Advocacy for Kids at The Southfield Center for Development

ANN MCCARTHY, founder of Advocacy for Kids, is a special education advocate who assists families in securing educational rights for their children with disabilities.

Ann has provided advocacy services to over 200 Connecticut families, across a wide range of issues. She empowers parents with the information and tools they need to have productive and positive conversations with their child’s school. Through detailed file reviews, participation at school meetings, and strategic planning, Ann teaches parents to work with the school system in a non-adversarial way to get their child’s individual needs met. Her end goal is to get parents to a place where they are comfortable advocating for their child on their own.

Ann comments that: "I have been gratified by the overwhelmingly positive feedback regarding my work, not only from the parents I serve but also from school teams. Special education teachers and administrators often refer me to their friends and school staff members have expressed their appreciation for my input and know-how. If the schools are happy to see me coming, I am in a much better position to effectively serve the families who hire me."

In addition to her direct work with schools and parents, Ann has completed hundreds of hours of training related to special education advocacy. She has given presentations to a number of groups regarding effective advocacy strategies, including SPED*NET Wilton and Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities.

Ann is a member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, the Council of Exceptional Children, the Connecticut Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities, the Connecticut Down Syndrome Congress, and the Learning Disabilities Association of America.

She holds an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University, and worked for over a decade in marketing and public relations prior to entering the advocacy field. She resides with her husband and two boys in Fairfield, Connecticut.