Are you raising a child who needs more health care, therapies, or educational assistance than most other children?
Do you wish you had more skills and resources to be able to talk to your child's health care providers and teachers?
Do you want to find ways to help more families in similar circumstances?
Parents and primary caregivers of children ages 3 to 19 with special health care needs are invited to participate in a special leadership training. The goals of this training are to:
Understand how to work with partners
Become aware of one's own path to leadership
Discover strategies for advocacy
The 2025 Training Session is currently underway. Check back in January 2026 for future session information.
Storytelling for Family Leaders is a virtual training developed in consultation with the Iowa Department of Education based on the Parents as Presenters program. This training includes an in-person orientation, online modules, and Zoom sessions for peer coaching to help families develop a 10 minute story to be used as part of their advocacy efforts. Check back here for information about upcoming sessions.
Digital Storytelling
Digital Storytelling is an in-person training based on The StoryCenter model which helps families produce a three minute video with voiceover, visual images, and effects. Check back herer for information about upcoming sessions.
The Community Service Project is an integral part of the Iowa Family Leadership Training Institute. It provides an opportunity for trainees to apply lessons and skills learned during the in-person part of the training. All trainees come to the training with experience advocating for their children with special needs at the individual or family level.
As they work on their Community Service Projects, they are able to leverage that experience at the community or systems level. Doing so will most likely require new resources and new partners. Individual mentors work with trainees to make connections and develop projects that have impact.
