Maine's Expanding Inclusive Opportunities Initiative
for Children, Families and Communities

An Overview of Expanding Inclusive Opportunities

NECTAC Expanding Opportunities (PDF)
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Expanding Inclusive Opportunities is a federally funded initiative designed to build on existing state efforts to improve inclusive opportunities for young children with disabilities and their families.

The Expanding Inclusive Opportunities Initiative is an interagency collaboration among:

• Office of Head Start

• Child Care Bureau

• Administration on Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Health and Human Services

• Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)

Read the entire overview of Expanding Inclusive Opportunities here.

Maine was nominated as one of the three states to participate in the Fourth Annual Expanding Inclusive Opportunities Pre-Institute State Planning Days held in Chapel Hill North Carolina on July 21 & 22, 2008. The states selected were asked to identify cross-agency teams to participate in the institute and continue to work with the team and on selected priorities in this area.

Maine's Expanding Inclusive Opportunities (MEIO) Initiative represents a collaborative commitment by the MEIO cross-agency state leadership team; the Maine Department of Education - Child Development Services, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, and the Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies, to support early childhood programs in providing high quality inclusive settings for young children and their families.

Read more about the Maine State Team strategic planning process here.

State Team Contact:

Linda Labas
Early Childhood Coordinator, CCIDS
linda.labas@umit.maine.edu
207/623-3925 (V)
877/475-4800 (V/TTY)
207/629-5429 (Fax)

Links:

• Expanding Inclusive Opportunities Federal Initiative

• National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center

• National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC)

• National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI)

• Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS)

• Growing Ideas Tipsheets

• Head Start Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center

• Northeast Regional Resource Center

• Center for Inclusive Child Care (CICC)