Who We Are
More PHP Videos
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Families and their perspective on PHP services http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y-zeeFZ6sc (8 minutes)
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Assistive Technology http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8SXZG4Efgk (30 seconds produced by Intel)
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Assistive Technology: Opening Doors to Independence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2G1U6U3zh8 (6.5 minutes)
As a parent-directed, community-based organization, PHP's mission was developed in response to the need in our community for information, training, and support services for families who have children with special needs and the professionals who serve them.
Established in 1976 as a nonprofit agency, Parents Helping Parents meets the needs of one of our community's most vulnerable populations - individuals with any special need and their families. This includes children of all ages and all backgrounds who have a need for special services due to any special need, including but not limited to illness, cancer, accidents, birth defects, neurological conditions, premature birth, learning or physical disabilities, mental health issues, and attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder, to name a few.
A constant in the lives of families.
Few would argue that facing the continuing loss of having a child with a disability/special need is devastating and is among one of the most painful experiences that an individual can confront. When a child is diagnosed with an illness or disability, the life of the entire family is dramatically affected. Most are completely unprepared to raise a child with special needs. While figuring out how to meet their child’s special needs, they find themselves dealing with the pain of an unexpected grief process and often, added financial strain. Many parents lack the knowledge and skills needed to negotiate the complex systems of care. Family members often feel helpless, frustrated, isolated, and find themselves in crisis. PHP can be the one constant in the family’s life as support, training and information are available to sustain the family throughout the lifespan of their child.
Parents Helping Parents, Inc. (PHP) was founded in 1976 by 3 parents of children with special needs (Down syndrome) who found that Santa Clara County families who had children with special needs desperately needed a way to connect with other families who could share their experiences of raising their children. These parent volunteers formed PHP and began offering information and support to other families from their homes. In the following seven years, several smaller parent groups became divisions of PHP leading the way for other groups and ensuring that PHP remain a parent-directed agency.
From these humble beginnings, PHP has grown into a multi-service family resource center with a staff of 44 employees and 300+ volunteers. PHP became a United Way agency in 1985 and a partially federally funded Parent Training and Information Center in 1987. PHP is a community-based and parent-directed Family Resource Center, Parent Training and Information Center and Family Empowerment Center.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Maternal and Child Health Services selected PHP as the national model for parent-directed family resource centers in 1990. President Bush selected PHP as Point of Light #527 in 1991.