California Parent Organizations and the California Department of Education
URL: https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/qa/caprntorg.asp
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.