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Educational Advocacy

Parents are frontline advocates for their children, when they need extra help and services in school. Advocating for a child can be an enormous undertaking that requires determination and perseverance. At times, the process can seem overwhelming due to the amount of information necessary to know about special education law and eligibility, the timeliness of meeting procedural guidelines and deadlines, and the sensitive nature of negotiating and maintaining positive parent-school relations.

At ECS, we view the advocacy process as teaching, guiding, and advising parents to obtain knowledge of their child’s challenge and to learn the skills to negotiate on behalf of their child’s interests and rights. ECS Consultant, Dr. Betsy Grigoriu, takes a lead role in working with families to help them do their homework, strategically plan to meet procedural requirements, and thoroughly prepare for each step throughout the advocacy process.

Dr. Grigoriu works with parents to help them:

• Understand their child’s diagnosis
• Realize how their child’s diagnosis affects learning and performance
• Learn about appropriate teaching and learning interventions in the classroom
• Gain knowledge about evaluations to measure educational progress
• Learn how to compose measurable annual objectives and goals
• Become skilled in parent-school relations
• Prepare for meetings with school personnel
• Hold emotions in check to prevent roadblocks and resolve hurdles in the process

Representing a child’s interests is best served by parents, educators, and advocates who work together from the outset to build strong, positive relationships. Parents who work with an Educational Advocate build the knowledge and confidence they need to make sure their child receives an appropriate education. For more information, contact Dr. Grigoriu.