You don't have to walk this path alone.
When something doesn’t feel right, trust that instinct. Wherever you are in the United States, I help you understand your options, advocate with confidence, and make informed decisions—without overwhelm or intimidation.
Based in the Washington DC Metro Area, serving families Nationwide.
I know what it feels like to be in your shoes.
First and foremost, I am a mother of two amazing boys. I am also the mother of a child with special needs. I advocated for my younger son for over 11 years from early intervention Child Find to IEP development to placement decisions and more. I know the strain of stepping into an IEP meeting and having to take the lead with two very different but important roles: Parent and Advocate. Indeed, they are very different.
I am dedicated to Educational Advocacy and Life Coaching because I want to be the resource I needed when I was in the IEP trenches.
I not only have lived experience as a parent, but I also have extensive training in educational advocacy, grief and life coaching. Furthermore, I bring 27 years of professional experience that includes navigating heavily regulated environments, leading/mentoring teams, negotiating challenging concepts and driving toward success.
Instead of following a script or "this is how we've always done it," I take a child-first approach to achieving the right outcomes for your children, leveraging all of the resources that are available. Educational needs and managing life are not linear - let me help you chart your path.
You can find more about my approach and philosophy in this blog post.
Navigating the Path Forward Together
Raising a child with special needs and managing school requirements can feel like traversing a landscape without a map. My work is dedicated to providing you with that map—combining expert education advocacy with holistic coaching to support both your child’s learning and your family’s overall well-being. By using a collaborative and resourceful approach, we focus on what matters most: achieving your child's educational needs and your family's confidence and joy.
- Educational Advocacy and Representation: I partner with you throughout the IEP/504 process including:
- Developing a near and long-term strategy to achieve your child's educational goals and life objectives
- IEP/504 Plan documentation and development
- Representing your interests and negotiating during IEP/504 Plan school meetings
- Support navigating significant events such as reevaluations, behavior intervention, seclusion/restraint, Independent Education Evaluations, placement decisions, mediation, etc.
- Life Coaching: Holistic support to build your clarity, balance daily challenges, and embrace new possibilities. I offer coaching when
- A diagnosis feels overwhelming
- Finding joy or balance in life feels elusive
- Parents need to feel empowered to advocate for their children
- Collaborative Partnership: A strategic, team-oriented approach focused on long-term success for your unique family path
How We Work Together
No path is identical. And life with a child that has special needs is constantly evolving. My philosophy is to meet you exactly where you are today and navigate with you. Parents may need situational support, just someone they can reach out to as needed (for help understanding what the heck a term means or sanity check). Or they may need full advocacy when the stakes are high. I can help.
Whether your child's educational situation is under control or up in the air, life can be challenging when a child has unique needs. We often neglect our own self-care when fighting for our children. That's where life coaching can help. It may sound cliche, but this aligns very well to the airline guidance "you need to put your oxygen mask on first before you can help others."
The best place to start is with an initial discovery call. It's at no cost to you. We will discuss your child's situation and goals, my approach, services that I offer, the process and costs. At the end of this consultation, you'll have information needed to move forward with confidence.
- As needed educational advocacy
- Full IEP/504 Plan support
- Representation at school meetings and communications
- Strategy sessions and documentation review/analysis
- Parent advocate empowerment
- Life coaching to realize that life can be joyful and rewarding
If you decide that working with me will support your goals, I will provide you with an advocacy and/or coaching agreement, a link for securely sharing documents, a clear vision for what is possible, and a transparent understanding of all costs involved.
Our Services
Complimentary IEP Documentation Audit
Please allow me to review your child's IEP documentation, evaluating for compliance and areas for improvement. After receipt of your child's educational records and my audit, we will then hold a 30-minute parent meeting to discuss findings and next steps. Note that this does not include recommendations or strategies.
Educational Advocacy
Life is not linear and neither should be your advocacy support. I offer advocacy services including parent empowerment, full representation during significant milestones in your child's education, engagement with the school team, recommendations for IEP improvement and strategy, best practices for documentation and communication, approaches to IEP/504 Plan changes, and just general questions.
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Cost: Advocacy is $175 per hour in 10-minute increments.
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Billing: I offer flexible ways of invoicing in collaboration with parents and their needs at that time (i.e. hourly billing upon scheduling, monthly billing based on actual hours spent, retainer).
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Scheduling/Advocacy Initiation: During our initial discussion, we will discuss ways to schedule time and engage in advocacy. Parents can schedule time directly with me here but often advocacy comes up in the course of engaging with the IEP team. I'm happy to support based on requests from emails or direct contact.
Coaching and Mentorship
I recognize that life continues outside of the special education process. Coaching can significantly improve quality of life amidst life's challenges. Coaching is helpful for families or anyone seeking peace and a map to their north star. Mentorship is helpful for anyone actively involved with supporting children with special needs and the people that love them (i.e. advocates and special education professionals).
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Cost: Coaching/Mentorship is $175 per hour and prorated for the time we are engaged (typically hour-long sessions but can vary to support your ideal schedule).
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Payment: Payment is due on or before the start of each session.
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Scheduling: Sessions can be scheduled through direct discussions or online here.
Resource Navigation
Finding therapeutic resources for your child can feel overwhelming. Indeed, there are a lot of providers out there and knowing where to go isn't always clear. Unfortunately, many medical providers will only refer to others who provide services that the medical community sanctions. In fact, there are tons of resources out there and I can help you understand options based on your child's unique needs. This will include traditional providers, holistic resources, state and county provided benefits as well as non-profits. This service includes a curated local guide of resources and a 30-minute parent call. This can be especially helpful during new/changing diagnoses and when you move to a new area.
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Payment: The fee shall be paid on or before the parent meeting to initiate this service.
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Scheduling: To initiate this service please contact me directly or book here.
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Cost: Resource Navigation is a one-time service for a flat fee of $200.
Educational Strategy Roadmap
No matter where you are in the special education process, a best practice is to have a near and long-term strategy for your child's educational success. This includes academics, leisure, and post-secondary plans. Even long-term goals should be contemplated in today's IEP or 504 Plan. An Educational Strategy Roadmap begins with a comprehensive review of academic and evaluation documentation followed by a 60–90-minute parent meeting. I will then follow up with a post-meeting summary including documented strategy, goals and action steps.
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Cost: Educational Strategy Roadmap is a flat fee of $450.
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Payment: The fee shall be paid prior to beginning the comprehensive review.
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Scheduling: To initiate this service, contact me directly or book here.
Discovery Call
The best place to start is with a 30-minute complimentary Discovery Call where we can discuss how working together will benefit your wellbeing and your child's educational goals. You can schedule a call here.
IEP Goal Outcome Oversight
Signing an IEP is just day one. The challenge is making sure that your child realizes academic progress based on the goals and supports offered. Instead of waiting until the next annual review to assess meaningful progress, IEP Goal Outcome Oversight offers monthly monitoring & analysis of your child's progress but, more importantly, early identification of goal trends. This data can then be used to objectively approach the school/IEP team to course correct. IEP Outcome Oversight begins with an initial intake of your child's IEP and subsequent monthly ingestion of goals progress as well as analysis. Each month parents are provided with a summary and optional 15-minute monthly sync.
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Cost: The initial IEP intake is a one-time fee of $150 and after, monthly goal analysis is a recurring $75 monthly fee.
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Payment: The initial fee should be paid prior to the intake, and the recurring fee is to be paid at the start of each month.
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Scheduling: To initiate this service, contact me directly or book here.
Frequently asked questions
Contact Us
Ways to reach us:
• Use the Contact Us form in this section
• Reach out for general inquiries to amanda@wewillfindaway.com
• Contact our lead advocate and coach, Amanda Foster at:
- Email: amanda@wewillfindaway.com
- Phone: 540-207-9129