Building a positive future for a child can be a daunting challenge. Whether concerned about academic achievement, the ability to make good decisions, or a future lifetime of meaningful contributions, it is hard to figure out where to begin. For parents and professionals to succeed in helping the children they care about, there are a few essentials:

• Access to timely and accurate information about possibilities, opportunities, and solutions to barriers.
• Focused approach to establishing priorities, identifying strengths, and acknowledging your child's challenges.
• Recognition of past successes (and failures); the current circumstances of the school, program, family and child; and hopes, and dreams that can guide the future plans you make for your child.
• Knowledge about regular and special education rights and laws.
• Ability to organize records and clearly communicate.
• Knowing who can help - friends, parents, teachers and others.
• Support as your child becomes increasingly a self-determined and self-actualized adult.

It may be complicated but there is help. Call PEATC. When it comes to children's educational rights, parental involvement in education, family-school-community partnerships, and individual self-advocacy and self-determination, PEATC is a one-stop shop. Funding for our centers comes, in large part, from the US Department of Education.

Each center offers the same general services:

• Information, Assistance and Support - call us or email us with your individual concerns or questions. We also have information available 24/7 on our website and have a number of opportunities to keep up with accurate, current and easy-to-understand information.
• Workshops, Presentations, Training for Trainers - a variety of workshops in subjects related to education, parent-school communication, transition, special education, behavior, reading, homework, self-advocacy and partnerships.
• Technical Assistance - we can also provide additional assistance to parent groups, PTAs, schools, and communities through research-based strategies for improving outcomes for all children.
• Outreach to Culturally Diverse Families - a number of our initiatives specifically target culturally, linguistically, geographically, economically, and ability-diverse families. Spanish speaking staff members are available and we have established partnerships with leaders in Asian and Arabic communities.

Parent Training and Information Center for Families of Children with Disabilities - In 1978, PEATC began as one of the first Parent Training and Information (PTI) centers for families of children with disabilities. This center serves families of children with disabilities or suspected disabilities from birth through age 26 and the professionals who work with them. We help parents understand the workings of early intervention and special education, providing clarity to a complex system. With increased knowledge parents are better able to communicate the individual needs of their children to the professional world. As a result, parents are more likely to avoid disputes and succeed in advocating for needed services and supports that will help their children. We have leadership programs for English-speaking and Spanish-speaking families.

Parent Information Resource Center - In 2007 PEATC was designated as Virginia's Parent Information Resource Center (PIRC) serving all families of children from birth through high school. This information center assists parents and teachers who want to help their children succeed in school and throughout life. The Parents as Teachers (PAT) research-based program certifies early childhood educators in providing home visiting for parents of young children from birth through age five. The early childhood program also helps families with reading and school readiness activities. We use the Solid Foundation curriculum, which sustains school-based teams with research-based activities in support of a strategic planning process intended to move a school culture from "random acts of parent involvement" to a deliberate and intentional culture of parents as education partners.

NEXT STEPS Transition Program - Through this information center, parents, students and professionals can learn more about opportunities that await transition age youth with disabilities and to prepare for what comes after high school. Garnering partnerships with professionals and leveraging community resources, youth with disabilities and their families have an opportunity to plan a future of their own design. Our webinars highlighting best practices in transition have almost 1,000 regular viewers and are archived for future review. Though not a part of the Virginia Information Center, we have supported the NEXT STEPS Transition Team initiative in Illinois for 28 years.

PEATC staff, Board and partners are committed to our work with families, students, schools and the community to fulfill our mission to build positive futures for Virginia's children by working collaboratively with families, schools and communities in order to improve opportunities for excellence in education and success in school and community life.

To reach any of our three centers, call us at 1-800-869-6782 or email us at partners@peatc.org. Visit us at www.peatc.org.