Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Education announced nearly $14 million in five-year grants to operate 40 parent training and information centers to assist America’s families of children with disabilities.

The centers will provide parents with details and assistance on laws, policies and research-based education practices for children with disabilities. They will inform parents how data can be used to guide instruction; how to interpret results from evaluations and assessments; and ways to effectively engage in school reform activities.

"Parents are crucial to their child’s readiness to learn at every step of the education pipeline,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “These centers will work on behalf of parents to help their children with disabilities achieve their academic potential."

The parent center grants currently funded by the Department of Education promote effective education of infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities by strengthening the role and responsibility of parents and ensuring they have meaningful opportunities to participate in their children’s education.

The grants are being funded by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Following is a list of the awards and the states or regions they will serve.

StateRecipientContactE-mailAmount
Alabama Alabama Parent Education Center Jeana Winter This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $302,127
Alaska Stone Soup Group Amy Westfall This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $210,000
Arkansas The Center for Exceptional Families Shelby Knight This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $201,762
California Region 1 Team of Advocates for Special Kids Rita Meza This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $634,671
California Region 2 Team of Advocates for Special Kids Brenda Smith This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $511,304
California Region 3 Exceptional Parents Unlimited Inc. Marlene Pena This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $363,507
California Region 4 Parents Helping Parents Jane Floethe-Ford This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $518,129
California Region 5 WarmLine Family Resource Center Kelly Young This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $207,928
Colorado PEAK Parent Center Julie A. Harmon This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $292,863
Connecticut Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center Nancy Prescott This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $220,813
Florida Region 1 Family Network on Disabilities of Florida Kathy Powell This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $222,115
Florida Region 2 Family Network on Disabilities of Florida Janis Tucker La Belle This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $403,426
Florida Region 3 Family Network on Disabilities of Florida Margarita Montalvo This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $367,360
Georgia Parent to Parent of Georgia Stephanie Moss This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $625,900
Illinois Region 1 Family Resource Center on Disabilities Michelle Phillips This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $487,384
Illinois Region 2 Family Matters Parent Training and Information Center Debbie J Einhorn This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $249,925
Kansas Families Together Lesli Girard This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $233,626
Kentucky KY Special Parent Involvement Network Paulette Logsdon This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $270,469
Maine Maine Parent Federation Janice LaChance This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $200,000
Maryland The Parents” Place of Maryland Josie Thomas This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $316,252
Michigan Michigan Alliance for Families Michelle Miller This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $582,633
Montana PLUK Parent Center Roger Holt This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $200,000
Nebraska PTI Nebraska Michael L. Tufte This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $200,000
Nevada Nevada P.E.P. Karen M. Taycher This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $200,000
New Jersey Statewide Parent Advocacy Network Diana Autin This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $454,835
New Mexico Parents Reaching Out to Help Shannon Maxwell This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $222,334
New York Region 1 Advocates for Children of New York Kim Sweet This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $616,042
New York Region 2 The Advocacy Center Jenny Hutkowski This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $468,417
North Dakota Pathfinder Parent Center Cathy Haarstad This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $200,000
Ohio Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities Lee Ann Derugen This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $669,421
Oregon Family and Community Together Roberta Dunn This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $226,838
Puerto Rico APNI Mariel Cabrera This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $217,560
South Carolina Family Connection of South Carolina Amy Nienhuis This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $287,490
Texas Region 1 Partners Resource Network Patrick Burks This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $842,760
Texas Region 2 Partners Resource Network Julie Theobald This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $629,569
Texas Region 3 Partners Resource Network Teresa Howell This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $200,000
Utah Utah Parent Center Helen Post This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $200,000
Vermont Vermont Family Network Karen Price This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $200,000
Virgin Islands VI Parent Training and Information Program Amelia Headley LaMont This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $103,612
Wisconsin Wisconsin Family Assistance Center for Education, Training and Support Courtney Salzer This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. $350,726