Mentor are free of charge to families.
