Speak with a parent educator
If you would like to start by speaking with a Parent Educator, call (800) 962-6817 or use our online form.
What you can expect
- All of our services are provided at no cost to NC Families
- Any support provided by ECAC staff remains 100% confidential
- Unbiased, accurate information
- Timely response
Empowering parents, caregivers, and youth
A child with special needs is not the only family member to need support. As a parent or caregiver, it can be challenging understanding a diagnosis, knowing where to start for services or feeling like you’ve been heard when it comes to your child’s care and education.
How we can help
1:1 Assistance to parents, families, self-advocates
We can answer questions about navigating the special education process, community resources, parent rights, family engagement, self-advocacy, and more. We also offer specialized support for families & children with deaf-blindness. ECAC staff cannot provide legal advice.
When you call ECAC for 1:1 assistance, you will speak to a Parent Educator who will help you find the answers you need. What makes our services especially helpful is that each Parent Educator on staff is also a parent to a child with a disability. We know what it is like to go through this process both on a technical and personal level.
Workshops and trainings for family members and youth
ECAC provides engaging and informative trainings that help build the knowledge and skills of participants. We offer trainings regularly on various topics and offer them both online in webinar format and in person across the state.
Trainings are offered in English and Spanish. You can request an in-person training or webinar using our online form.
Family leadership development
Families are their child’s first and best teacher. We also know that families can be their child’s best advocate. To support this, ECAC provides training to families to develop their leadership skills to advocate for their own and other children. We also connect them to leadership opportunities across the state.
The voice of families is key to ensuring we have the best systems in place to foster positive outcomes for ALL children.
Youth leadership
Working directly with young people is critical to understand how to best support them in their journey to become as independent as possible. ECAC coordinates a youth leadership team that meets monthly, and also conducts several trainings for youth around topics related to transition and self-determination.
ECAC values youth voice and creates opportunities that are youth driven. View our Youth Resources page.
Our Projects
Click on the icons below to learn more about our projects and partnerships.