For Jessica Madrid and her six-year-old, EdNavigator’s help was “life-changing.”
Jessica first learned about EdNavigator after frustrating attempts to arrange special education services, including speech therapy, for her son. The school year was ending, and Jessica had no idea how to put a plan in place for the next school year.
She told her pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital the problem, who then referred her to EdNavigator, which partners with healthcare clinics and pediatricians to provide families with educational advising support.
Navigators serve as “personal education advisors” for families and students, helping them understand their public school options, navigate the registration processes, and support their child’s transition into the classroom. Navigators also help families understand their rights to ensure their children get the specialized support they need, including Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
In collaboration with her Navigator, Ashly Marmol, Jessica found a new school placement that would meet her student’s needs. Ashly also helped Jessica understand her rights as a parent and her child’s rights as a student.
“As part of the next steps and making sure that she was empowered, we made sure she knew who to contact at the school if she had questions about the IEP, or in general, so that she could eventually independently advocate for her child even after our support was over,” said Ashly. She also helped Jessica access school transportation to get her child to and from school.
“I would absolutely recommend EdNavigator to other families,” said Jessica. “I already have recommended it to coworkers and other parents, because it wasn’t just that I received the help, it’s that it was really personal help and personal attention. Ashly was like a cheerleader, even in moments when I was feeling really defeated.”
“Ed Forward DC is our primary funder for our work in DC,” said Victoria Paulino, Director of Navigation at EdNavigator. “They’re championing our work at Children’s National, and it is through the contributions of Ed Forward DC that we were able to do this work at Children’s National. They’ve really helped us to pilot this work and show how successful it is within the DC area and in supporting our DC families.”
