Meet Andrea Bernard, the Georgia parent and therapist behind Ayo Family Support.
Andrea Bernard is the founder of Ayo Family Support Inc. in Atlanta, GA: a former special education teacher, a practicing ABA therapist, and the parent of a medically fragile child. She started it so other Georgia families would not have to figure out GAPP alone.
Andrea's story
Andrea Bernard spent years as a special education teacher, working alongside families to build plans around each child's needs. Today she is a practicing ABA therapist, still working directly with children and their parents.
She is also the parent of a medically fragile child. She knows the phone calls, the paperwork, and the waiting firsthand. That experience is the reason Ayo Family Support exists.
Through Ayo Family Support Inc., Andrea serves as a family liaison for Medicaid Waiver Programs such as GAPP, SOURCE, ICWP, and NOW/COMP. She helps families understand the programs and get connected with a home care agency that fits their child, their schedule, and their part of Georgia.
When my own child came home needing care, I learned that the hardest part was not the medical side. It was not knowing who to call. I want every Georgia parent to have someone in their corner who already knows the way.
Draft wording, pending Andrea's review.
How Andrea works
Listening first
Every match starts with a conversation about your child, your home, and what has or has not worked before.
Relationships, not lists
Andrea keeps ongoing contact with Babies Can't Wait, Children's Medical Services, Children 1st, and hospital discharge planners and care coordinators.
Staying with you
If the first agency is not the right fit, she helps you find another, at no cost.
How Ayo Family Support is paid
Ayo Family Support is always free for families. Andrea is compensated by the pediatric home care agencies she partners with, not by families.
That compensation is never per referral, per lead, or per placement, and it is never tied to how many families are connected to an agency. Partner agencies support an ongoing regional presence and pay separately for hands-on coordination time. Families are told about this arrangement up front, and are always free to choose any agency, including one that is not a partner. Andrea will always tell you if an agency she suggests is a partner agency, and can share non-partner options in your area too.
Talk with Andrea
Whether you are a parent or an agency, the first conversation is simple.