HEAR WHAT PARENTS HAVE TO SAY:
I have worked with Laura for 6 years. She is deeply caring about youth and Special Education. She has worked from both sides: as a school district employee and as an Educational Advocate for families. Having lost his mother at age 9, my son has a very complex situation where he is academically strong but emotionally volatile. She invested time to understand our needs, presented them firmly in meetings, and was able to customize his support plan to his specific needs -- not just accept boilerplate options that schools typically offer. Her mixture of compassion and acumen are a rare find.
She has extensive experience and nuanced knowledge of how Bay Area school districts differ and operate -- and yes, they vary from district to district. Her detailed knowledge of federal requirements and their ‘local interpretations’ enable her to challenge schools to provide what has been committed to at the federal and state level. She provides the frameworks and simple translations of all the special education semantics and lingo that get thrown at you without any context . She has deep awareness of the critical language to include in your formal documents which align with your goals, make them measurable and hold schools accountable.
For those on a more serious tract, she has strong knowledge and significant contacts in the non-public school sphere, the one-on-one schools and residential programs.
This is the woman/team you want helping think through how to move your child forward through the school district. She cares, she’s sharp and she’s incredibly effective.
--RM
Having Laura Kimpton join our team was one of the best decisions we ever made as parents. We have been working with her now for 4 years and we can truly say she has made a remarkable difference in the services our son is receiving with the school district. Laura has been there every step of the way; even the steps that have gone backwards. We are able to count on her no matter what and she truly has our son's best interest at heart. She has supported our family through some very tough times and her discretion and professional approach to our unique situation was exactly what we needed. My favorite part about working with Laura is not only her ability to step in and take charge when we are overwhelmed but also to take a step back and let us lead when we can. Overall, we not only consider Laura a great member of our team, but also a friend. We have created a bond that won't ever be broken.
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--TM
Working with Laura and having her support and advocate for our son has been one of the greatest blessings of our life. We trust her implicitly and always know she only has his best interest at heart. I think being a parent herself only helps to strengthen how deeply she advocates for our child and for so many others. Also Laura's knowledge with regard to special education and the laws that surround it goes farther than any teacher, school specialist, counselor or even case manager that we've ever come in contact with. We are forever grateful.
--AP and SP
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Laura came recommended to us by our psychiatrist when our son was going through an extremely challenging time and it was clear that the school he was in at that time could not provide the support he needed.
What stands out most about Laura is her focus on putting the needs of the child first. Like most parents, we were not necessarily aware of what supports were available nor did we know how to go about asking for them. Given her extensive experience with the school system, Laura was able to guide us to the most appropriate schools and programs at each step along the way. Laura helped us negotiate with two different school districts through middle and high school to get our son the accommodations he needed. At every step, Laura was there to help us evaluate the right amount of support needed and make the case with the school districts for it. She was able to secure an outplacement for our son in a therapeutic school when it was necessary and transition back to a non-therapeutic public school when he was ready.
We cannot overstate how valuable it was to have Laura working with us to secure the best outcome for our son. We can confidently state that without her help, we wouldn't have been able to get our son all the support he needed and he wouldn't be in the good place he is now. We strongly recommend her to any parent who is looking to work with the school district for accommodations for their child.
We can not overstate the direct, positive impact Laura Kimpton has had on the educational and developmental well-being of both our sons. In Fall of 2018 we were literally selling our home and moving to a new school district after three failed attempts to secure IEPs for our grade-school aged children. Our younger son was in danger of failing 2nd grade and both children had been removed from after school programs for behavioral safety risks associated with their undiagnosed Autism. We met Laura in the middle of this chaos and she immediately began offering very strategic and timely expertise about the different school districts and our open IEP assessments. Within months, both boys had secured IEPs with a range of on-site services, and we had learned valuable details about our son's needs that had gone undiagnosed through previous school assessments. Laura has sat in on every school services discussion since then. Her incredible knowledge of assessments, developmental challenges, services, legal requirements and a whole host of other highly specialized information has been invaluable. Laura is a trusted ally in raising our children and we can not recommend her highly enough to those seeking answers for their own kids.
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--KS
As a parent, we are the biggest advocate for our children. But to navigate alone in the complex world of special education made me feel defeated even after
learning as much as I can and talking with various professionals. I had several advocates who helped me in the past, but I really needed an advocate to be
committed in my son’s journey for further education, employment, and independent living.
Laura is the committed advocate who provides you the excellent support you need. With her warm demeanor, listening carefully and with compassion, she
advises you with her expertise on how to effectively work with the school. She helps navigate you through the IEP meetings to obtain the appropriate supports,
accommodations, and measurable IEP goals. She handles the tough IEP questions with finesse.
No question is too small or too big for Laura as I share my concerns and ask for direction to support my son through his transitions. She has educated and
empowered me to make the right choices for him. I am proud to have Laura as our advocate, and serve as an ally, so my son can be successful. Thank You, Laura, for standing by our side every step of the way!
You make a difference in our lives.
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--AU
Laura came recommended to us by our psychiatrist. Our son was having an extremely challenging year emotionally despite being able to perform well academically. He had attended an elite private school but they didn't have the support needed to help him socially and emotionally do well. We decided to place him in a behavior-based school and even with the structure and supports this was not enough. Laura met our child during a crisis point and was able to make sure he received proper accommodations via an IEP. She had the challenge of a difficult district that does not often do outplacement but we were able to secure a spot at non-public school when it was needed. He was able to get back on track and attend public school without medication or an aide and is on track to go to college. We would have not had the same success without her guidance and her care. She thought of all the things we would have not known to ask for in selecting a school and also what accommodations are appropriate for the situation. We had a better than expected outcome because Laura puts the child first.