About Us - Parent to Parent of Miami

About Us

Parent to Parent of Miami is the only non-for-profit community parent resource center for families of children and adults with disabilities located in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Proudly Serving Families in Miami Dade-County

With the help of Parent to Parent of Miami’s specialized team, parents and professionals can find information, workshops, and other resources to help make decisions about early intervention, early childhood, education, vocational training, employment, college opportunities, as well as the laws that protect the rights of children and young adults with disabilities.

Parent to Parent of Miami is not a legal firm or legal service agency, and as such the information contained on this website or shared with parents and professionals is provided for the purpose of informing the reviewer, but should not be considered as a means of taking the place of legal advice that must be obtained through an attorney. Our organization may be able to assist you in identifying an attorney in your area, but cannot provide direct referrals.

Parent to Parent Support

We are a diverse group of specially trained parents, families and special needs education professionals who have a family member with a disability. We understand the challenges that come with raising and caring for children and young adults with special needs. We are here to support you and your family in your ongoing journey.

Fulfilling Our Mission

Parent to Parent of Miami, Inc. began in 1986 with one heart-felt wish, may families have an easier time than we did obtaining the services and support needed to raise their children. Founder and first President Paula Lalinde built a Board of Trustees along with Iliana C. Hernandez, Marci Mesa and Chris and Ven Sequenzia which secured its non-for-profit status. For the first time in the history of disability services in Miami-Dade County, families from all types of disability groups were outreaching to other families in an organized and systematic way.

The organization operated out of the office of UCP until July 1987 when it moved to the homes of Paula Lalinde and Iliana Hernandez. Slowly, the new service model of families helping other families began to take hold, and the home telephone numbers of parent volunteers became the life-line for hundreds of families throughout Miami-Dade County.

In 1990, Parent to Parent experienced significant growth. First, there was funding from the Community Committee for Developmental Handicaps (CCDH), whereby Parent to Parent of Miami was able to hire its first part-time employee. Second, the Florida Diagnostic Learning Resource Systems (FDLRS) offered Parent to Parent office space in their new facility. Third, March of Dimes’ funding supported efforts to outreach and provide peer support to families with young children with disabilities. With this funding, Parent to Parent of Miami developed an official logo, printed brochures, and developed mechanisms to collect and report grant data. These efforts prepared the organization for later funding opportunities.

In 1998, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has funded the program as a Community Parent Resource Center (CPRC) for families who have children and adults with disabilities in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. Parent to Parent of Miami expanded its role as a CPRC by entering into a cooperative agreement with Miami-Dade County Public Schools in October 2002. This cooperative agreement provided greater opportunities for school-based parent professional partnerships.

Parent to Parent of Miami’s Parent Education and Support Project funded by The Children’s Trust since 2004 supports activities to increase family functioning and parenting practices to improve child health, school outcomes and systems of care for children and youth with disabilities and special needs.

Today, Parent to Parent of Miami serves over 2,000 families every year through these diverse funding sources and your direct support and generous donations.