Today, we highlight the work of our newest Parent Advisor, Myrna Martin. Myrna joined the PEAK staff in May of 2019 as a Bilingual Parent Advisor so she’s worked pretty well to get her boots muddy in the march to give parents answers, resources, and more as they navigate their own advocacy journeys. Myrna first became involved with PEAK when she herself sought resources and advice from a Parent Advisor for her child. We recently interviewed Myrna about her journeyRead more

A few weeks ago, I began to search my social media feed for inspiration as to what PEAK should post for Independence Day. I came upon a quote from the Black Lives Matter movement’s official Facebook page, @BlackLivesMatter. It reads, “Each of our own liberation is tied to one another. We cannot be fully free until every member of our community is free. That is why we must be intentional and steadfast in centering the voices of the most marginalizedRead more

The other day I got a phone call from a friend. We hadn’t spoken for some time. Our friendship sprouted in the summer of 2003 when my husband, our nearly one-year-old son, and I embarked on a move from the San Luis Valley to a remote area in Garfield County. That summer we became part of a community of friends that you simply don’t make every day. Over the course of our conversation, we looked back on those times andRead more

I sit here typing in my home office looking out the large windows to our back yard. It’s a patio that at some point was closed in. I hear my son speak into his school computer to two of his teachers via Zoom meeting. His voice echoes from his bedroom, down the hall, through my bedroom, and finally to me while I ponder all the problems we’re facing and glance out at the ponderosa pines dancing in the breeze. IRead more

Aside from the daily statistics on rates of infection, lockdowns, curfews, shutdowns, economic instability and more, It is really easy to get overwhelmed with all the information being dumped on us about educating our kids from home amid indefinite school closures. Every other post I’ve scrolled through in the last week seems to be a free subscription, ways to keep your kids busy and learning while at home, or some method to keep parents sane amid the chaos. It’s difficultRead more

We’ve been busy these last few months creating all things conference. Everyone at PEAK Parent Center is excited and proud to bring you the 34th Annual Conference on Inclusive Education , Discover the Possibilities. Whether you are a veteran attendee or plan to attend for the first time, PEAK’s Annual Conference on Inclusive Education is the premier event to connect you with all things inclusive education. This year’s line-up of keynoters features classic conference names like Jonathan Mooney , who’sRead more

Our staff at PEAK Parent Center have one thing on our minds this time of year: our Annual Conference on Inclusive Education . This year the theme is Discover the Possibilities! Today we want to highlight part of the conference we are really excited about, the Youth Leadership Summit . You might be thinking Why have a Youth Leadership Summit? Isn’t PEAK for parents? Yes, PEAK is all about parents, BUT we help parents so they can help their childrenRead more

Parents , do you find yourself wondering about your child’s future? What’s in store when my child exits the school system? How are we going to manage the tumultuous changes in middle school? High school? What about inclusion in college? What’s really out there for my child? Educators and service providers , do any of the following questions circulate in your brain? Where can I learn more about inclusive practices? How can I make my class more inclusive? How canRead more

Your child or student with a disability has been placed in the general education classroom. You may have concerns or hesitations about their learning and progress in this setting. How do we set them up for success? How do we make this work all day, in every subject, and in extracurricular activities? First, let’s review the concept of placement in IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) which emphasizes that children with disabilities are to be educated to the maximumRead more