C Squared Educational Consulting & Advocacy provides services as individualized as their clients. Our experienced team walks families through every step of the special education process. Our focus on collaboration helps parents understand a school perspective and develop an understanding of customary practices in special education. C Squared aims to help families feel effective and confident in supporting their child and working with schools. See below for a description of family support services:  

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SCHOOL ADVOCACY

Starting the IEP Process

This service is for families who are considering starting or just beginning the special education process. C Squared advocates provide information and guidance on:

  • Educating parents on commonly used jargon and acronyms
  • What questions to ask and data to collect
  • What information to include in letters to the school
  • How to formally initiate the IEP evaluation process
  • Including timelines for moving forward
  • Helpful resources and information on parent and student rights, known as Procedural Safeguards
  • Common pitfalls to avoid



Document Review

The C Squared team is available to review documents relating to a child’s individual education plan and make recommendations on next steps. This might include review of:

  • The IEP or 504 document
  • IEP report card
  • Work samples from class
  • School based evaluation reports
  • Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) reports
  • Communication between school and parents​​​



Prep for IEP or 504 Meetings

C Squared advocates help families prep for upcoming IEP or 504 meetings. In addition to the services described under Document Review, preparing for an IEP meeting might include:

  • Prep for initial or annual IEP and 504 meetings, triennial domain and team meetings, and all informal team meetings
  • Guidance on what information and data to request ahead of the meeting
  • Information on appropriate timelines for receiving documents
  • Working with parents to clarify what they believe is needed for their child to continue to make progress
  • Help parents identify their primary concerns
  • Help develop language to best convey parent’s perspective to school teams



IEP Meeting Attendance

Bringing an advocate to an IEP meeting ensures that families have a trusted third party whose priority is the family and child's needs. In addition to the services describe in document review and meeting prep above, IEP meeting attendance might include:

  • Recording notes and observations throughout the meeting
  • Pausing meeting to check for understanding and clarity
  • Help convey to the team what supports parents believe their child needs in order to make progress
  • Explain to parents how Least Restrictive Environment requirement applies to their child's case
  • Ask for and review baseline data
  • Provide input on goals with a focus on SMART goals that are appropriate and appropriately challenging
  • Post-meeting download to reflect on meeting and plan next steps
  • Educate and coach parents pre- and post- meeting, helping parents gain confidence in their own advocacy skills



Behavioral Management Consultation

Disruptive behaviors often take center stage, creating an urgency to stop the behaviors above all else. C Squared provides expert insight and recommendations into understanding and addressing undesirable behaviors, including:

  • Review relevant documents
  • Help understand when a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is appropriate
  • Provide input into the resulting Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
  • Classroom observations
  • Work with parents and school team to identify appropriate behavior supports and suggest adjustments based on data



Free Consultation

C Squared offers a free consultation up to 30 minutes to learn more about each family's individual needs and explore how C Squared can best support them. Send a message using our contact form or call (773) 649-6022 to schedule a consult