ʺKnowledge will bring you the opportunity to make a difference.” - Claire Fagan
ABOUT
Effective advocates influence by using facts, relationships, and communication to educate on the needs of students. Bridge Educational Advocacy gives a voice to students and their families when concerns and interests are not being heard.
Bridge Educational Advocacy
works to ensure that children have access to the necessary educational services that will enable them to benefit from their instructional programming.
SERVICES
Bridge Educational Advocacy has created a service menu that provides a tiered approach to assist students and their families throughout Chicagoland and across Illinois.
Just as students need a differentiated approach, families benefit from advocacy services that acknowledge the value of an individualized level of service designed to meet their needs.
NEXT STEPS
When students struggle, parents experience an urgency to find the necessary supports to help their children. Bridge Educational Advocacy’s consultation meetings focus on increasing knowledge of rights, options and services available to students experiencing challenges at school.
Let’s get started by scheduling a free 60-minute consultation appointment, contact us today.
TESTIMONIALS
Bridge Educational Advocacy has been built from a belief that parents must be supported to fully participate in their children's educational programs. In order to provide optimal service, Bridge establishes relationships with families, as described by this client:
“The name of her company, Bridge Educational Advocacy, says it all. Before working with Pepi, our school teams were very lax in understanding the complex nature of our children's learning profiles and their needs in school. We felt lost because our schools did not seem to understand the full extent of our children's challenges. Pepi's thoughtful approach to educational advocacy with special education teams allowed her to “bridge” that divide for us. She took the time to listen and understand our experiences with our children's complex issues. She then successfully collaborated with our school teams to educate them in the areas where our children needed more support. We now have two children who are happy to go to school and enjoy learning at a pace that meets their needs and supports their challenges.”
In appreciation of the services provided, many families have chosen to share their stories.
ABOUT BRIDGE EDUCATIONAL ADVOCACY
Being an advocate requires the skill and knowledge base to make a difference for students. Bridge Educational Advocacy brings the background and expertise to work effectively with school teams, identify areas for improvement, and guide the discussion to create effective student programming.
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Understand the instructional methodologies:
In order to provide sound educational recommendations, it is imperative to bring a broad background of scientifically research-based interventions that have been found to be effective with students. -
Learn about laws protecting people with disabilities and their application to public school services:
As an advocacy firm, Bridge Educational Advocacy can not provide legal services. Educational advocacy can provide a "bridge" connecting families to service providers and by crossing over the impasse, students can receive the services that they need. -
Networking:
By using the connections that have been achieved from a career in public education, Bridge Educational Advocacy connects families to other service providers, therapeutic day schools, diagnostic evaluators, and support services that can make meaningful differences for the students that we serve. -
An objective perspective can often make the difference in a meeting:
School meetings can be intimidating. School personnel often outnumber the parents in attendance and by virture of the number of participants, parents can feel that they don't have a voice. An educational advocate can help a family to feel "supported", which allows parents to have a stronger voice when seeking assistance for their children. Bridge Educational Advocacy balances the voices at the table and makes sure that the needs of the student are the central focus of the conversation. -
Knowledge is power:
School systems are government agencies with their own processes and procedures. Bridge Educational Advocacy can decipher the jargon, explain the process, and empower families to participate effectively on behalf of their children. -
Using your procedural safeguards:
Parents and their children have rights. Bridge Educational Advocacy can guide families on how those safeguards can protect their rights and ensure that students receive the services necessary to achieve positive educational outcomes.
