About Us - Family - School Partnership at The Advocacy Center

Mission Statement

Our mission is to connect families and schools in a way that best supports children so that they can be successful in school and beyond.

We coach and empower parents of students with disabilities by providing resources and skill-building opportunities that encourage cooperative relationships between home and school.

Services we provide:

The Family-School Partnership provides free workshops as well as information and resources. Our workshop topics cover the areas of special education, disability-specific information, advocacy skills and effective communication.

To learn more about current workshops click here

To view a listing of all our workshops click here

Please check out our resources and e-newsletter

For basic information regarding special education, click here

We provide services to:

Our services are available to parents, families, PTAs, SEPTAs, PTOs, community organizations, and school districts. Any individual or organization interested in learning more about the education of students with disabilities is encouraged to contact us for more information.

We serve school districts and nondistrict schools within the following BOCES districts and the Rochester City School District. To see which school districts are served by each BOCES click on the links below.

Staff Biographies-

April Dixon first became involved with The Advocacy Center as a parent seeking support on behalf of her own 2 children. She completed Lay Advocacy Training and served as a Parent Resource Specialist for several years, conducting outreach in the community for families in the city of Rochester. April is a member of The Advocacy Center’s Speakers Bureau and has provided educational advocacy to families of children with disabilities. She brings 13 years of personal experience with the special education process to her position as Parent Education Specialist.

Jenny Hutkowski has a Masters degree in Counseling Services and previously worked within a school system as a School Counselor. She also chaired the Pupil Services Team, which is responsible for managing special education referrals on a building level and helping families through the process. Jenny has four children of her own, all in the elementary and middle-school age range and all with some degree of special needs. Her personal goal is to help families understand the value of their input in their child’s special education program. Jenny serves as the Parent Center Coordinator.

Carrie Burkin has a Bachelors Degree in Health Science with a concentration in Community Education. She previously worked for AIDS Rochester as a prevention educator. Carrie has two daughters ages 5 and 7. She became familiar with the Advocacy Center after her older daughter whom has Down syndrome was born. Carrie and her family have been very active within the DS community. Having a child with a disability has taught Carrie the value of encouraging all children to find the educational path that works for the best for them. Carrie serves as a Parent Education Specialist.

Maritza Cubi came to The Advocacy Center in 2004 in search of support and direction while trying to acquire the proper education for her son. Maritza worked as a daycare teacher and as an advocate for 10 years. While working full time she managed to be a full time student at Empire State College. Maritza has a Child Development Associate, a Family Development Credential and an Associate in Human and Community Service with a concentration in Children and Families. Maritza has three children of her own, one in elementary, and the other two in middle and high school. Two of her children have special needs. Maritza serves as a Bilingual Parent Education Specialist.

Collaborations-

The Advocacy Center
Mid-West Regional Special Education Technical Assistance Support Center (RSE-TASC)
Midwest Task Force on Quality Inclusive Schooling
Mid-West Regional Early Childhood Direction Center (RECDC)
Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID)
Rochester City School District (RCSD)- Office of Parent Engagement/Parent University
Ibero-American Action League
Finger Lakes Parent Network (FLPN)
Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth
Flower City Down Syndrome Network
Wilson Commencement Park
Happiness House (Finger Lakes Cerebral Palsy Association)
Geneva ABCD (Agri-Business Child Development)
Saint Michael's Catholic Church