Starting a Parent Support Group
Support from CPAC
CPAC can help parent support groups with publicity, training and in some cases, event funding.
- Publicity
CPAC wants to help you promote your support group and your activities so that more parents can benefit from them. If you are starting a new support group or are part of a group that is not listed on our website, please send us your group name, a brief description, meeting times and location and contact information and we would be happy to post it on our website on the Parent Support Groups page. Additionally, if you are sponsoring or planning an event for parents of children with disabilities, children with disabilities or professionals, and you would like it posted on the Upcoming Events page, please send us information about the event, including the date, time, a brief description, contact information and any other relevant information. - Training
CPAC provides FREE workshops for parents on issues related to special education and disabilities. Visit the training page of our website for a list of current workshop offerings. - Speaker Funds
Each year, the CT State Department of Education provides CPAC with a limited amount of funding to be distributed to parent support groups and organizations to fund guest speakers and presentations. Please view the speaker fund guidelines for more information. To request funding for an upcoming event, please fill out an application and return it to CPAC via email, fax or USPS.
For more information about any of the information listed above, please contact Melissa Royce, Training Coordinator, at: 800-445-2722 or mroyce@cpacinc.org.
Additional Resources
These websites also offer useful information on starting a parent support group:
- Parent to Parent of Pennsylvania – Starting/Running Support Groups
- NICHCY – Parent Guide – Accessing Parent Groups
- Beach Center Parent to Parent Information – Guidelines for Starting a Parent to Parent Program
If you have any more questions or concerns in getting your group started please feel free to call CPAC at (800) 445-2722.
