The Capital District Office

Contact Person:

Tina Beauparlant

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Phone: 1-800-305-8817
518-381-4350
Fax: 518-393-9607
Counties Served:

Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington

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Welcome to the Capital District Office of Parent to Parent of NYS

• a place where families of individuals with special needs and the professionals who support them can meet and share information.
• a place for us to find each other, a place for us to be made strong.

Our office has the following grants Capital Region Special Education Information Center –know as PTIC, MSC and Family to Family Health Care Information and Education Center (F2F).

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The Capital District Office Staff

Jim Swart
Coordinator
James resides in Johnstown, New York in the county of Fulton with his wife, Veronica, and two children, Cassandra and Madison. He has been actively advocating for people with disabilities since 1998 when Madison was born and diagnosed with Down syndrome.
James is a Regional Coordinator at Parent to Parent of New York State with an emphasis on developing a Father’s Network & Support. He has completed trainings through the Partners in Policymaking program in New York State, the Family Champions program through the Children with Special Health Care Needs Program and is a parent member at Lexington Centers Family Support Services. He is a coordinator of the Lexington Family Services 5k & 1.5 mile walk, and is employed at Montgomery County ARC, Liberty Enterprises, in the Residential Department.

James is a member at Down Syndrome Aim High Resource Center in Albany, NY. He was part of a committee who introduced legislation to the NYS Legislature regarding People First Language and has presented on Person First Language to Partners in Policymaking sessions, life experiences to the Maternal & Child Health Block Grant Advisory Council as well as the New York State Conference of Mental Hygiene Directors.

He feels the natural progression is to give back the support other parents gave and still give his family. The opportunity to work at Parent to Parent of NYS gives Jim a greater outlet to give that support.

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | 518-381-4350
1-800-305-8817

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Michele Juda
Family to Family Coordinator
Michele Juda is happy to be contributing to Parent to Parent of NYS in her role as the Upstate Coordinator for New York’s Family to Family Health Care Information and Education Center. The FHIC exists to empower families who are raising children with special health care needs with the resources, support and skills they will need to more effectively advocate for their children and make better health care decisions on their behalf.
Although Michele has previously called both Potsdam and Buffalo home, she currently resides in Saratoga County with her husband and their two active and spirited sons. She has a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Canisius College and has worked in various Social Services positions, the majority of which have involved assisting adult caregivers of aging parents in navigating health care and insurance systems.

Motherhood definitely took Michele’s life in directions that she never saw coming. Following an uneventful pregnancy, her oldest son was born 9 weeks prematurely and only after a two hour ambulance ride as the local hospital would not have been able to meet his medical needs. For fifty-two days, Michele stayed out-of-town to be with her son in the NICU while her husband made trips back and forth on the weekends. There were many scares during that period of time (usually on a Sunday night after her husband had left) and both Michele and her husband continue to be grateful for the magnificent recovery their oldest son was able to make.

The experience was life altering in many ways, not the least of which is the fact that they decided that rather than give birth to their second child, they would adopt. Michele and her husband became certified foster/adoptive parents with Saratoga County and have been given the most wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the life of a child. Their youngest son, whom they met when he was just shy of two years old, was born 10 weeks prematurely and required 7 months of NICU care. He continues to courageously meet the challenges of ongoing developmental and medical concerns. Michele hesitates to provide a list of diagnoses, because his diagnoses are the least of what defines his wonderful and joyous spirit.

Michele has often commented on how many hands and hearts have assisted them in meeting the needs of their youngest son. Raising a child with special health care needs is simply not something that can be done in isolation. Michele welcomes the opportunity to be of assistance to other families who are looking for support, guidance and hope.

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | 1-800-305-8817
518-381-4350

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Tina Beauparlant
Parent Advocate
Tina Beauparlant is a Program Assistant and Educational Advocacy Specialist with the Capital District office of Parent to Parent of NYS.
Tina is the former Vice President of the Parents and Professional Special Education Advocacy Council and currently serves on the Planning Committee for the Albany Law School Annual Special Education Advocacy Training Conference. She is a member of the Advisory Council Educational Subcommittee of the NYS Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD).

Tina began her vocation in the field of Educational Advocacy after her son, David, was born with Down Syndrome. When her son started in school there were few agencies to help her. She felt the world had moved her family aside and that they were all alone. She was told by a friend to call Parent to Parent of NYS. When she called she found a kind voice on the other end of the phone that said YOU ARE NOT ALONE. WE ARE HERE TO HELP! Tina has a true passion for what she does and is committed to educating parents and professional to insure that ALL children with special needs receive “A Free and Appropriate Public Education.” Tina lives in Schenectady County with her husband Ronald and their two children David and Ronald II.


.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | 1-800-305-8817
518-381-4350

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Mary Jo Hebert
Coordinator
Mary Jo Hebert is the Upstate Program Assistant for Parent to Parent of New York State, where she educates families across the state about the features and benefits of Medicaid Service Coordination and their rights under the program.
In addition, Mary Jo is a Course Instructor for the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Office of Work Force Development and a member of the Capital District Family Support Services Council and Family Reimbursement Committee.

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | 1-800-305-8817
518-381-4350

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Holly Bartczak
Coordinator
Holly is married with two children, she and her family live in upstate NY Saratoga County.
She has been very active in the special education field for many years as a parent of a child with special needs, and has been extremely active in her community for years as she facilitated a parent support group (Parent As Advocates) for parents of children with disabilities, in helping them understand the maze of special education. She has also volunteered her time for other agencies and support groups that work with supporting families of children with special needs.

Holly currently works for Parent to Parent of NYS part time, as an Educational Specialist in providing information and support to parents of children with special needs, to insure all children with special needs receive a free appropriate education.


.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | 1-800-305-8817
518-381-4350

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