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Tag Archives: Part C of IDEA
Policy and Advocacy Team: Call for Team Leader
One of the most powerful tools DEC has is the ability to use our collective voice to advocate for young children with disabilities and their families. To that end, the DEC Policy and Advocacy Team helps to develop DEC’s policy recommendations to ensure that proposed legislation, regulations, and documents from the US Departments of Education and Human Services increase opportunities for all young children including children with disabilities and their families.
The Policy and Advocacy Team functions as a necessary and significant arm of the DEC Executive Office, focusing DEC’s policy and advocacy efforts by working collaboratively with the DEC Executive Office Leadership, the DEC Governmental Relations Consultant, and the Children’s Action Network (CAN) Coordinator. Division for Early Childhoods Teams are officially recognized bodies of DEC members who are supported by the DEC Executive Office. Teams reflect the formal positions of the Division for Early Childhood and participate in developing, maintaining, and evolving strategies and initiatives that are critical and center to supporting DEC’s mission and beliefs.
CAN supports DEC’s mission by encouraging members to take action on legislation and issues that already have been endorsed by DEC/CEC or issues that DEC/CEC have already provided recommendations about. The Governmental Relations Consultant and the Executive Director develop and sustain relationships with national organizations, agencies, and governmental entities.
The Policy and Advocacy Team ensures DEC has a seat at the table with important stakeholders and will provide CAN with the tools needed to engage in effective advocacy. The Team also ensures a proactive stance in the drafting of policy and legislative recommendations and issue briefs; suggests updates to the DEC policy webpages as appropriate; supports the dissemination of policy and advocacy specific information; and assists in planning DEC policy and advocacy events and resources (including policy/advocacy specific actions at the annual national conference).
At this time, DEC is seeking a new Policy and Advocacy Team Leader to continue the important work of planning and supporting DEC policy and advocacy activities.
Source: Division of Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children
Joint Statement on Collaboration and Coordination of the MIECHV and IDEA Part C Programs
January 19, 2017
Creating a high-quality system of services and supports for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families.
The purpose of this joint statement from the U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Health and Human Services (HHS) (the Departments), is to set a vision for stronger partnerships, collaboration, and coordination between awardees of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C Program (IDEA Part C Program). Specifically, this joint statement provides recommendations to states, territories, and tribal entities to identify and enhance opportunities for collaboration and coordination between MIECHV and the IDEA Part C Program.
Effective collaboration and coordination across MIECHV and the IDEA Part C Program can create a high-quality system of services and supports for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. It is the position of both Departments that all infants and toddlers and their families should have access to coordinated, comprehensive services that support overall health, development, and wellness. This joint ED and HHS statement aims to advance this position by:
- Providing an overview of the MIECHV and the IDEA Part C Programs;
- Emphasizing the potential for collaboration and coordination between MIECHV awardees and the IDEA Part C State programs;
- Highlighting existing opportunities for partnerships between MIECHV awardees and the IDEA Part C State programs; and
- Providing recommendations to states, territories, tribal entities, and local programs for identifying and increasing opportunities for collaboration and coordination.
Download:
Follow us on Twitter and see tweet about this joint statement here! https://twitter.com/ED_Sped_Rehab/status/822090143721025536
Results Driven Accountability: IDEA Part C Results Data in Determinations | Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Blog
OSEP is committed to implementing a results-driven accountability framework that leads to increased state and local capacity to improve results and functional outcomes for children with disabilities. As part of this effort, OSEP asked the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA (http://ECTACenter.org)) to provide input on Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C results measures that could be used to review states’ performance results of their infants and toddlers with disabilities who receive early intervention services. An explanation of ECTA’s recommendations is contained in a presentation entitled Using Child Outcomes Data for Determinations, A Proposal. In addition, a more detailed account of the proposed approach is contained in ECTA’s report entitled Documentation of the Recommended Analysis for Using Child Outcomes Data for IDEA Part C Determinations.
Source: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Blog
Available at: http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/osers/2014/11/results-driven-accountability-idea-part-c-results-data-in-determinations/
Building the Legacy for Our Youngest Children with Disabilities
September 2014
Welcome to NICHCY’s training curriculum on early intervention! The full curriculum isn’t done yet, but there are many modules available for your reading, downloading, and training use, and there are many more on the way.
- Module 1–Basics of Early Intervention
- Module 3–Pre-Referral and Referral Activities new!
- Module 4–Screening, Evaluation, and Assessment Procedures new!
- Module 5–Procedures for IFSP Development, Review, and Evaluation new!
- Module 6–Content of the IFSP new!
- Module 8–The Transition Process and Lead Agency Notification
- Module 9–Development of the Transition Plan
- Module 14–System of Payments and Use of Funds in Part C new!
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources
Available at: http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/legacy-partc/
A Guide to the Implementation Process: Stages, Steps and Activities
March 2014
Improving child and family outcomes is a cornerstone of early childhood education and in particular the IDEA Part C and Part B, Section 619 Preschool programs. To improve outcomes, an evidence-based practice or innovation must be selected and the process of implementing that practice or innovation must be effective. Implementation science is the study of the processes needed to bring new practices into widespread use.
This guide is based on a review of the literature of implementation science Fixsen, Naoom, Blase, Friedman, & Wallace, 2005 and the collective experiences of federally funded national centers in conducting state-wide system change initiatives. These centers include the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center NECTAC, now the ECTA Center, Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children TACSEI, Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning CSEFEL, National Implementation Research Network NIRN, and the State Implementation of Scaling-up Evidence-based Practices SISEP.
Source: FPG Child Development Institute
Available at: http://fpg.unc.edu/resources/guide-implementation-process-stages-steps-and-activities
IDEA and FERPA Confidentiality Provisions
6/2014
This side by side compares confidentiality requirements for Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B of IDEA, and Family Education Rights Protections Act (FERPA). Sections address:
- Eligibility
- Definitions
- Confidentiality
- Consent
- Inspection and Review
- Retention of Records
- Procedural Safeguards
- Dispute Resolution
Source: U.S. Department of Education
Available at: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/ptac/pdf/idea-ferpa.pdf
Improving Systems, Practices and Outcomes for Young Children with Disabilities and their Families
The ECTA Center shared the current status of developing a system framework for Part C and Section 619 systems on December 6, 2013. The framework is being designed to support states in: analyzing the capacity of their current systems; build quality systems that support implementation of effective practices; and, ultimately, improve child and family outcomes.
Presentation File: Developing a Framework to Build High Quality Part C and Section 619 Systems
Handout: Introduction to the ECTA System Framework
Draft Components: Governance and Finance
Source: The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
Available at: http://www.ectacenter.org/sysframe/
DEC Recommended Practices Commission
3/2014
The DEC Recommended Practices Commission has drafted a set of revised practices which will continue to be available until the practices are disseminated in final form.
View and share the video of Parents and Practitioners speaking about this important resource. We have begun planning products for applying the Practices.
Source: DEC Recommended Practices Commission
Available at: http://www.decrecpractices.org/input.asp
DEC POSITION STATEMENT: The Role of Special Instruction in Early Intervention
1/2014
Special Instruction and Early Intervention
Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) describes an array of early intervention services, including special instruction, that are available to support families of eligible infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities. The purpose of these services is to support parents and other caregivers as they interact with their children in ways that enhance the child’s development and participation in daily activities and routines (Childress, 2004; Trivette & Dunst, 2000).
Generally, early intervention services, including special instruction, focus on active caregiver-professional partnerships that are grounded in family-centered practices and guided by family priorities and outcomes written into each child’s Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP; Part C, IDEA, 2004, Sec. 303.18). Collaborative early intervention visits with the family focus on identifying how to integrate learning strategies into family routines and how the caregiver can independently implement these strategies throughout the week when the early interventionist is not present (Sandall, Hemmeter, Smith, & McLean, 2005; Ridgley, Snyder, McWilliam, & Davis, 2011). Intervention is provided in the child’s natural environment, including places where the child and family naturally spend time (e.g., home, childcare center, local park) as well as in settings that are natural for the child’s peers who do not have disabilities. Materials, activities and routines that are familiar to the child and family are used during visits and provide the context for individualized, meaningful intervention that appropriately addresses the child’s strengths and needs (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009).
Within the framework of early intervention, special instruction is provided in accordance with these recommended practices as well as with the Agreed Upon Mission and Key Principles for Providing Early Intervention Services in Natural Environments (http://ectacenter.org/~pdfs/topics/families/Finalmissionandprinciples3_11_08.pdf).
Source: Division of Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children
Early Childhood News Update 