On February 28th, 2024, Ms. N visited our center looking for guidance. She is a young single mom of two young children and one on the way. This mom is a prime example of how important it is to never stop advocating for yourself. Her 4-year-old son aged out of early intervention which meant he would be evaluated for IEP Services. This evaluation took place at the beginning of January 2024. She was told that her son would receive the services as soon as possible. But time was just passing by, and she had not heard anything from the Social worker, or Board of Education. She had been visiting the Board of Education directly to see if there was any update. She would make calls and no answer was given on her son’s status. She needed assistance with writing a letter to the Paterson Board of Education. After assisting her with writing the letter, we mailed it to the Board of Ed. Within two weeks of sending the letter, she finally received a response. At first, she was asked why she wrote the letter. She responded that she had not heard anything since January. Time was only passing, and her son needed the help. Her son’s case was just sitting on a desk waiting to be looked at. Someone from special services finally called her and promised her that her son would finally receive the services he is entitled to according to FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education). Had she not sent the letter, her son’s case would have still been sitting on a desk. With the guidance of New Destiny and other organizations like the Statewide Advocacy Parent Network, her son now receives special services. One of Family Success Center’s essential functions is Advocacy. Supporting and helping parents develop advocacy skills on their own is what we strive to see. As something as simple as writing the letter and encouraging her to continue to advocate; it gave her son’s case the attention it needed. Ms. N is incredibly grateful for the help she received from the center.