California MAP
California MAP
Working Together

Organizations Designed for Families of Children with Disabilities

The organizations in this area of the website address the information and support needs of families. Many of them are developed and managed by parents of children with disabilities. National, state and local websites with information for families are also found here.

Support Organizations for Specific Disabilities
If you are looking for an organizations that support families with a specific disability please visit the Disability-Specific area of the website.

For information about local support groups for families try visiting County Specific Resources and find the link to your local Early Start Family Resource Center or call them. They connect families to support organizations and local groups regularly.

In the News!

Organizations for Families Resources

49 Phrases to Calm an Anxious Child
It happens to every child in one form or another – anxiety. As parents, we would like to shield our children from life’s anxious moments, but navigating anxiety is an essential life skill that will serve them in the years to come. In the heat of the moment, try these simple phrases to help your children identify, accept, and work through their anxious moments.
Beach Center on Disability
The Beach Center on Disability consists of a rehabilitation research and training center on policies and families, funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U. S. Department of Education; doctoral training programs and research initiatives funded by the Office of Special Education, U.S. Department of Education; and a research center on the ethical, legal, and social implications of the Human Genome Project, funded by the National Human Genome Project Institute, National Institutes of Health.
California Childcare Health Program
The mission of the California Childcare Health Program is to improve the quality of child care by initiating and strengthening linkages between the health, safety and child care communities and the families they serve. Established in 1987, the California Childcare Health Program is a community-based program of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing, Department of Family Health Care Nursing. Our multidisciplinary team staffs our toll-free Child Care Healthline, trains professionals on health and safety issues related to early care and education settings, and conducts research. We produce a wealth of materials on health and safety in early care and education settings for professionals and families.
California Parent Organizations and the California Department of Education
California Department of Education

The California Department of Education (CDE), Special Education Division, works closely with federal- and-state-funded parent organizations to increase parent participation and collaboration between parents and educators to improve the educational system.

The web page contains a description of and listings of the regional offices throughout California of three different organizations that support families of children with disabilities with information and training to help them with the education of their children. They include: Family Empowerment Centers, Parent Training and Information Centers and California Community Parent Resource Centers. Each one has a different focus and they may overlap with each other.

Another important type of parent organization is the federally funded Family Resource Centers for families with infants and toddlers with disabilities in early intervention. Those organizations can be found on the County Specific Resources area of the MAP Website.

Senate Bill 511, Family Empowerment Centers

The Family Empowerment Centers (FECs) provide training and information to families of children and young adults with disabilities, between the ages of 3 and 22. These parent-led nonprofit organizations offer specialized training, peer-to-peer support, information and referral services. They aim to assist parents to better understand their child’s educational and developmental needs, effectively communicate with service providers, serve as a resource for the individual education plan process, participate in school reform and improvement activities, promote alternative dispute resolution, and support positive relationships between parents and professionals. Services available through each FEC vary based on the needs of the community.

Parent Training and Information Center

Each Parent Training and Information Center (PTIC) is a parent-directed non-profit 501(c)(3) organization funded and managed by the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The California Department of Education coordinates with the PTICs on initiatives and opportunities for parent support statewide.

The PTICs provide a variety of direct services for children and youth with disabilities, families, professionals, and other organizations that support them. Some of the activities include:

  • Working with families of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities, birth to twenty-six
  • Helping parents participate effectively in their children’s education and development
  • Partnering with professionals and policy makers to improve outcomes for all children with disabilities

California Community Parent Resource Centers

Background

The Community Parent Resource Center (CPRC), are managed and funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and, as described in 20 United States Code 1472, will help ensure that underserved parents of children, ages birth through twenty-six with disabilities, including low-income parents, parents of limited English-proficient children, and parents with disabilities, have the training and information the parents need to enable the parents to participate effectively in helping their children with disabilities.

Each CPRC shall:

  • Provide training and information that meets the training and information needs of parents of children with disabilities,
  • Carry out the activities required of PTICs, and
  • Be designed to meet the specific needs of families who experience significant isolation from available sources of information and support.
Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)
The Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR), produced under the US Department of Education Office of Special Education, serves as a central resource of information and products to the community of Parent Training Information (PTI) Centers and the Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs), so that they can focus their efforts on serving families of children with disabilities. The site provides resources by topic area, some in English and Spanish and when available, by state.
Center on Technology and Disability (CTD)
The Center on Technology and Disability (CTD) is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The Center is designed to increase the capacity of families and providers to advocate for, acquire, and implement effective assistive and instructional technology (AT/IT) practices, devices, and services. Research-based technologies, used appropriately, have great potential to help infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities participate fully in daily routines; have increased access to the general educational curriculum; improve their functional outcomes and educational results; and meet college- and career-ready standards.
  • CTD Library
  • Isabel Needs Assistive Technology (Video)
    In this story, you'll meet Marta, the mother of Isabel, a young girl with fine motor and learning disabilities. The video introduces viewers to assistive technology (AT) and takes them through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting during which AT is considered. This video is captioned in English and is "described" as well. FCTD and Dicapta invite you to view and share this video with your colleagues and the families you serve. This video was originally produced as a Spanish-language resource. Voice-over and captioning were added to provide access to larger audience.
Child Care Aware
Child Care Aware is a nonprofit initiative committed to helping parents find the best information on locating quality child care and child care resources in their community. It does this by raising visibility for local child care resource and referral agencies nationwide, and by connecting parents with the local agencies best equipped to serve their needs. The site has links to Child Care Resource and Referral organizations (CCR&Rs), local experts on child care that provide parents with many services, including referrals to local child care providers.
  • "In the States" Interactive Map 2012 "In the States" Interactive Map includes information about child care licensing in each state, a link to the state page from Child Care Aware of America's reports reviewing child care center and family child care home policies in every state, and a link to Child Care Aware of America's one-page fact sheet with child care information related to the demographics in the state, the price of child care, and other data related to child care.
Coffee Klatch Special Needs Radio
Award winning, world renowned authors, psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians, advocates and respected children's foundations join us to help you better understand a special needs child.... and yourself. You are your child's best advocate - if not you then who - become an informed educated parent here at The Coffee Klatch.
Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA)
ECTA is comprised of several recent OSEP-funded TA centers (NECTAC, CELL and TACSEI and ECO within the next two years). The purpose of ECTA is to improve state early intervention and early childhood special education service systems, increase the implementation of effective practices, and enhance the outcomes of these programs for young children and their families.
eParent.Com
eParent.com is an online multi-media company dedicated to be the ultimate resource for everything related to the special needs community. Providing practical advice, emotional support, current trending news and educational information to empower caregivers and families of children and adults with disabilities and special healthcare needs. As well as to the physicians, allied health care professionals, and educational professionals who are involved in their care and development.
Families and Advocates Partnership for Education (FAPE)
The Families and Advocates Partnership for Education (FAPE) project is a partnership that aims to improve the education outcomes for children with disabilities. It links families, advocates and self-advocates to information about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The project is designed to address the information needs of the 6 million families throughout the country whose children with disabilities receive special education services.
Family Resource Center Network of California (FRCNCA)
The FRCNCA is a coalition of California's 47 Early Start Family Resource Centers. Staffed by families of children with special needs, family resource centers offer parent-to-parent support and help parents, families, and children locate and use needed services. They offer support services and resources in many languages, which may include newsletters, resource libraries, websites, parent-to-parent groups, sibling support groups, warmlines, and information and referral for parents and professionals.
Free Things and Grants for Kids with Special Needs
We always want to provide the best for our kids, but somehow, the pressure is even greater when our kids have special needs. Of course, there are direct costs, such as the need for medical equipment to make their lives easier, but we also want to provide them with happy memories to at least partly make up for the tough times they experience at a very young age. Fortunately, there’s no need to feel all alone. There are some marvelous organizations out there that really want to help. Why not give them an opportunity to do so? Are you managing just fine on your own? Consider donating to these worthy causes instead.
Friendship Circle
Friendship Circle of Michigan is a non-profit organization that provides programs and support to the families of individuals with special needs. With over 75,000 visitors a month, the Friendship Circle Special Needs Resource blog is one of the biggest special needs blogs in the world. Currently the blog has over 500 articles on special needs topics including: parenting, special education, products, therapy tips, videos and more.
Greater Good Parenting: Raising Caring, Courageous Kids

Parents want to raise kind, caring, courageous children but few feel like they know precisely how to do that. In order to help bridge the gap between research and the daily lives of parents, the Greater Good Science Center, supported by the John Templeton Foundation, launched an initiative with three components to help parents raise kids of high character who treat others with compassion and respect.

The GGSC has developed a range of new resources sharing with parents the top research and best practices on raising children who are supportive of others and committed to something bigger than themselves. This includes publishing dozens of new articles for parents on Greater Good, creating several practical exercises for parents to try with their kids on Greater Good in Action, and producing a series of short videos designed for mobile devices and social media to reach busy parents on-the-go.

Kids in the House
The Ultimate Parenting Resource offers over 8000 videos on a comprehensive range of topics for a variety of age ranges for every type of family. Well respected experts present positive, useful information in short videos. For example take a look at the videos from:
  • Dr. Dan Siegel , award winning author and lecturer. Dr. Siegel's unique ability to make complicated scientific concepts easy to understand and exciting has led him to be invited to address diverse local, national and international groups of mental health professionals, neuroscientists, corporate leaders, educators, parents, public administrators, healthcare providers, policy-makers, and clergy. Or explore the various topics under:
  • Special Needs
  • Top Tips for How to Raise a Happy Child
Kids Included Together (KIT)

KIT stands for Kids Included Together, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was founded in San Diego, California in 1997. The mission of Kids Included Together is to support recreational, child development, and youth development programs that include children with and without disabilities. KIT's goals are to enrich the lives of all who participate and to increase understanding and acceptance of disabilities as a natural part of life. We invite you to explore our site and learn more about our work in San Diego County and across the nation.

  • Summer Camp Means Fun for All: How to Create a More Inclusive Camp May 20, 2022 Kids Included Together (KIT) says, “Pinpointing exactly what it means and looks like to be inclusive can be tough because creating a sense of belonging for each child will differ from person to person and camp to camp. But, that’s really what it is – creating a sense of belonging for each camper.” “So, where do you start and how do you know if you’ve gotten there? Well, providing a meaningful experience for every camper may look varied, but it will be rooted in a few universal principles.” This article provides helpful considerations to add to KIT’s inclusion checklist.
National Center for Families Learning (NCFL)
NCFL provides support and strategies to a network of entities involved in advancing education and families learning together, including educators, schools, community based organizations, and libraries. Our efforts support learners of all ages in these environments in concert with our advocates and partners.
National Father’s Network
The National Father's Network provides resources and support for fathers of children with disabilities. It has wonderful articles by fathers, many of them in Spanish. The organization also produces written and video resources for fathers. The website is an excellent source of links for fathers, disabilities, and families.
Native American Parent Technical Assistance Center (NAPTAC)
NAPTAC is a project within EPICS to provide training and technical assistance to Parent Training Information Centers (PTI's) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRC's) nationwide on providing effective, culturally responsive services to Native American families of children with disabilities, as well as youth with disabilities.
PACER Center
The Technical Assistance ALLIANCE for Parent Centers is an innovative project that provides technical assistance to the over 100 Parent Centers funded under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The ALLIANCE National Center at PACER Center conducts national conferences, produces materials on special education topics, and offers high quality expertise to Parent Centers nationwide.
Parent Companion: First Five Years
  • The Four Stages of Adaptation: Stage 1 Surviving
    The Four Stages of Adaptation model was developed by Dr. Nancy Miller, a psychotherapist and social worker. She worked with four moms over a period of five years and distilled their experiences into the book Nobody's Perfect: Living and Growing with Children Who Have Special Needs. The model came from conversations with the moms, experiences working with families, and the writings of many parents and professionals.
Parents Helping Parents (PHP)
Parents Helping Parents is a parent organization that has a wealth of information and resources on disabilities. The website includes a library of books and videos that can be borrowed.
Raising Children Network, the Austrailian Parenting Website

On the Raising Children website, parents will find reliable and scientifically validated information and resources to support them in the day-to-day work of raising children and looking after their own needs. The website is growing all the time and covers a broad range of up-to-date parenting topics.

All content on the website has passed through a rigorous quality assessment process developed by the Raising Children Network (RCN) team and the RCN Scientific Advisory Board. The Board is made up of some of Australia's pre-eminent experts in child health and development and oversees the website's content development.

The quality assessment process ensures that each piece of website content is approved by at least two independent experts for accuracy and validity. A professional web editing team also assesses each piece on its accessibility and communication values to ensure the information is easy to understand, remember and act on.

Schwab Learning
Schwab Learning is an operating program of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, a private, nonprofit foundation that funds programs in learning disabilities and human services. Schwab Learning provides free information, resources, publications and support to parents of children who struggle with learning and to kids themselves through two websites and Outreach and Community Services. Schwab's Learning Outreach and Community Services further supports the needs of kids and families through educational workshops, seminars, presentations, exhibits, and special projects.
Sesame Street in Communities
This website provides information, videos and activities on a variety of topics to support families and care providers in teaching young children. Information may be geared to either care providers or families and activities can be selected by age group. Topics range from routines and exploring emotions to autism, divorce, incarceration and homelessness. Available in both English and Spanish.
Sibling Support Project
Founded in 1990, the Sibling Support Project is the first national program dedicated to the life-long and ever-changing concerns of millions of brothers and sisters of people with special health, developmental, and mental health concerns. We’ve published books for and about brothers and sisters, host online groups for teen and adult siblings, and presented workshops on sibling issues internationally and in every state. However, we’re best known for helping local communities start Sibshops—lively peer support groups for school-age brothers and sisters of kids with special needs.
State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD)

The State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD) is established by state and federal law as an independent state agency to ensure that people with developmental disabilities and their families receive the services and supports they need.

Consumers know best what supports and services they need to live independently and to actively participate in their communities. Through advocacy, capacity building and systemic change, SCDD works to achieve a consumer and family-based system of individualized services, supports, and other assistance.

Through the Looking Glass (TLG)
Through the Looking Glass (TLG) is a nationally recognized center that has pioneered research, training, and services for families in which a child, parent or grandparent has a disability or medical issue. TLG is a disability community based nonprofit organization, which emerged from the independent living movement, and was founded in 1982 in Berkeley, California. TLG provides home-based services in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.
Understood
Parents want the best for their children. We do, too. For the first time ever, 15 nonprofit organizations have joined forces to support parents of the one in five children with learning and attention issues throughout their journey. With the right support, parents can help children unlock their strengths and reach their full potential. With state-of-the-art technology, personalized resources, free daily access to experts, a secure online community, practical tips and more, Understood aims to be that support.
United Cerebral Palsy: Transportation Safety
Children and adults with disabilities might require specialized car seats or vehicle modifications to ensure safe transportation. The resources on this page can help ensure safer travel.
Wrightslaw
Parents, advocates, educators, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for accurate, up-to-date information about special education law and advocacy for children with disabilities. The website contains articles, cases, newsletters, and resources about dozens of topics in the Advocacy Libraries and Law Libraries.