Parent to Parent
Parent to Parent Coordinators
Melissa Brooks RN- I'm Melissa Brooks, RN, your Parent to Parent Coordinator with The Arc of Tri-Cities. I am a wife and a mother of four amazing young adult children, three with autism. I am here to offer fellow parents/caregivers support on their journey and to help navigate local, state and federal resources and services.
Martha Jones - I a wife and mother of four children, with the youngest having Down Syndrome. I have a passion for helping and supporting parents that has a child with any disability.
Mi nombre es Martha Jones. Soy esposa y madre de cuatro hijos, y el más pequeño tiene Síndrome de Down. Mi pasión es ayudar y apoyar a padres que tengan hijos deshabilitados.
OUR PURPOSE
No parent should feel alone. Ever.
At The Arc of Tri-Cities Parent to Parent Service, when someone asks what we do, we say we empower and support parents in Benton and Franklin Counties.
Why? Because we understand being a parent of a child with special needs can be a challenge — we’ve been there!
The journey is filled with hills and valleys and sometimes feels a little overwhelming. So, we’re driven to ensure no parent feels alone. .
WHAT WE DO
PARENT SUPPORT
Parent groups offer time and support to navigate the rollercoaster of emotions and life adjustments of raising a child with a disability. These groups can help you to connect to community resources, foster relationships with other parents, as well as build a community of support. .
Helping Parents are trained volunteers who provide emotional support and information to another parent who has a child with a similar diagnosis or support needs. Helping Parents are compassionate, knowledgeable, and ready to offer a listening ear. We don’t want anybody to feel alone.
Connecting to resources can be challenging. Parent to Parent provides referrals to disability related support services in our local community.
Click the button below to check out the recorded Zoom for a walkthrough on available services and resources for Autism:
FAMILY ENGAGEMENT
Social activities Easter Egg Hunts, Fishing Events, Lunch group meet ups and more bring families together year-round. Visit The Arc’s Parent-to-Parent Tri-Cities Facebook page, or the page for details.
Education
Parent to Parent partners with other organizations to offer expertise, information and occasionally hosts webinars and trainings for parents and individuals working with people with disabilities. Partnerships Include Benton Franklin Counties Special Education PTA, PAVE, Mid-Columbia Down Syndrome and Pasco, Kennewick and Richland School districts.
VOLUNTEER WITH P2P
Helping Parent volunteers have completed a training program and are available to provide support and information to other parents. All information is kept confidential. To become a Helping Parent Volunteer, please fill out The Arc of Tri-Cities Helping Parent Form to get started!
Having a child with a developmental disability has many unique challanges. One of those challenges is limited respite or child care support. The Arc of Tri-Cities offers Facebook Pages and Support Groups that allows parents support without having to find childcare.
We look forward to meeting you and learning how we can best support you and your family!
