Parenting | PA Parent and Family Alliance

The PA Parent and Family Alliance is a state-wide organization that started when families of children with social, emotional, behavioral and learning challenges began uniting in their local communities to support one another in their efforts to access services.

They had hopes that all families would be valued and embraced as the experts that they indeed were in knowing and understanding the needs of their loved ones. These hardworking, active, and loving caregivers led the way for what is now the vision of PA Parent and Family Alliance.

• Provides personalized 1-on-1 support to family and parents.
• Provides resources for families, including: tips sheets, webinars, assistance finding therapists, IEP and 504 plan, Mental Health and Special Education, family support, and is all-inclusive for a diverse array of family dynamics.
• Features a blog focusing on topics that matter to families, parents and youth, such as: children’s mental health, classroom dynamics, bullying, supporting your child, self-care, maintaining relationships, and more!
• Runs events such as support groups for parents and primary caregivers.
• Offers a newsletter and membership

Parent to Parent of Pennsylvania – Linking families of children and adults with disabilities or special needs

At Parent to Parent of Pennsylvania, when someone asks what we do, we say we empower and support parents throughout our great state. We connect them with families of children & adults with special needs or disabilities who’ve had similar journeys.

The peaks and valleys families experience along the way might sometimes feel a little overwhelming.

So, we’re driven to ensure no parent feels alone. Ever.

• “Matches” families to Peer Supporters – families who have been willing to open their hearts, take the time to listen and when asked share their own stories, so those feelings of isolation and in some cases, hopelessness are validated and in its place the feeling that you are not alone and experience hope for the future.
• Diverse support volunteers for a wide range of ethnic, cultural, language, and social backgrounds.
• Provides 100% follow-up to make sure family seeking support is happy with their match.
• Helps to create and administer support programs

Disabilities | Hune | United States (huneinc.org)

HUNE is a not-for-profit organization that provides free bilingual English and Spanish training, technical assistance and individual assistance to families of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and to professionals who work with children. This assistance helps families to participate more effectively with professionals in meeting the educational needs of children and youth with disabilities. HUNE works to improve educational outcomes for children and youth with all disabilities (emotional, learning, mental, and physical) from 0-26 years of age.

Family Connections for Language and Learning

FamilyConnectionsforLanguageLearningV5.pdf (eita-pa.org)

Affiliate program of Parent To Parent PA that assists families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing to navigate the Early Intervention system and explore communication opportunities.

The PEAL Center – Helping Families of Children with Disabilities and Special Health Care Needs

Since 2005, the PEAL Center has been committed to serving families and professionals across Pennsylvania. Today PEAL works with families, youth and young adults with disabilities and special health care needs to help them understand their rights and advocate for themselves. Through our unwavering commitment to inclusion and our guiding values, we empower families and individuals to be included in their home schools and access high quality, coordinated physical and behavioral health care. PEAL’s services are provided at no charge to families as they are funded by private donations and federal, state, and private grants.

The PEAL Center is an organization of parents/family members of children with disabilities and special health care needs and persons with disabilities who educate and guide:

• Families of children and youth, ages birth to 26, who have disabilities and/or special health care needs
• Professionals and others who work with children and youth who have disabilities and/or special health care needs
• Youth and young adults up to age 26 who have disabilities and/or special health care needs

The Peal Center provides families with resources for: Special education, COVID-19, PA Community Resources, Early Intervention, Literacy, Inclusion, Education, Families to the MAX (F2MAX), 21 and Able, Transition Discoveries, Health Care Resources, and Youth & young Adults.

There is also a newsletter available.

Common Sense Media

Our Mission | Common Sense Media

Common Sense is an independent voice for kids, families, and communities everywhere. We combine original research with game-changing advocacy efforts to make the digital world work better for all kids. Our advocacy work highlights legislation related to technology and identifies solutions that protect consumer privacy, push for better connectivity for students and families, and hold tech companies accountable to ensure a healthy internet for all.

Online resource for parents and families to help keep in touch with the rapid evolution of technology that our children utilize in the modern world. Helps parents to make informed choices and recommendations about media, technology, and modern interactivity and communication. Runs several programs including:

Research Program: Leading the way with original research reports.
The Common Sense Research Program provides unique, data-driven insights into families' and educators' experiences with media and technology. Our original research reports provide reliable, independent data on the impact of media and tech use on kids' physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development.

Latino Program: Creating culturally relevant content for Spanish-speaking families.
The Common Sense Latino Program blends culture and language to connect with Spanish-speaking families and respond to their unique media and technology needs, empowering families to navigate the digital world with confidence. Today, we have an engaged and growing Latinx community online and offline.

Privacy Program: Supporting a more secure digital future for kids everywhere.
The Common Sense Privacy Program evaluates popular applications and edtech products so parents and educators can make informed choices about the media and tech they use with kids and so schools and districts can participate in evaluating the technology used in K–12 classrooms.

Digital Citizenship Program: Helping students take ownership of their digital lives.
The Common Sense Digital Citizenship Program addresses top concerns for schools and educators, prepares students to make smart choices online and in life, supports teachers with training and recognition, and engages the whole community through family outreach.

Internet Access for Kids: A Guide for Parents

Internet Access For Kids: A Guide For Parents (internetadvisor.com)

Navigating the internet and its usage regarding your children can be a difficult subject to talk about and a hard set of rules and ideas to navigate. One the one hand, your children need access to the internet for school and socialization (especially in the middle of nationwide closures due to the pandemic), and there is eventually no avoiding their internet use. On the other hand, there are legitimate and serious dangers online, some of which can cause long-term damage to your children's mental health. You do not want to be neglectful about this matter. Click the link above to read more.