Parents and Families
Parents and families want the best for their family members. The Parents and Families Resource page brings together U.S. Department of Education-funded centers, department programs, and additional information of interest for parents and families.
Visit the IDEA Statute and Regulations and Policy Support pages for more specific, searchable IDEA law and policy information.
IDEA-Related Centers
The Department’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) supports projects that provide information and technical assistance to families of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.
These projects also support families whose children are suspected of having a disability or developmental delay or who may be inappropriately identified as needing special education and related services.
Information and assistance from these OSEP-funded projects are available free of charge. Families can find information about IDEA-specific topics through these centers.
The Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI) provide services in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Pacific entities. PTIs are a rich source of information and training especially for parents, including parents whose primary language is not English or themselves have special training needs.
In addition, Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRC) throughout the country serve targeted, underserved communities.
To find the PTI or CPRC that serves your community or to locate additional informational materials for families, visit the Center on Parent Information and Resources.
For additional information about OSEP discretionary grant recipients, visit the Resource Centers’ page or view OSEP IDEAs That Work.
IDEA Topic Areas
OSEP, along with other Department offices, Federal agencies, and OSEP discretionary grant recipients, provides numerous IDEA-topic area resources.
For Federal resources for IDEA stakeholders on college- and career-readiness standards, tool kits, topic issues in education, intervention IDEA briefs, and a resource library, visit OSEP IDEAs That Work.
For more specific resources on a variety of IDEA topics, visit the Topic Areas resource page. This resource page includes information and resources from the Department, other Federal agencies, and federally-funded technical assistance centers.
Early Learning
The Department has prioritized early learning in an effort to support our nation’s youngest learners. A variety of resources and links to early learning-specific resources can be found on the Department’s Early Learning Website.
Military Families
Your state’s Parent Training Information Center can offer support to military families of children with disabilities.
Additionally, OSEP funds the Branch – Military Parent Technical Assistance Center to support Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers that support military families in their areas.
Disability Specific Groups
Numerous national, state, and local disability-specific groups exist in support of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families.
The Department does not endorse particular groups and organizations; however, parents and families are encouraged to contact their Parent Training and Information Center. Parents and families may also find it helpful to connect with research groups and organizations that provide information and support for their child’s disability.