The CPIR At a Glance

The Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) serves as a central resource of information and products to the community of Parent Training Information (PTI) Centers and the Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs), so that they can focus their efforts on serving families of children with disabilities.

CPIR has three main objectives:

• to provide PTIs and CPRCs with products and materials to support their work with families
• to increase Parent Centersrsquo knowledge and capacity in specific domains and
• to increase the coordination of parent training efforts throughout the network.

The CPIR places ldquouser-centered processesrdquo at its core. Because PTIs and CPRCs are the main focus of our work, the CPIR is designed to gather Parent Center perspectives at each step along the way.

CPIRrsquos Plan of Action
To accomplish its objectives, CPIR will:

• establish a Stakeholders Advisory Group with majority representation of Parent Center staff
• conduct a national assessment of Parent Center needs and assets
• build a website that gives Parent Centers access to all products of the CPIR and to private work spaces for collaboration
• create and disseminate new products through a user-centered process
• build a databank of Parent Center expertise
• keep Parent Centers up to date on news from OSEP, the U.S. Department of Education, the Technical Assistance and Dissemination (TA&D) network, and others
• support Parent Centers in the collection and reporting of annual performance data and
• conduct a formative and summative evaluation.

The CPIR Team
SPAN, a parent center with extensive experience in empowering parents in New Jersey and parent centers in the northeastern states, is proud to serve as the lead partner for the CPIR.

FHI 360 is equally proud to serve as a subcontractor and to bring to CPIR the exceptional expertise of staff currently operating the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, better known as NICHCY. This team equips the CPIR with the skills vital to writing family-friendly materials, designing powerful user-friendly websites, disseminating for impact, and collaborating with multiple partners to create on-target, user-centered publications and products.

Quite significantly, the regional Parent Technical Assistance Centers (regional PTACs) serve as collaborators and partners in CPIR operations to ensure that Parent Centers have a foundational voice in shaping the products and services CPIR provides. The PTACs will coordinate their activities with those of the CPIR to ensure that parent training efforts throughout the network are well-coordinated and non-duplicative.

Together, SPAN, FHI 360, and the PTACs are committed to operating a CPIR that is truly responsive to the needs and missions of the Parent Centers.