Family Support Resources
Family Resource Center on Disabilities (FRCD)
The Family Resource Center on Disabilities (FRCD) is the Chicago metropolitan area’s Parent Training and Information Center. The FRCD can help you learn about your rights and responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), make informed decisions about your child’s individualized education program (IEP), obtain appropriate services for your child, communicate more effectively with school professionals and more.
The FRCD serves the following eight Illinois counties: Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will.
You can contact the FRCD at (312) 939-3513 or info@frcd.org.
Family Voices of Illinois & F2F Health Information Center
The Arc of Illinois Family to Family Health Information Center is a free service for families of children and youth with special needs. The Center is a collaborative project with Family Voices of Illinois and provides families tools to make informed decisions, advocates for improved public and private policies, builds partnerships among professionals and families, and serves as a trusted resource on health care.
The Child Welfare Information Gateway has a list of organizations that provide information and resources for and about fathers and their important role in the lives of children.
Fathering a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Child: An Onboarding Checklist for Dads
The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Parent to Parent Committee developed a checklist written by fathers of children who are deaf or hard of hearing(D/HH) for dads or any person who feels that they fulfill this role in a child’s life.
“Fathering a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Child: An Onboarding Checklist for Dads” provides information and action steps to support and encourage fathers to take an active role in every aspect of their child’s life from the start. The guide shares information from a dad’s perspective on topics including:
- The ” new dad” learning curve
- Language and communication
- School and legal rights
- Well-being
Financial Planning for Parents of Children With Disabilities
The PACER Center offers “A Financial Resource for Parents of Children With Disabilities” to help you plan for your child’s financial future and overall well-being. This resource helps walk you through getting organized, life and disability insurance and various aspects of planning for you and your child.
Find a Helpline is a resource to help individuals find free, confidential emotional support over the phone, text or webchat.
Find Food IL Community Food Map
Find Food IL is a community food map that provides a list of places offering free food or meals in your community. You can find food pantries, stores and markets that accept SNAP/LINK or WIC coupons, and more resources that are close to you.
Finding Help for Young Children With Disabilities and Developmental Delays
Every child is unique, and some children face extra physical or learning challenges. Parents often have questions about sources of information and support. This Finding Help for Young Children With Disabilities and Developmental Delays resource list from the Illinois Early Learning Project shares information for parents on how to get your child evaluated, how to get special education services for your child and where to find more information to support children with autism, Down syndrome, hearing loss and vision loss.
flok for Individuals with an Inherited Metabolic Disorder
Formerly known as PKU News, flok provides resources, support and an app for individuals with an inherited metabolic disorder and the people and clinicians who care for them. These conditions include Classical Homocystinuria (HCU), Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD), Phenylketonuria (PKU), Tyrosinemia and more.
The flok website includes:
- Opportunities to connect and share in person and virtually
- Annual flok Family Camps
- Food science information guided by a staff dietitian and collaborations with partner organizations and Genetic Metabolic Dietitians International
- The flok app for individuals managing an inherited disorder of protein metabolism
Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE)
Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) provides research, resources and advocacy to improve the quality of life and health of people of all ages with food allergy. Food allergy can cause life-threatening allergic reactions. FARE supports food allergy research, education programs for people with and without food allergy, and awareness around healthcare options and treatment.
FARE programs and services also include:
- “Teen Talk,” a monthly virtual hangout for preteens, teens, and young adults with food allergies
- Allergy alerts and ingredient notices
- A Food Allergy Guide, toolkits and other downloadable resources in English and Spanish
- Resources for dieticians and other healthcare professionals
- Recipes
- Support groups