Falls Church / Virginia / United States
To be a nationally recognized leader in the development, communication and dissemination of state-of-the-art education, training, outreach and support services for children, particularly children with disabilities, their families and the professionals who serve them. PEATC began its proud history of building partnerships to create improved educational opportunities for children with special needs with one family, one child and a courageous school administrator. Sometime in 1970, the parents of Danny Chitwood approached Win Anderson, the Director of Resurrection Preschool, about the possibility of allowing their son with disabilities to attend classes with the other students at their school. Following Dannys successful inclusion, Win and the Chitwoods were inundated with questions from other families who wanted information about advocating for their children under IDEA, the new special education law. Responding to this pressing need, Win Anderson and Steve Chitwood began a remarkable journey that ultimately touched the lives of thousands of families through the creation of PEATC, the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center. Founded in August of 1978 as a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) nonprofit organization, PEATC has become a leader in education support, training and advocacy providing information to families and professionals throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond. Today, the PEATC Press quarterly newsletter has a circulation of more than 14, 000 while www.peatc.org provides information to a worldwide audience. AT PEATC, we dont just talk about partnerships, weve been living them for 30 years. PEATC staff and board of directors are caring and responsive individuals who include parents of children with and without disabilities, professionals, self-advocates and community leaders. PEATC is committed to reaching all families, including traditionally underserved, rural and low-income populations and those families that do not know how their effective involvement can make a difference. Outreach efforts include program support for African-American and Latino populations across the Commonwealth. Se habla espa ol. Innovative Products include nationally-recognized models in training and assessment tools, guides and curriculum, easy-to-read, leading-edge publications, videos, a comprehensive website with exciting online resources and a free quarterly newsletter, the PEATC Press. We also present at diverse workshops and conferences. Some current topics include:
