A new federally funded technical assistance organization has begun a multi-year effort to help states streamline and strengthen service systems for children with disabilities.
The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center recently held a national meeting in Washington, D.C., of organizations interested in working together to improve services for young children with disabilities and their families.
"Our meeting brought together groups and individuals committed to working together to make long-term systems changes across a number of areas aimed at improving results for children with disabilities and their families," said Dr. Pat Trohanis, director of the technical assistance center.
The new center's work is being funded by a $3.6 million grant from the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs.
In addition to staff located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's FPG Child Development Institute, the new center has staff at the National Association of State Directors of Special Education in Alexandria, Va., and the Parent Advocacy Coalition for Education Rights Center in Minneapolis.
Among those who attended the Washington meeting were representatives from the National Governors' Association, the National Child Care Information Center, the National Network of Regional Resource Centers Disabilities, Head Start, the National Network of Parent Training Information Centers and the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs, as well as officials from various demonstration and outreach projects.
The main focus of the new center, Trohanis said, is to provide individually tailored strategic work planning to help individual states address a major systemic challenge or barrier. Examples of such challenges include:
Coordinated services. Families should have timely, easy and uninterrupted access to all necessary services across agency lines.
Inclusion and natural environments. Children with disabilities should be fully included in family and community activities with appropriate supports and services.
Quality assurance. Results for children and families are improved when accurate and timely information is used for decision-making and oversight of local systems and services.
Personnel. Children and families should receive effective services by adequate numbers of qualified personnel.
The center will use consultation, evidence-based information, conferences, distance learning, website and other strategies to help states.
Trohanis said the center already has begun working with administrators from all states and other U.S. jurisdictions who are responsible for planning and implementing services under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This includes those with Part C (Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities) and Part B, Section 619 (Grants for Preschool Children with Disabilities).
The center also will work with administrators from Part D early childhood discretionary projects, state interagency coordinating councils, state improvement grants, the Continuous Improvement Monitoring Process and other organizations, he said.
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Facts about children with disabilities and their families: States reported serving 588,300 preschool children with disabilities (3-5 years) during the 1999-2000 school year, or 5 percent of all preschoolers who lived in the United States and outlying areas.
During 1999-2000, 205,769 children (birth to 3) and their families in the United States received early intervention services under Part C of IDEA.
Because of the critical role that parents play in assisting their children in development and making the transitions from preschool to school, additional attention must be given to establishing strategies and methods needed to actively engage them in discussions and decisions concerning these activities.
Source: U.S. Office of Special Education Programs 2001 Report to Congress on the Implementation of (IDEA)
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