OUR MISSION STATEMENT:
The mission of the Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership is to build effective family, school, and community partnerships that lead to greater achievement for students especially those with disabilities.
Introduction
The partnership, which started as a small group of parents and administrators, now collaborates with 69 local school systems and over 165,000 families raising children with learning and/or physical challenges.
Created and partially-funded by the Georgia Department of Education’s Divisions for Special Education Services and Supports, the 79 Parent Mentors are moms and dads hired by local school systems to work with special education directors, parents, school teams, teachers, and the community. Their goal is to build a bridge of communication between home and school. Together, they collaborate with parents to increase involvement, both in addressing concerns as well as in reaching targeted goals to improve all children’s achievement levels. The Partnership, which meets two times a year statewide and four times a year regionally, is locally driven, which allows each unique program to meet the needs of its respective area.
Parent Mentors are well trained in problem-solving and team-building, and are constantly called upon to lead at the state, regional, and local level,” Kim Hartsell Director Division of Special Education Supports. “The enthusiasm and ideas generated by these parents coupled with the true teamwork that exists at the local level makes me wonder what we did before [the Parent Mentor Partnership] to really understand families’ needs.”
Mentors build connections for families in the community, concentrate on transition needs of high-school students and young children, lead task forces, organize training sessions, collaborate with teachers, and offer more parent involvement activities in schools. Most importantly, the mentors listen to both parents and educators, and use their unique knowledge of both worlds to overcome obstacles in communication.
Parent Mentors
Nalini Issac - Parent Mentor, married with two adult daughters residing in Macon, GA:
- I joined the Parent Mentor Partnership for Bibb County Public Schools in September 2004. Years earlier, my daughter was born with multiple disabilities, triggering my slow transformation into a "Parent Mentor". My daughter now lives independently with support and is an integral part of our community.
Terri Goodridge - Parent Mentor, married with one school-aged child residing in Macon, GA:
- I joined the Parent Mentor Partnership in the Spring of 2008. My son began receiving early intervention services at the age of 2 for various developmental delays. Currently, he is successfully receiving his elementary school education here in Bibb County.
