The goals of the parent to parent program are to:

(1) Provide early outreach, support, and education to parents who have a child with special health care needs;

(2) Match a trained volunteer support parent with a new parent who has a child with similar needs to the child of the support parent; and

(3) Provide parents with tools and resources to be successful as they learn to understand the support and advocacy needs of their children.

Goal—2016 c 92: “For over thirty years, parent to parent programs for individuals with either developmental disabilities, or special health care needs, or both, have been providing emotional and informational support by matching parents seeking support with an experienced and trained support parent.

The parent to parent program currently exists in thirty-one counties: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz, Douglas, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Lewis, Lincoln, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Whitman, and Yakima. It is the legislature’s goal to continue, support, and enhance the programs in these counties and expand these programs statewide by 2021.” [ 2016 c 92 § 1.]