Parent Resources:
Click the link to access "Parent Resources for Special Education":
https://padlet.com/malindafurtado/s8co43zadttmejyh
Haga clic en el enlace para accesar "Recursos de Educación Especial para los Padres":
https://padlet.com/malindafurtado/g1jta2dytgj34l5w
What We Do:
We provide parent-to-parent mentoring by gathering information to understand a child's disability, its effects at school & home, and parents' concerns. Often, we make home visits and observe students in their school environment.
Bilingual Parent Education & Training:
We aim to increase parents' knowledge of the special education process, their rights under IDEA, the IEP/504 documents, effective communication, and other topics of interest to parents by providing trainings and materials in Spanish and English.
We help prepare parents for IEP (Individualized Education Program), 504 Plan, and other meetings by explaining specific terminology, documenting concerns, explaining evaluations, and communicating with the school. We know that careful preparation ahead of time can prevent many problems later.
We serve as a neutral party to resolve parents' concerns through access of information & compromise on both sides. We are not traditional "advocates" because it is our job to look at both sides of the situation. Our responsibility is to look at all relevant information presented by parents and the school and make sure that the needs of the child are met. We do this by modeling appropriate participation & communication and helping the team stay focused on the student.
We work to establish a collaborative and positive working environment in order to ensure a Free & Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for students with disabilities. For a student's needs to be met at school, it is imperative that parents and schools maintain a harmonious, working relationship and above all that is what we strive to create.
View our brochure
Staff
Malinda Furtado
Parent / School Liaison Coordinator
(559) 730-2910 ext. 5125
malinda.furtado@tcoe.org