Welcome to South Bay Child Advocates!
What sets us apart from the rest? Clinical experience and personal experience.
In addition to advocacy work, Kristen has over 20 years of clinical experience, attending IEPs, collaborating with school staff and service providers, hearing individual stories and witnessing successes.
But when her stepson entered her life, and she found herself at the IEP table in a different role, challenging the school district to meet his special and unique educational and adaptive needs, things suddenly felt uncomfortable, frustrating, helpless. Sitting in an IEP as a parent is HARD – stakes and emotions run high. Your brain is cloudy. You are trying to process information a mile a minute, as the school team is rushing you out the door. Then, you think of things you wish you had said after the meeting is over.
What helps? Having a seasoned and knowledgeable advocate there by your side, supporting you every step of the way, organizing processes and thinking strategically, reminding you of your rights as a parent and the rights of your child, challenging the school district to meet the needs of your child, addressing those needs with clear and measurable goals, and identifying services that will help your child ACHIEVE those goals.
If you feel your child is NOT:
- living up to his/her full potential
- getting the right services
- understood and supported by his/her school team
- accessing the educational curriculum, including social opportunities
- thriving in his/her current educational setting
- making progress towards current goals
If you are:
- feeling overwhelmed and confused
- exhausted and frustrated by the school district or Regional Center
- unclear about your and your child’s rights
- feeling like the school district or Regional Center are not taking your concerns seriously
- wanting to learn more about how to advocate for your child
Then, contact South Bay Child Advocates today for a free consultation on how we can help you become effective parent advocates and/or represent you as an advocate for special education during your meetings and correspondence with school districts or Regional Centers. We are experts at navigating this complicated world, interacting with state agencies and local school districts, on behalf of children with disabilities and their families.
“10 tips on hiring an advocate” by Pat Howey