Spreading the Good Word -- Input from Multiple Stakeholders on Increasing High Quality Preschool Inclusion Opportunities

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Spreading the Good Word -- Input from Multiple
Stakeholders on Increasing High Quality Preschool
Inclusion Opportunities
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Inclusive Early Care and EducationPolicy
ForumSponsored by the Childcare Bureau and
Administration on Developmental DisabilitiesMay
15-16, 2004
Jennifer Johnson, Ed.D. Administration on
Developmental Disabilities Administration for
Children and Families U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services jjohnson1_at_acf.hhs.gov
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Administration for Children and Families
Overview Primary agency responsible for federal
programs that promote the economic and social
well-being of families, children, individuals,
and communities

• Programs aim to achieve the following
• Families and individuals empowered to increase
  their own economic independence and productivity
  
• Strong, healthy, supportive children communities
  that have a positive impact on the quality of
  life and the development of
• Partnerships with individuals, front-line service
  providers, communities, American Indian tribes,
  Native communities, states, and Congress that
  enable solutions which transcend traditional
  agency boundaries and
• Services planned, reformed, and integrated to
  improve needed access.

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• ACF also has a strong commitment to
• Working with people with developmental
  disabilities, refugees, and migrants to address
  their needs, strengths, and abilities and
• Collaborating across agencies to achieve program
  outcomes

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Organizational Structure of ACF
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Overview of the Inclusive Early Care and
Education Policy Forum in March 2004

• Development of the Policy Forum
• Issues relevant to respective agencies

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Overview of the Inclusive Early Care and
Education Policy Forum in March 2004

• Goals of the Forum
• To explore and address the inclusion of children
  with disabilities in early care and education
  settings
• To discuss supporting the needs of all families
  in accessing and comfortably relying on early
  care and education.

• Key issues discussed
• Increasing access to and retention in early care
  and education settings
• Creating early childhood environments that foster
  full participation for all children
• Creating effective training and technical
  assistance systems
• Leveraging funding sources and
• Increasing collaboration across programs and
  services.

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Participants

• Parents
• Researchers
• State 619 coordinators
• Part C coordinators
• State Child Care Administrators
• Representatives of ADD Programs DD State
  Councils and UCEDDs
• Representatives from national organizations
  e.g., DEC, Easter Seals, Network of Child Care
  Resource and Referral Agencies
• Representatives of federal agencies/bureaus
  e.g., OSEP, Head Start Bureau

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Agenda

• Opening remarks and participant introductions
• Opening Plenary
• State Administrators panel
• Research presentations
• Small group topical discussions
• Policies and strategies that support training and
  technical assistance, and
• Policies and strategies that support funding for
  inclusion.
• Large group discussion of next steps

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State Administrators Panel

• Nancy Guy State Child Care Administrator, North
  Carolina Department of Human Resources, Division
  of Child Development
• Rosanne Griff-Cabelli Part C Coordinator,
  Division of Management Services, Delaware
  Division of Health and Social Services
• Russell Hoyt Section 619 Coordinator, Early
  Learning Services, Massachusetts Department of
  Education

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Research Presentations

• Robin McWilliam (Vanderbilt University)
  facilitating inclusion in the classroom
• Mary Louise Hemmeter (University of Illinois)
  positive behavioral supports
• Mary Beth Bruder (University of Connecticut)
  historical perspective of inclusion

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Suggestions for Next Steps
Primary reaction centered on implementation how
to create inclusive systems at the State and
local level.

• From there, three main categories emerged
• Comprehensive, cross-system approaches to early
  childhood inclusion
• Workforce development early care and education
  as a profession, and
• Accountability for inclusion initiatives

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High Quality Inclusion Opportunities for
Preschool-Age Children with DisabilitiesPolicy
ForumDecember 13-15, 2004
Joy Markowitz Director, Project Forum National
Association of State Directors of Special
Education (NASDSE) forum_at_nasdse.org
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Project Forum

• Overview
• Cooperative Agreement with OSEP
• Funded through September 30, 2005

• Purposes
• To facilitate communication between the U.S.
  Department of Education and state and local
  administrators of Individuals with Disabilities
  Education Act (IDEA) and
• To synthesize national program information that
  will improve the management, administration,
  delivery, and effectiveness of programs and
  services provided under IDEA.

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Each year Project Forum does the following

1. Collaborates with the Regional Resource Centers
   to maintain the National State Policy Database.
2. Compiles three research or policy syntheses.
3. Writes two synthesis briefs (less than 10 pages).
4. Convenes two policy forums and writes
   proceedings.
5. Conducts twelve Quick-Turn-Around (QTA)
   activities.
6. Disseminates documents described above.

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Purpose of the Policy Forum in December 2004

• Continue dialogue among stakeholders about
  increasing high quality inclusion opportunities
  for preschool-age children with disabilities
• Generate options for resources and strategies
  that will promote high quality inclusion
  opportunities

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Objectives of Policy Forum

• Create and strengthen linkages among federal,
  state and local policymakers, national
  organizations, researchers and practitioners
• Review available research on practices and
  policies that facilitate inclusion opportunities
• Raise awareness among stakeholders about
  activities at national, state and local levels
  that promote inclusion opportunities
• Describe policy, practice and research barriers
  to inclusion opportunities
• Generate suggestions for next steps at national,
  state and local levels to promote inclusion
  opportunities

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Participants

• Local preschool providers
• Parents
• Researchers
• State 619 coordinators
• Technical assistance providers
• Representatives from national organizations
  e.g., DEC, NAEYC, NAECS, Network of Child Care
  Resource and Referral Agencies
• Representatives of federal agencies/bureaus
  e.g., OSEP, OESE, Child Care Bureau, Head Start
  Bureau, ACF

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Agenda

• Opening remarks and participant introductions
• Research panel
• Overview of Child Care Bureau and Administration
  on Developmental Disabilities Forum on Inclusion
  held March 2004
• Panels from Wyoming and Kentucky
• Large group reaction to panels
• Small group discussion of next steps

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Research Panel

• Joan Lieber (University of Maryland) Inclusion
  Research Results from ECRII
• Virginia Buysee (University of North Carolina)
  Cost, Quality and Outcomes of Preschool Inclusion
• Susan Sandall (University of Washington)
  Building Blocks for Including and Teaching
  Preschoolers with Special Needs
• Robin McWillilam (Vanderbilt University) Child
  Level Findings and Engagement

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Suggestions for Next Steps

• Categories
• Awareness/public relations
• Data collection/analysis
• Financing strategies
• Monitoring/accountability
• Policy
• Professional development
• Research
• Technical assistance and dissemination

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Communities of Practice An OSEP TA Initiative
andOpportunity for Collaboration
Shelly deFosset Associate Director Partner
Family Collaboration Unit National Early
Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC) She
lley_deFosset_at_unc.edu
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Preschool LRE Community The goal is to form and
support a Community where interested individuals
can come together to address issues of common
interest and need regarding the inclusion of
young children and their families in their
communities.
Part C Settings Community This community is
interacting around the many issues, concerns,
successes, examples of practice, research,
training and materials all related to enhancing
services in natural environments for young
children and their families.
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• Future Activities
• Ongoing resource sharing
• Practice Groups around issues of identified
  concerns
• National Inclusion Institute August 2005