About us

Running a Parent Center and administering a federal grant is a big job. Parent to Parent of Georgia, as the Region B Parent Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) for Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs) in the Southeast and Midsouth, is committed to providing resources and support to assist new Center Directors and Project Directors understand and fulfill their obligations in their respective roles. This New Director’s Corner is designed specifically for that purpose.

What training is available for New Directors?

There are two primary ways that new PTI/CPRC Directors can access training.  Each year the 4 RPTACs and the CPIR collaborate to provide a virtual New Directors Training which covers topics such as Grant Reporting, Data Collection, Project Implementation, Finance and Uniform Guidance.  New Directors go through these training modules in real time with a cohort of other new Directors from across the country. A member of the Region B PTAC team can inform you when the next series is occurring so you may sign up. New Directors can also access training on a variety of special education and nonprofit management topics through the CPIR’s eLearning Hub. Every Center Director may request a username and password to access this site. 

What is CPIR? How is it different from the Regional PTACs?

The CPIR, located at SPAN Advocacy in New Jersey, serves as the national technical assistance center for Parent Centers across the country.  The CPIR’s focus is on developing products that are relevant and useful for all Parent Centers.  The CPIR provides universal, general TA to the Parent Centers across the nation and serves as a virtual hub for collaboration and training.  Read more about Great Things You’ll Find on CPIR.

The focus of the four Regional PTACs is to provide capacity-building technical assistance to the Parent Centers within their respective regions.  The PTACs provide targeted, specialized TA and intensive, sustained TA to the Parent Centers in their regions. 

Where can I find sample documents, policies, etc.?

Parent Center Directors take on a great deal of management responsibility along with program responsibilities and budgets that are usually quite small. That means we need to know exactly where to go to find out what to do to manage the required board, personnel, financial, and legal requirements that are a part of our day-to-day work.

Region B PTAC staff have samples of various documents and/or policies that they can share with you.  Additionally, all Parent Center Directors have access to a Management Index, which is designed to provide high-quality, topical resources organized by tabs relating to essential Parent Center Director information. Teams of experienced Parent Center Directors and staff have collaborated to provide up-to-date resources for each of the essential areas of Parent Center management.  A member of the Region B PTAC team can provide you with information about how to access the Management Index.

Are there other resources to help me run my grant? My nonprofit organization?

The Board Toolkit was developed to train Parent Center Boards to help them meet their responsibilities. Each of the toolkits has 3 topics – 18 topics altogether! Each topic includes a short 10-20 minute video, a Dialogue Guide with presenter notes to help apply the video information to the Parent Center, a FAQ with the most important takeaway information, additional supporting resources, and a post-training evaluation survey. A Board Self-Assessment Tool is available to help the Board create a professional development plan, prioritizing topics identified where training is most urgently needed. Region B PTAC staff can help with questions related to use of these toolkits.

Written Technical Assistance (TA) and Unauthorized Practice of Law Toolkit: Parent Centers’ foremost commitment is to provide families with information that will empower them to advocate effectively for their children. To do that properly, each Parent Center must provide individualized assistance that is accurate, up-to-date, relevant, high quality, research-based, and appropriate to the needs expressed. There are special considerations Parent Centers must be mindful of when providing assistance to families in writing.  Further, there are legal and ethical considerations Parent Centers must be mindful of so that they do not unknowingly engage in the Unauthorized Practice of Law when providing any type of assistance. The Toolkit to Ensure Appropriate, Quality, Written Individualized Assistance & the Unauthorized Practice of Law, developed collaboratively between the RPTACs and the CPIR, will help Parent Centers:

  • Understand the context and legal and other implications of providing written individualized assistance and avoiding the unauthorized practice of law;
  • Understand the need for, and appropriate contents of, written Parent Center policies and procedures regarding written individualized assistance and avoiding the unauthorized practice of law;
  • Learn about tools to assess current policies and practices, and develop and train staff on appropriate policies, procedures, and practices.

Both toolkits are intended exclusively for Parent Centers.  Region B PTAC staff can assist you in accessing both toolkits.

What are the Parent Center reporting requirements?

The Annual Performance Report (a.k.a. Continuation Report) – This report is due for each year funding has been approved in order to receive continuation award. This report is the tool used to demonstrate your Parent Center project’s progress toward meeting project and program performance measures.

  • Centers typically receive the initial notification that the report is due in February, with a due date in early May (approximately).  This notification/letter includes instructions for completing the report, where to find the form templates and how to access available technical assistance.
  • This letter is sometimes referred to as the “Larry letter” in reference to the individual at OSEP who previously sent out these letters. 

Program Service Description (Government Performance and Results Act, GPRA) – This data collection is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of OSEP programs and to gather data on performance measures approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).  This is done through a review of services developed and delivered by Parent Centers. 

  • Parent Centers do NOT do this every year, but typically do it every other year (or sometimes once every 3 years; selection is based upon a sampling plan). 
  • If your Center is selected to participate, you will be notified in January and your submission will be due in March (approximately).  
  • The results of this data collection yield aggregated data across all participating Parent Centers related to measures of Quality, Relevance and Usefulness (QRU).

National Data Collection – Facilitated by the Center for Parent Information & Resources (CPIR), this two-part data collection serves to highlight the work of Parent Centers in reaching and serving families and youth and the many positive impacts and outcomes from our work.

  • Part 1, typically due in early November, is the quantitative data collection (the numbers of various types of services, contacts, activities conducted during the reporting period). 
  • Part 2, typically due in December, reflects the overall assessment of progress toward long-term measures (outcomes) established by OSEP.  Part 2 data is collected through surveys completed by a random sample of individuals who accessed services from your Parent Center.

What information, specific to Region B PTAC, should I be aware of and request access to?

  • Region B PTAC website: https://www.p2pga.org/about-us/our-programs/rbptac/
  • Box.com Cloud-based file storage/sharing
  • Bigstock (royalty-free photos) repository

Who do I contact if I have more questions?

You may also want to explore the Technical Assistance & Dissemination Network of Centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to support the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Centers provide TA to ensure the needs of ALL infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families are met.

Region B PTAC Contact Information:

3070 Presidential Parkway, Suite 130
Atlanta, GA 30340
Phone: 770-451-5484
Toll Free: 800-229-2038
Fax: 770-458-4091
Email: regionbptac@p2pga.org

US OSEP IDEAs that Work logo

Publication of this webpage is made possible through Cooperative Agreement #H328R180004 between Parent to Parent of Georgia and the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any commodity, service or enterprise mentioned on this webpage is intended or should be inferred.