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About CPAN

Restoring parental authority through support, information, and action.

CPAN brings parents, educators, advocates, and citizens together to protect children, strengthen accountability, and keep families at the center of decisions that affect a child’s education, care, and upbringing.

Meet our leadership

Explore our work

Our mission

Restoring the parents’ voice.

CPAN is a statewide organization committed to defending a parent’s fundamental right to direct the upbringing, care, and education of their children.

Our vision

Parents respected as the primary authority.

CPAN envisions a Colorado where parents are respected as the primary authority in their children’s lives, across education, healthcare, public policy and all areas of upbringing.

Why CPAN exists

“Where do I go from here?”

Most parents never expect to need an organization like ours. Until they do. It may begin with a question about school, a policy they do not understand, or a concern about their child’s privacy, education, health or well-being. That question is at the heart of why we exist.

How it began

I never expected to start CPAN.

Conversations around our family dinner table began to change everything. Two very different experiences with our children raised the same larger question: what happens when parents are no longer fully informed or heard in the decisions shaping their children?

“I knew I could protect my own children. But what about all the parents who did not know where to turn?”

What began with one mom asking questions has grown into a statewide effort educating, equipping and standing beside parents across Colorado, turning individual concerns into meaningful change.

Lori Gimelshteyn, Executive Director

Who we are

Colorado parents, working together

Our principles

What guides every decision we make

Parental authority

Parents are a child’s first and most important decision-makers.

Truth and transparency

We cite sources, show our work, and correct the record when needed.

Accountability

Institutions that serve children should answer to the families they serve.

Protection of childhood

Every action is measured against a child’s safety and well-being.

What we do

Five ways CPAN serves Colorado families

01 Family advocacy support

Helping parents document concerns and identify appropriate next steps.

02 Parent education and resources

Guides, notices, classes, and tools written for parents.

03 Mentorship for local, state and

national advocacy

We equip and mentor advocates with the knowledge, tools, and strategic guidance to build effective efforts in their communities and beyond.

04 Policy and legislative engagement

Bringing the parent perspective to lawmakers and agencies.

05 Partner network development

Connecting families with trusted legal, medical, and community experts.

How support works

From first contact to appropriate action

CPAN does not guarantee a specific outcome. Every concern is reviewed carefully and honestly.

Listen and document

We hear the concern and help the family organize dates, records, and communications.

Assess and connect

We review options and, where appropriate, connect the family with trusted partners.

Support appropriate action

We help families take informed next steps, from a records request to a public comment.

The right help. The right expertise. The right moment.

Families often come to CPAN with complicated problems that cross legal, educational, policy and public systems.

A family doesn’t just reach one organization.

CPAN brings a team to the table.

Legal

Attorneys who protect rights and pursue accountability.

Policy

Leaders who advance real solutions.

Research

Experts who uncover the facts.

Media

Journalists who bring families’ stories to light.

Community

Partners who extend lasting support.

We don’t simply make referrals. We help build the team a family needs.

Two organizations. One shared purpose.

One educates. One advocates.

Parents need more than one kind of support. Sometimes they need information before a problem begins. Sometimes they need someone beside them when a concern becomes more complicated.