Our Educational Advocate Services
Thank you for considering our services. We understand that everyone has different needs and is looking for specific support. To ensure we are the best fit for your family, we offer a free consultation to get started.
But First, What is an Educational Advocate?
If your child needs support in a school setting, you may have come across the term "Educational Advocate." But what exactly does an educational advocate do?
What is an Educational Advocate?
​​As educational advocates, we help families navigate the school system to ensure that their child receives the best possible support. Here’s some ways we can assist you:
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Interpreting Assessment Results: We help you understand and interpret your child's educational assessments.
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Developing Plans: We review and support the development of 504 plans, IFSPs, and IEPs.
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Academic Accommodations: We suggest academic accommodations tailored to your child’s needs.
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Advocacy in Meetings: We attend special education meetings with you to advocate for your child's rights.​​
Ensuring Your Rights as an Educational Advocate
​​Our primary role is to ensure that your parental rights, as outlined in the IDEA Act, are enforced. While we have extensive knowledge of educational laws, it’s important to note that we are not lawyers.​​
Why Hire an Educational Advocate?
​​Families often seek our assistance when they are:
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Unclear about the services their child is being offered
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Unsure how to access educational services
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Looking to resolve conflicts without going to court
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Seeking to learn more about the special education process​
Educating Families
​Another key role of an advocate is to educate families. While we are always here to support you, learning advocacy skills yourself will benefit your family over the long term, potentially spanning your child's entire school career.​
Now for our Educational Advocate Services
Here's what you can expect...
Free Consultation
When we first meet, we will have a free consultation to discuss your specific needs. I will explain the process, the documents we need to review, and the estimated time it will take.
Document Review
As a new client, I will usually request any documentation that provides information about your child over the past year. This may include:
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Evaluation reports from school
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Outside evaluation reports
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Consent forms
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Current IEP/504/IFSP
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Drafted upcoming IEP/504/IFSP
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IEP/IFSP progress reports
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Last year's report cards
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Conversations with schools requesting specifics
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Medical diagnoses
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etc.
If you have not yet received an IEP/504/IFSP, I will likely need any outside evaluations, medical diagnoses, and any conversations with the team.
Process Overview
Here is an example of our support for a typical IEP meeting
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Document Review (1-3 hours): I will independently review these documents.
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Follow-Up Meeting (1 hour): After the review, I will schedule a one-hour meeting with you to discuss my findings.
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Team Meeting (typically 1 hour): I will accompany you to the team meeting.
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Document Updates (15 minutes-1 hour): When documents are updated, I will review them again to make sure our input was included and either email or meet with you to review.
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The process will look different for different needs. Please reach out to learn what your process will look like.
Billing
Emails are quick and not billed individually. I track time and bill in 15-minute increments, typically after major meetings (IEP, IFSP, 504, etc.). If there’s no meeting for over a week, I will bill you immediately after the service. For this reason, I request a card to be on file at all times.
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I look forward to working with you and supporting your family.