Our Frequently Asked Questions

What is PIRC?

A parent Information and Resource Center is a place dedicated to the success of students. At a PIRC, parents, teachers and others who work with children can get training and resources to help them help children succeed in school. There are 62 PIRCs in the United States and territories, financed through grants from the U.S. Department to Education. Guam PIRC is one of the newest PIRCs, having received its initial funding in October 2007. For more information, go to: www.nationalpirc.org.

How do you pronounce PIRC?

PIRC is pronounced, “Perk”.

What is Project Dreams?

The grant proposal submitted by Guam’s Positive Parent Together (GPPT) was to fund Project DREAMS (Dedicated to Reaching Excellence and Maintaining Success). The Guam PIRC is the primary component of the project. Through the PIRC, all parents on Guam will be able to get help they need to see their children’s dreams come true.

What is GPPT?

Guam’s Positive Parents Together is a coalition of organizations that assist parents who have children with differing abilities. GPPTs founding groups are: Autism Community Together (ACT), the Down Syndrome Association of Guam (DSAG), Guam Identifies Families Terrific Strengths (GIFTS, a support group for families whose children have mental health concerns), and the Guam Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Family Support Group (Guam EHDI) (for children who are deaf or hard of hearing).

GPPT is a 501(c) 3 non- profit organization. Please note: Although GPPT was formed to support and advocate for children with disabilities, the PIRC is for ALL families and ALL children, birth to 21.

What is unique about the Guam PIRC?

In reviewing websites of stateside PIRCs, you will see that many function as organizations that “strengthen partnerships” between parents, educators and community members, with the goal of helping children succeed in school.

While the Guam PIRC will do this, we will offer more hands-on assistance, with more actual outreach to our parents. We do not expect that parents will come to our center without a little encouragement, so we will go to them. We also hope to provide parents with resources to help them improve their own skills, so they can better help their children.