Support & Services

Public education Pre-K through 12th grade is a crucial time in the lives of children with mental health challenges as it relates to success in; protective factors, self-confidence, graduation, post high school life, and reducing/eliminating the pipeline to prison. The 12+years spent in the public school system is an area where we have the great opportunity to be proactive. There are solid laws in place both federally and State to protect and support students with mental health challenges. In addition, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has an abundance of resources available to help parents/caregivers navigate the Public School System. The challenge is that Parents/caregivers do not know the laws and/or what ISBE has available to them. It is crucial that we build a bridge between schools and the parents/caregivers. Because of the challenges parents/caregivers have navigating the public special education system they very often feel isolated, beaten down, and like they have failed their children. The Empowering Bridge Program will increase their supports to include: Trainings, small social groups, fun community events to promote inclusion, and life coach support to build them up in the communities they live in. In order to accomplish these goals Family First Advocacy firmly believe in and operates within the structure of Systems of Care principles, the Wrap Around process, and is led by Youth and Family voice.

Step One: Family First Advocacy will connect with families, businesses, community leaders, and religious leaders in the larger cities in Champaign, Piatt/Weldon, McClean, and Vermillion Counties to let them know about The Empowering Bridge Program.

Step Two; Family First Advocacy will spend time with families we have already connected with and the families they know of this population to find out what their greatest concerns are with regards to their children, schools, and their community.  What they do they need and what would they like to see improved.  

Step Three: Family First Advocacy will hold town hall meetings in the communities in the counties listed above.  We will present the details of The Empowering Bridge Program and the opportunities it will bring to their communities.  These opportunities include: learning how to navigate the special education system, developing skills and knowledge families need to improve their lives and the lives of their children with mental health challenges, developing into family leaders that can ban together to make real changes in their community and school district, and change the narrative for children with mental health challenges.

Step Four: Family First Advocacy will begin hosting monthly social events in each of these communities.  At these social events we will share a meal, invite a guest, with lived experience to share their story, and have some social time.  

Step Five: Family First Advocacy will begin holding IEP Boot Camp trainings along with other trainings in each community.  

Step Six: The goal of The Empowering Bridge Program is that is each community to identify potential family and youth leaders to assist Family First Advocacy in keeping The Building Bridge Program efforts going in their community.  

For a more detailed description of this new program please look under the “What’s New” tab. 

Join Us!

If you want to join us on this Empowering Bridge Program, or have any questions please click the link and leave us your Name, email, phone number and let us know your preference of contact.

Click Here to Join or For More Information

IEP/504 Plan Consultation

• We will meet with parents/caregivers to discuss the challenges they are having getting the appropriate services and supports for their student in the public school system.
• We will offer our expertise and laws that apply to their challenges.
• We will discuss options to achieve their goal.
• We will work together to develop a plan to accomplish the of student success.

IEP/504 Plan Advocacy

• We will attend meetings with parents/caregivers to assist them in advocating for their student’s success.

Complaint Assistance

We will explain what it means to file an official complaint, and why it is important.

We will assist parents/caregivers in putting together a thorough complaint that fully explains the issue they are reporting to the organization(s) listed below to request an investigation.

• Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)
• Office of Civil Rights (OCR)
• Human Rights Authorities (HRA)

Due Process Assistance and Prep

• We will explain the process of Due Process
• We will work with parents/caregivers to decide if their challenge(s) fit the criteria of Due Process.
• Should the decision be made to move forward with Due Process we will work with them to gather the appropriate documentation for their case.
• We will discuss the options available to them in regards having/hiring an attorney to represent them.

Independent Education Evaluation (IEE) Assistance

An IEE at Public Expense is a request that all parents/caregivers have the right to request if they disagree with their student’s school evaluation.  At Public Expense means that the school district will pay for the evaluation plus travel expenses.

• We will assist parents/caregivers through the process of successfully requesting an IEE for their student.  
• We will explain what the process is if the school district declines their request.
• We assist parents/caregivers when their request for an IEE is approved.

At No Expenses to Families

IEP Boot Camp is a powerful training with the main purpose of empowering parents or caregivers to successfully navigate the special education system.  This Family First Advocacy signature training is a two-hour training on the basics of navigating the special education system.  Our theory is you don’t need to know every in and out of special education, state, and federal laws, you just need to know what your options are when your student is struggling and where to go for help.

At No Expense To Families

Leadership Training:

Our Leadership Training is a more intensive three-part training for parents, caregivers, and other community members who have a desire to:

1. Learn more about the special education system.
2. Hone your skills as an advocate.
3. Develop skills to be an effective peer mentor for families with challenges.

Those who complete the training will receive a certificate and CEU credits.

Family Trainings:

• #End Bullying - Advocating for your student who is being Bullied
• How to read an IEP
• Parent and Student Rights
• Understanding the IEP Process
• The Difference Between a 504 Plan and an IEP
• What it Means to be Trauma Informed

At No Expenses to Families

Parent Mentoring Program:

• Our Parent Mentoring Program is very special to us because the truth is families who are raising/supporting someone with learning, social, emotional, behavioral, mental health challenges feel alone, judged, and misunderstood.  Sometimes being able to be honest about your and/or your families struggles with someone who has walked in your shoes and “gets it” is all you need to keep fighting the good fight.  We will work to pair you another parent who has what we call “lived experience.”

Student Mentoring Program:

Coming soon

A majority of scholarships given to seniors in high school are for the overachieving student who takes advanced classes and has time to do volunteer work.  These students work very hard and deserve those scholarships.  However, there is another group of deserving students that work equally, and often harder to achieve passing grades.  These students have big hearts but are not necessarily equipped to do volunteer work.  It is all they can do to make it through a school day; they have nothing left.  These students are overlooked and rarely rewarded for their hard work.  Our Scholarship & Award Program is specifically for these students.  Grades, test scores and volunteering are not qualifiers for our scholarships!

JRob Courage Award: 

This award is in honor of a very special student who only felt safe at home.  Just walking into the school building took an abundance of courage every day.  Then add all the stressors of having multiple disabilities; to navigating a world that can be unaccepting and cruel to students that are different.  Suffering insurmountable trauma at the hands of those entrusted to keep him safe.  Every minute of JRob’s day required an unmeasurable amount of courage just to walk into the building knowing he had to survive until he was able to go home.  It often wasn’t easy or pretty but he did it, he got his diploma!

Requirements for being nominated for the JRob Courage award are: 

• The student has an IEP or a 504 Plan
• The student has shown unmeasurable courage in navigating his way through school to get his diploma.
• The student will use the $3000 award for a need or want that will help them move forward in their life post high school toward independence

To be considered for the JRob Courage Award the student needs to be nominated by his family, a teacher, a church, or community member; anyone who has been inspired by their journey.

D-Train Determination Scholarship:

This Scholarship is in honor of a very special student who never, ever gave up no matter what or who was standing in his way.  At five years old he was diagnosed with a learning disability and his parents were told he would never be able to learn to read or do basic math, he would never have a driver’s license, and he would never live independently.  Not only did he learn to do everything the doctors said he would never do, but he also earned a football scholarship to a D2 school.  At the end of his first year, we were hit with a pandemic.  Independent online learning did not play to this student’s strengths, so he decided to pursue his all-time dream of becoming a soldier in the United States Army.  Of course, he was told by many that he wouldn’t be able to pass the entry exam.  This very special student studied very hard and did what he has always done, he proved them wrong and showed everyone what he was made of!  He didn’t pass the test the first time, but he didn’t give up. He was determined to live his dream.  He is now an Infantryman in United States Army!

Requirements for being eligible for the D-Train Determination Scholarship is:

• The student has an IEP or a 504 Plan
• The student has a dream and has shown determination to achieve it 
• The student will use the $3000 scholarship to further their education, pay for job training, tutoring, a life coach, any form of education or training that will help the student to move forward towards their dream.

To be considered for the D-Train Determination Scholarship the student needs to be nominated by his family, a teacher, a church, or community member; anyone who has been inspired by their journey.

coming soon

We charge a flat fee of $350.00 for our Professional Trainings & Workshops for a maximum of 30 staff members.  We have the ability to customize our trainings to fit the needs of your organization.

Available trainings include but are not limited to:

• Signature IEP Bootcamp
• #End Bullying - How to advocate for a student who is being bullied
• How to read an IEP
• Trauma Informed Leadership
• Parent and Student Rights
• Understanding the IEP Process
• The Difference Between a 504 Plan and an IEP

Katrina is an experienced and dynamic public speaker.  As the Founder of Family First Advocacy and the mother of seven children of whom several have special needs Katrina is full of passion to educate and encourage both families and professionals who serve and support the very special population of children with learning, social, emotional, behavioral, and other mental health challenges and their families.

Katrina’s experience as a foster-adopt parent and her difficulty in navigating the public school system for her children who have challenges built in her a clear understanding of resiliency, authentic inclusion, what success is, and the lifesaving need for every family to be a part of a community of people who have walked where they walk.  Her children’s successes in spite of some impossible odds inspires and encourages everyone who hears them to dream big and never accept “no” or “can’t” as an answer to any question.