Resource and Links for Families
Nonprofit Resources / National Agencies
Supported Education Association (SEA)
Comprised of Oak Park-River Forest parent members who are dedicated to helping families with children of special needs. Includes information about workshops.
National Center for Latinos with Disabilities
Only state-wide-not-for-profit organization in Illinois focusing on Latinos with disabilities and their families. The Advocacy Program provides direct services to families of children and adults with disabilities to ensure they receive appropriate services in the most inclusive setting possible. Encompasses three components: advocacy, deaf and hard of hearing services and information and referral. Provides parent workshops.
National Association for the Education of Young Children Of Young Children
Dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children, with particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8. Public policy and advocacy.
National Lekotek Center
Helps families raising a child or children with special needs learn fun, creative, and healthy ways to play together.
Illinois Early Learning Project
Provides standards, resources, and events calendar, contacts and news regarding early childhood education.
Council for Exceptional Children - The Division for Early Childhood
Largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides professional development, advocates for individuals with exceptionalities.
Answers for Special Kids
ASK is a non-profit organization created to support and educate families of children with special needs or learning differences.
Child Care Association of Illinois
CCA provides services to abused, neglected and troubled children, youth and families of Illinois.
Family Matters
Family Matters was funded as a Family Support Program, in 1989, by the Illinois Department of Human Services in order to assist families to keep their children with disabilities living at home by providing, locating, or creating the needed supports.
Family Resource Center on Disabilities
Family Resource Center on Disabilities provides information and support for families, free seminars, Youth Advocacy Project and Parent-To-Parent Training Project.
Family to Family Statewide Health Information Resource For Families of Children and Youth with Special Needs
The Family to Family Health Information an Education Center is here to answer your questions about health and health care.
IllinoisParents.org
IllinoisParents.org is the information link for Illinois families; linking parents directly to local programs, services, and community agencies, and to help parents find information on raising and educating their children.
The Illinois Provider Directory for Children with Disabilities
The directory includes general pediatricians, family physicians, pediatric specialists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech pathologists, audiologists, mental health specialists, pediatric dentists and other health care providers who serve Illinois children with special health care needs.
Illinois Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities
National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center supports the implementation of the early childhood provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Our mission is to strengthen service systems to ensure that children with disabilities (birth through 5) and their families receive and benefit from high quality, culturally appropriate, and family-centered supports and services.
National Info Center/Youth with Disabilities
NICHCY stands for the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities serving as a central source of information on disabilities in infants, toddlers, children, and youth, IDEA, which is the law authorizing special education, No Child Left Behind (as it relates to children with disabilities), and research-based information on effective educational practices.
NPN Parents serving the Parent Community
The Northside Parents Network — a not-for-profit organization of neighborhood networks whose members are parents that provide support for each other and share resources and experiences that will better enable them to manage the common daily challenges faced by families everywhere.
Parent Coalitions and Information Groups
A comprehensive Parent Support Group List compiled by The Family Resource Center on Disabilities (FRCD).
Prevent Child Abuse Illinois
Technical Assistance Alliance for Parents
The Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers is an innovative project that supports a unified technical assistance system for the purpose of developing, assisting and coordinating Parent Training and Information Projects and Community Parent Resource Centers under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Voices for Illinois Children
Voices for Illinois Children champions the full development of every child in Illinois to assure the future well-being of everyone in the state. We work with families, communities and policymakers on all issues to help children grow up happy, healthy, nurtured, safe and well-educated.
Zero to Three
We are a national nonprofit multidisciplinary organization that advances our mission by informing, educating and supporting adults who influence the lives of infants and toddlers. ZERO TO THREE's mission is to support the healthy development and well-being of infants, toddlers and their families.
Postpartum Depression Alliance of Illinois
Provides Illinois women and their families access to support and information about postpartum depression and the ways to cope and access treatment.
Women's Counseling Center
Offers individual, group, couple and family counseling and psychotherapy, professional training and supervision.
Catholic Charities
Offers information and resources of local services and needs. Child development, adoption, child welfare, maternity/pregnancy, counseling.
Hephzibah Children's Association-Oak Park
Group Homes for children traumatized by abuse and neglect, high-quality Day Care on a sliding scale for families of all income levels, and Family Based Services program that provide foster care, adoption services.
Rainbow Families of Illinois
For lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents and their children and those considering parenthood. Sponsors social, educational and advocacy programs for adults and kids of all ages.
DHS-Teenage Parent Services
West Suburban Home Day Care Association
Advocates for professional family child care on behalf of providers, and offers professional family child care as a viable community resource
Oak Park Food Pantry
Parenthesis Family Center-Oak Park
Offers parenting education and support programs designed to strengthen family bonds and facilitate the healthy development of parents and young children.
Community Support Services-Brookfield
dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities. Respite services, family support, supported parenting.
Juvenile Protective Association
Advocacy and treatment agency provides information, research, and child abuse, domestic violence, and child neglect prevention and treatment.
The Arc of Illinois
One Hope United
