Seeds of Partnership – Family Empowerment Centers
Family Empowerment Centers (FECs) provide training and information to families of children and young adults with disabilities, between the ages of 3 and 22 in California. These nonprofit organizations offer specialized training, peer-to-peer support, information and referral services. They aim to assist parents to better understand their child’s educational and developmental needs, effectively communicate with service providers, serve as a resource for the IEP process, participate in school reform and improvement activities, promote alternative dispute resolution, and support positive relationships between parents and professionals. Services available through each FEC vary based on the needs of the community. Several FECs are involved with additional federal, state, or local initiatives which expand or specialize their services and support for families with children with disabilities from as early as birth up to age 26. There are currently 29 FECs, serving 52 counties, across 36 regions. In 2023, the California Department of Education aims to identify FEC support for the following counties not yet served by an FEC: Humboldt, Inyo/Mono, Lake, Mariposa, and Mendocino.
Seeds of Partnership project, funded by the California Department of Education, Special Education Division, assists with Family Empowerment Center technical assistance, evaluation support, and coordination of the Family Empowerment and Disability Council.
History of the Family Empowerment Center Establishment
| 2001 | Family Empowerment Centers (FECs) were originally established through Senate Bill 511 (authored by Senator DeDe Alpert), then enacted as California Education Code 56400-56414 in 2001. At this time there were 32 FEC regions identified. These regions closely reflected the Family Resource Center (FRC) regional structure. Regions include one or more county, with the exception of Los Angeles County, which is separated into multiple regions due to high student population density. The California Department of Education (CDE) awarded grants to establish 12 FECs via a Request for Applications (RFA) process. These 12 centers served 24 counties within 12 regions. |