USA Parent To Parent

P2P USA aims to establish and support a national network of statewide organizations to facilitate Parent to Parent matches for every parent of an individual with a disability or special health care needs. In a Parent to Parent match, a Referred Parent, who is seeking an opportunity to share their parenting experience, receives one-on-one, high-quality, emotional support from a trained volunteer Support Parent who received training with an evidence-based curriculum.

Our strategies include:
- Providing corporate support and leadership development for statewide Parent to Parent organizations through technical assistance, webinars, and conferences;
- Developing a high-quality volunteer Support Parent curriculum to ensure adherence to evidence-based practices;
- Hosting a national matching listserv to facilitate complex matches; and
- Partnering with other national organizations for outreach and information dissemination.

We rely on:
- Expert parent leaders on our Board of Directors, national staff, and statewide organization staff. Beyond their management and family support expertise, the majority of our staff and advisors have personal experience with raising a child with a disability or special health care needs, which ensures that decisions being made remain relevant and compelling to those whom we serve; and
- Well-trained volunteer Support Parents across the country, representing diversity in family racial, ethnic, and social background, as well as disability and special healthcare needs experiences.

Highlights:
- Parent to Parent programs in 37 states;
- Over 7,100 trained volunteers across the US;
- Over 14,000 1:1 matches to support parents in need.
Source: 2021 Parent to Parent USA Annual Survey

What’s next:
- Facilitate Technical Assistance for member organizations;
- Facilitate access to a Language Line to increase capacity for member organizations;
- Expand access: develop a national campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of parent to parent support;
- Expand access: facilitate culturally and linguistically appropriate training for volunteer parents;
- Expand access: facilitate modes of training to increase available trained volunteer Support Parents, starting with evidence-based online training curriculum for member organizations; and
- Continue to collaborate with national partners to coordinate community education to all parents of children with a disability or special healthcare need.