FAMILY-CENTERED EDUCATIONAL CONSULTING AND ADVOCACY
-
Help families find resources needed for their child’s unique educational, social, and emotional needs
-
Decipher academic testing
-
What do the numbers mean?
-
Why do some of the subtest scores vary so widely?
-
How does that reflect in a classroom and daily life-skills?
-
-
Affirm your child’s unique strengths,
and illuminate ways to build upon them
-
Plan strategies that address your child’s weaknesses
-
Develop an accommodations plan specifically based on your child's unique needs.
-
Attend 504 /IEP meetings or equivalent
-
Advocate for your child’s rights
-
Write letters and communicate with school administration and educators to prepare for meetings and be sure the IEP or 504 requirements are being consistently provided.
-
Guide families to appropriate support services: academic testing, tutoring, therapists, speech/language support, etc.
Testimonials
Aspire helped our family immensely in understanding our son's diagnosis and which educational supports would be most helpful for him to reach his full potential. I felt so much more confident and at ease in my first IEP meeting. I had a better understanding of which accommodations and supports were most needed. Having another advocate, who knows my son and his abilities, as well as the special education environment, was invaluable. I felt reassured that I wouldn't miss anything due to my own lack of experience in this area. I wholeheartedly recommend their services!
Angela Mickler
Our wonderful family therapist and psychologist both very highly recommended Aspire to support our family and it was the perfect referral! Our daughter was about to transition to a new school and after some extremely challenging years we needed to do our best to support this transition so school had a better chance to be a positive experience. We knew our daughter needed a 504 plan but we did not know which steps to take next.
The best way to describe Dolly’s support is like this: she met us where we were and walked along side us every step of the way - from how and when to email school administrators, to highlighting key supports needed in the classroom, to attending the 504 meeting and advocating for us. She was our coach and our cheerleader. And not only was she so easy to work with, most importantly she showed genuine interest in our daughter and always had her best interests at heart. Like many parents who have seen their child struggling we were overwhelmed and needed support.
We are forever thankful Aspire and so relieved to say that our daughter has been adjusting well to her new school!
Elizabeth C.
The consultants at Aspire are, simply put, angels. Their expertise and insight into children are gifts.
In our first meeting, they saw what no other educators, counselors, or tutors had seen prior. They saw my son, (not a cookie cutter student, but truly him.) Their ability to to empathize with the uniqueness of each child, to understand their needs, and to offer solutions and support to exhausted parents and children during the education process is honestly life-changing. They have a gift for creating a plan that is specific to each child and comes wrapped in the warmest, most beautiful love. It is incredible. We will forever be grateful to Aspire for bringing life back to learning in a child whose flame had been extinguished.
Karen Boone
‘I am so thankful I decided to hire an educational advocate.Dolly's background and demeanor was a perfect fit for navigating the IEP process within our school system. She provided information that helped me know what to ask for and how to ask for it. I am confident my son is getting all of the services he needs, in no small part because of Dolly’s guidance and advocacy.
Sarah McIntee
We are so grateful for the guidance provided by Aspire for our family's journey with dyslexia and dyscalculia. Aspire provided valuable insights into our children's unique learning profiles and how we could best support their path to success. They identified resources and school options in the Upstate that best suited the educational needs of our children. We feel very fortunate as parents that we had the benefit of their expertise and experience.
Matt and Monica Holiday
There is such a HUGE need for these types of services and you two are the best to lead others through it! Most people don’t even know where to begin and it’s so frustrating when you hit road block after road block. You guys are such amazing and special women! So glad we all crossed paths.
Dena Gambrell Moore
When I say that Dolly and Monica changed my child’s life, it is no understatement. They met him where he was educationally and emotionally. They understood his specific learning struggles. They continually highlighted his strengths in his tutoring sessions while helping me navigate educational testing and school placement. The advice and help that Dolly and Monica gave our family was invaluable and we are forever grateful to have found them and their expertise.
Meredith G.
Aspire came into our lives during what I like to refer to as “the perfect storm”! Amid a frantic season of denial and fear, our hopes were to find acceptance and gain a better understanding in an area we knew very little about, (Dyslexia.) Feeling totally lost as parents, we became desperate for guidance. Our daughter was in critical need of help, and so were we! That’s when Aspire came in. They educated us as parents right off the bat! We learned about the many positive attributes associated with dyslexia and to put less focus on the common struggles, the road blocks in a child’s educational success. Noting a critical detail of why it’s important the child be provided with experienced educators and tutors, we were told: “Dyslexia can be a superpower, amazing strengths can be found in weaknesses, hidden gifts can finally be found. Finding the right educator makes all the difference, you will see your child soar.”Our lives were changed that day. It’s comforting to know things will never be the same....the day the perfect storm came!
The Cox Family
My mother in law suggested testing outside of the public school. He was diagnosed with dyslexia and a processing disorder. He was also diagnosed with anxiety, but this was a result of the dyslexia and his current learning situation. How this opened my eyes.We toured schools that specialized in dyslexia as public schools do not. I met Dolly Herron while touring schools. She went to my son’s public school and met with his team. I was so worried about him leaving a school he loved. She assured me that he was capable and needed something different. She explained that he needed to be shown the key to how he learns. She knows how to unlock learning problems and turn them into solutions. With the help of Dolly Herron and Monica Cox, he found out how he learned and how to become an overcomer. He attended Easley High and graduated with honors. He is attending college with scholarships. He is an advocate for himself, and even though dyslexia never leaves him he knows that it is a gift, and how he is made, and that all he needed was the key. I highly recommend Dolly Herron and Monica Cox.
Janice Lee
What this company and Dolly did for our family is incomparable and priceless. The way Monica helped build my son’s confidence was invaluable. When we were at a loss to find the right school setting for my son, Dolly walked me through all the acronyms, options, and various paths we could choose. With grace and patience, she listened to all of our concerns. Then she guided us with data, assurance, and encouragement to find the absolute best path for our entire family. It was the best decision we have ever made. I couldn’t be more thankful for Aspire and these wise women!
Bentley Mitchell
What is a dandelion?
Dandelions are nothing more than weeds, right?
They are passed over, unseen, or often disposed of purposefully.
Yet the gifts they hold are many and varied.
This is how we see the children who encounter learning struggles. They are filled with treasures of unseen talents and gifts.
They are full of dreams and hopes, just like the wishes made
when a dandelion is blown and a wish given.
"Spir" is Latin for "breathe." The goal of Aspire is to breathe life into the possibilities and potential of each child and family with whom we work.
(Photo by Ray Troumbly)
CONTACT US
Please look through our website and the services that we offer. If you would like a free 15 minute consultation, please fill out the form below.
You can also email the below addresses to ask for more information.