meet Emme Smith…
founder and creator of the parent pal movement.
Hey there! I’m Emme, President and CEO of The Parent Pal, LLC. I hold many titles with author, speaker, activist, and counselor being among the many. However, I always say that I am a parent FIRST. My son, now 14, was diagnosed at a young age as having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). Given my prior experience as a Special Education teacher, I was able to effectively advocate, requesting the appropriate testing and educational accommodations, to have him on a level playing field as it relates to academic success. My personal experience has afforded me the opportunity to work from a place that is authentic, empathetic, and ultimately impactful.
Additionally, I have an extensive background in working with human service organizations and low-income families, gaining a different perspective to ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) and other barriers that hinder parent engagement and student achievement. My work as a former School Counselor gave me insight into the disproportionate number of brown students in top class rankings, thus amplifying the obvious need for increased parent engagement. It is my desire to be the change agent, working to cultivate a culture of advocacy in each of these capacities, home, school, and the community, consequently leading to increased student success. I am looking forward to building a partnership with you!
mission and vision
Here at The Parent Pal, our mission is to improve and sustain academic success by cultivating a culture of advocacy in the home, school, and community. It is our desire to be recognized as the “go-to” agency for empowering organizations, institutions, and parents/caregivers with guidance, perspective, and processes to increase parent/caregiver engagement and overall student performance.
value proposition
The Parent Pal leverages data, education, and experience to help our clients improve and sustain academic excellence. We pursue this objective through the coaching and application of advocacy practices, partnership training, insightful data analytics, and cultural sensitivity training. The ultimate measure of success is the degree to which our solutions 1) improve the quality and effectiveness of our clients’ educational journeys and 2) increase the engagement of parents/caregivers, educators, and community constituents in a way that translates to improved student academic performance.
It has been our experience that most educational institutions struggle with parent involvement and student motivation. In more cases than not, there is little to no parent engagement in schools, which in turn affects overall student success. Many schools spend countless hours and money on curriculum and training, but fail to increase parent involvement and attendance, thus constraining the size and quality of the student population that avails itself of said trainings and curriculum.
Unlike many companies and organizations that operate in the education solutions arena, The Parent Pal has a vested interest in parents and students who have been diagnosed as learning disabled or special needs, working to offset the disproportionate number of representation in top class rankings. The Parent Pal’s mission is offer solutions that affect the core of student success; parent engagement, school partnership, and community involvement. Our first priority is to help our customers develop and maintain a culture and an environment that promotes inclusivity, cultural awareness, and engagement, ultimately leading to bridging the gap between home and school, stronger partnerships, and increased student achievement.
“Learning disabilities are simply super powers waiting to be developed.”