The US Department of Education today announced that the Vermont Family Network will receive $189,052 in a special education Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) grant to help parents ensure that their children receive a free, appropriate public education as guaranteed by federal law. The Education Department will award a total of $5.3 million for 2011 to operate 19 special education PTI centers in 13 states and Puerto Rico.
‘Parent Centers help families better understand their child’s disability and can often connect them to important local, state and national resources,’ said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. ‘These centers will play a vital role in empowering parents and families to learn about appropriate early interventions and special education services.’
Parent information centers provide parents with the training and information they need to work with special education professionals in meeting the early intervention and special needs of children with disabilities. Many parent information centers work closely with state and local school systems to engage parents in working collaboratively to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.
For a list of Education Department-funded special education parent information and training centers, visit www.parentcenternetwork.org.
The following is a list of the grants the Department announced and the states or audience that they will serve, including the contact information for the local project directors and the amount of each award:
Parent Training and Information Centers:
· AK ‘ Stone Soup Group, Kelly Donnelly, [email protected], $263,115
· AL ‘ Alabama Parent Education Center, Jeana Winter, [email protected], $291,281
· CO ‘ PEAK Parent Center, Julie Harmon, [email protected], $279,445
· FL Region 1 ‘ Florida Network on Disabilities, Nicole Brown, [email protected], $169,645
· FL Region 2 ‘ Central Florida Parent Center, Eileen Gilley, [email protected], $491,973
· FL Region 3 ‘ Florida Network on Disabilities, Margarita Montalvo, [email protected], $330,801
· KY ‘ Kentucky Special Parent Involvement Network, Paulette Logsdon, [email protected], $258,607
· MD ‘ The Parents’ Place of Maryland, Josie Thomas, [email protected], $319,295
· ME ‘ Maine Parent Federation, Janice LaChance, [email protected], $188,545
· ND ‘ Pathfinder Parent Center, Cathy Haarstad, [email protected], $204,947
· NE ‘ PTI Nebraska, Glenda Davis, [email protected], $224,894
· NV ‘ Nevada P.E.P., Karen Taycher, [email protected], $202,813
· NY Region 1 ‘ Advocates for Children of New York, Anna Espada, [email protected], $210,813
· NY Region 1 ‘ Resources for Children with Special Needs, Rachel Howard, [email protected], $210,813
· NY Region 1 ‘ Singeria, Godfrey Rivera, [email protected], $210,813
· NY Region 2 ‘ The Advocacy Center, Barb Klein, [email protected], $524,874
· PR ‘ APNI, Mariel Cabrera, [email protected], $271,950
· VT ‘ Vermont Family Network, Christine Kilpatrick, [email protected], $189,052
· WI ‘ Wisconsin FACETS, Jan Serak, [email protected], $438,408
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