About the Ohio Parent Mentor Project
The Parent Mentor movement began long before it became a reality. Parents always advocated for their children, but they did it without the knowledge necessary to be effective.
The need was noted and the Parent Mentor Project was created.
Parent Mentors are a unique group of parents of children with special needs who work within the school district to provide families with the information and support they need to effectively work with the school district.
How can a parent work within a school system and serve families? Often, the school and the family seem to have totally different agendas. The key component is the knowledge Parent Mentors have about the way the school system works and the firsthand knowledge they also have because they have children with special needs in the schools themselves.
The State of Ohio, through the collaborative efforts of the Ohio Department of Education, Office for Exceptional Children, and the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities, provide ongoing staff development and technical support to the Parent Mentors. Parent Mentors are provided with training on various topics, including the special education system, conflict resolution, current trends, communication and many other areas.
The end result is a person who can provide information and support to families, and who also serves as a liaison between families and school district personnel to foster positive parent/professional relationships, which can only benefit and enhance children’s learning experiences.
Fact Sheet
1. The parent mentor must meet the following criteria:
a. Be employed at a minimum of .5 full time equivalency (FTE)
b. Be a parent of a child with a disability
c. Be a member of the community serviced by the project
d. Has experience with leadership in the parent community
e. Is experienced in and knowledgeable about the special education system
f. Has demonstrated excellent communication skills
g. Works in conjunction with various professionals and school officials to meet the needs of students
h. Is knowledgeable about the support systems in the community
i. Has previous experience in conducting training and or providing parents with resource information
2. Roles and responsibilities of the parent mentor(s) must include working with the district representative:
a. Develop the project budget and implement services
b. Submit project evaluation data upon request
c. Attend statewide and regional parent mentor meetings as well as the fall and spring conferences following district guidelines
d. Establish a professional development plan aligned with the particular needs of the district
e. Attend job-related professional development sessions to fulfill goals established in the professional development plan
f. Obtain and distribute materials/resources to parents of children with disabilities and district personnel to improve student achievement
g. Provide, organize and/or conduct workshops or training and provide ongoing technical assistance to parents, district personnel and community members
h. Promote parent mentor services within the school district and community (i.e., establish parent support groups and/or support parent networking as needed, help parents find and access community resources).
i. Attend IEP meetings at parent or district request
j. Promote collaboration among child service agencies and related organizations to increase student achievement
k. Improve and increase parent/professional partnerships to improve student achievement
3. Roles and responsibilities of the district must include:
a. Identification of district representative (by title) who will provide ongoing supervision and support to the parent mentor(s)
b. If a project is part of a consortium, identify a contact person from each district
c. Ensure the parent mentor is involved in district activities (e.g., attend staff meetings, participate in training, serve on committees)
d. Work with the parent mentor to develop the project budget and implement services
e. Manage the budget and submit revisions if needed
f. Make facilities and resources available to the parent mentor(s)
g. Provide access to a private telephone, office equipment and/or clerical support and copies of laws and regulations, including a copy of Ohio’s Operating standards for Ohio’s Schools Serving Children with Disabilities
h. Attend the fall and spring conferences with the parent mentor
i. Work with the parent mentor to develop a professional development plan aligned with the particular needs of the district and parent mentor
j. Submit project evaluation data upon request
Current Number of Projects
Currently, there are 71 Parent Mentor Projects funded, which represent 216 of Ohio's school districts. The School for the Blind and the School for the Deaf share a grant.
Funding
Title VI-B (Special Education) for 10 projects
Dollars set aside by the Ohio General Assembly for an additional 60 projects through the current biennium
Process
Requests for Proposals (RFP) are sent to the superintendents of the public school districts
Districts are required to use parents of children with disabilities as parent of their writing teams
Proposal components include a budget and narrative, description of need, project approach, organizational support and evaluation
Readers for proposals include Parent Mentors, representatives from Ohio's Federal Parent Training and Information Centers, and special education professionals.
Staff Development
Ongoing staff development and technical assistance for Parent Mentors is provided as a collaborative effort of the Ohio Department of Education, Office for Exceptional Children and the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities (one of Ohio's Federal Parent Training and Information Centers).