As your child’s parent, you are your child’s best advocate.

You know how they manage concerns. You understand what strategies work best at home when concerns present themselves. You are familiar with their likes and dislikes, and how to best support their needs.

No one knows your child as well as you do, which is what makes you a natural advocate for your child.

Introduction to the MAPC Advocacy Project

Empowering Parents Guide 2018 The MAPC Advocacy Project helps parents and parent leaders learn to deal more successfully with concerns they are facing in schools. The Project works with parents by helping them to build confidence, independence, and skills when preparing for meetings, navigating the chain of command within schools and divisions, and understanding policies and legislation involving education. This is done through:

• presentations, workshops and training sessions,
• support from MAPC staff and volunteers, and
• resources such as the Empowering Parents Guide, Preparing for IEP Meetings brochure, and the MAPC Advocacy Project Self Help and Meeting Guide worksheets.

What is Parental Advocacy?

The MAPC Advocacy Project views parental advocacy as the ability to speak up in support of yourself or others with the goal being resolution.

MAPC understands resolution as being a meaningful solution a parent works towards to solve a problem. Every parent, family, and child is unique so it is expected that everyone’s thoughts on a resolution that works for their personal circumstances will be unique as well.

The MAPC Advocacy Project is here to listen to your concern and help sort out what steps can be taken to work towards a resolution which makes sense to you.