This is part of a series on West Chester entrepreneurs. Know someone who’s taking an innovative approach to the mantra, “Follow your dream?” Let me know. I’d love to share their story. Thank you to Benchmark Federal Credit Union for making this expanded content possible.
Four years ago, West Chester resident Melissa Yelito quit her job as a teacher and began to search for a better way to help her students. While all school districts in Pennsylvania are required to provide “special education services” to students who need them – getting those services can be a complicated process.
“I was getting frustrated at the end with the lack of support for my students,” said Melissa. Today she works as a Special Education Advocate. A new and growing field of professionals that advises students and their families on their rights and helps to ensure they receive the special education services they are entitled to.
Special education services in Pennsylvania
A student can qualify for specialized services for a variety of reasons, including if they demonstrate an intellectual or emotional disability, have a hearing or visual impairment, or are autistic. In Pennsylvania, these services are outlined in an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This written plan describes the services a student will receive during the year. To get these services, a student must first demonstrate those needs on a series of tests administered by the school district.
“So many families are so invested in getting the best for their kids and there can be so many hurdles,” says Melissa who started her advocacy firm, MY Advocacy, LLC last year.
From getting districts to provide the necessary evaluations to understanding the reports when they come back, it’s a process Melissa fully admits can be “overwhelming” to many parents. That’s where a Special Education Advocate can help. As an advocate, Melissa works closely with parents to review the reports and the IEP. She explains to parents what questions they should be asking and what rights they have under the law.
“A lot of the time [the districts] won’t give you something unless you ask for it,” says Melissa.
As demand surges, support falls behind
Special Education Advocacy is still a relatively new profession. According to Zippia, the career expert, there are just over 10,000 Special Education Advocates currently employed in the United States. (I had to go with Zippia because the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook does not yet include “Special Education Advocate.” ) While the field is still small, demand for these services is growing quickly.
The number of students qualifying for special services has been on a steady rise since at least 2002, the earliest year PA Special Education Data is available. In 2002, roughly 13.5 percent of students qualified for special education services. Today that number is up to more than 18.5 percent. Unfortunately for school districts, state funding has not kept pace.
According to a report by the Education Law Center and the advocacy coalition PA Schools Work, in 2008-09, Pennsylvania covered 32 percent of a District’s special education costs. By 2019-20, that number had dropped to just 22 percent. This coupled with stagnant federal contributions leaves resource-strapped districts struggling to keep up – if they were even equipped to help in the first place.
Melissa tells the story of one student she works with who was in and out of mental health and school-based programs – nothing worked. It got to the point where he was no longer attending school at all. The case looked hopeless until she was able to get him into the Fusion Academy in Malvern, a private middle and high school that offers each student a personalized education experience. Today he goes to school every day. His grades are great and he has a job in a field he is interested in.
“The best part of the job is getting the students what they need and seeing them succeed,” says Melissa.
How to select an advocate for your student
With results like that it’s not surprising the field is growing. There are 64,000 new jobs for child advocates projected over the next decade or a job growth rate of about 9 percent. However, if you are considering employing an advocate it is important to do your research. Special Education Advocate is a largely unregulated field. There are no specific educational requirements, and most aren’t licensed. Many advocates come to the profession in one of two ways: they are Special Education Teachers, like Melissa, or parent advocates who learned the system fighting on behalf of their kids.
This can mean a varying level of success. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute recommends looking for an advocate who knows the state and federal laws and is familiar with the policies and procedures in your school district. They also suggest you ask about the advocate’s background and training, their experience working with and success at securing specific services, and any previous interactions with the school district. Remember this person will be representing your child’s needs. If a previous experience with the advocate was negative, the district might hesitate to work with them again.
Finding success through collaboration
Melissa would agree. She begins each new client relationship with a free consultation where she reviews her process with the parents. If you decide to partner with Melissa, she will then request and review the student’s IEP and any testing done to date. Her goal is to build collaborative relationships between the parents, the student, and the district.
“I’m a problem solver. I like to make a plan and find a solution,” says Melissa, who has seen her business grow organically over the last year.
It’s not an easy job, and it can certainly be frustrating, but for a person with a passion it can also be awfully rewarding.
“I am making more headway as the advocate than I was as the teacher,” says Melissa.
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