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

Resources

Connect: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge - Connect is developing web-based resources and modules on effective practices to help professional development providers fill that void. The modules are designed to build early childhood practitioners abilities to make evidence-based decisions. They emphasize a decision-making process, realistic problems to solve, the importance of integrating multiple perspectives and sources of knowledge, the relevance and quality of content, and feedback.

Early Childhood Technology Integration Instructional System (EC-TIIS) -
This site provides online workshops which focus on the use of technology as a tool to assist young children with disabilities in achieving developmental goals. The Early Childhood Technology Integrated Educational System, or EC-TIIS, (pronounced eee-see-ties) is a service for families and early childhood professionals sponsored by the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood Education at Western Illinois University. The training materials consist of 8 on-line workshops. These workshops can be used in the professional training of early childhood educators and caregivers. Participants can earn Continuing Education Units or graduate credit from Western Illinois University or CPDU's approved by Illinois State Board of Education. You can also earn a Certificate of Completion. There is no cost to register and review the workshops. EC-TIIS is funded through the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs. To learn more visit the EC-TIIS link above.

FIPP's Web-Based Learning Modules -
The FIPP Center for Professional Development (CPD) provides web based workshops and other learning supports for early childhood professionals and family members as part of the FIPP vision of demonstrating excellence and shaping the future of early childhood and family support practices. The modules are available at http://www.fipp.org/learningmodules.php.

Head Start Center for Inclusion-
The overarching goal  of the Head Start Center for Inclusion is to increase the competence, confidence, and effectiveness of personnel in Head Start programs to include children with disabilities. Look here for training materials, tools for teachers and coordinators, as well as other resources.

Including Children with Special Needs: Are You and Your Early Childhood Program Ready? -
by: Amy Watson and Rebecca McCathren from Beyond the Journal, Young Children on the Web, March 2009. View as a PDF document here.

International Society on Early Intervention (ISEI) -
The primary purpose of the ISEI is to provide a framework and forum for professionals from around the world to communicate about advances in the field of early intervention.

To foster communication and research collaborations, the ISEI sponsors or co-sponsors international conferences, provides information about conferences relevant to the field of early intervention, publishes a membership directory, and has established an information exchange mechanism through the Internet.

From time-to-time, the ISEI will publish books or reprint journal articles of special interest to its members.

A Book Series has been established with Brookes Publishing, and a special international section has been reserved for ISEI in the interdisciplinary journal, Infants and Young Children.

The ISEI Website is located at the Center on Human Development and Disability at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. This site includes links to the ISEI Coordinating Committee, Membership Directory, publications information, and other related resources, and will continue to grow and evolve.

NECTAC Expanding Opportunities: an Interagency Inclusion Initiative (PDF) - A brief overview of the Expanding Inclusive Opportunities initiative to date (2010).

New DEC/NAEYC Position on Early Childhood Inclusion -
The Division for Early Childhood and the National Association for the Education of Young Children have recently approved a joint position statement that underscores their commitment to quality early childhood inclusion. The Early Childhood Inclusion: A Joint Position Statement of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) document is available below. A Summary of the Joint Statement is also included.

Early Childhood Inclusion: A Joint Position Statement of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

Early Childhood Inclusion: A summary

New Open-Access Journal on Issues Related to Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families -
Source: International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education - July 2, 2009

The International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education (INT-JECSE) is a new online, open-access, peer-reviewed journal offering scholarly articles on various issues related to young children with disabilities (age 0-8) and their families. INT-JECSE publishes empirical research, literature reviews, theoretical articles, and book reviews in all aspects of early intervention (EI)/early childhood special education (ECSE). Studies from diverse methodologies, including experimental studies using group or single-subject designs, descriptive studies using observational or survey methodologies, case studies, and qualitative studies, are welcome. The INT-JECSE is published twice a year (June and December) and can be accessed at http://www.int-jecse.net.

SpecialQuest Multimedia Training Library -
The SpecialQuest Multimedia Training Library supports the inclusion of young children with disabilities birth - five and their families, in early care and education settings. The SpecialQuest materials and approach have been used with over 5,000 participants nationwide, refined over the past ten years, and have been shown to create and sustain change. SpecialQuest Birth-Five provides these materials at no cost with funding from the Office of Head Start. Visitors can search the training library to access resources including training scripts, handouts in English and Spanish, videos, and facilitator's guides.

Technical Assistance Memo
Moving Toward Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance: A Checklist and Guide for Privately Operated Child Care Programs. -
Most child care programs are required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, Title III). Being in compliance largely depends on making reasonable accommodations to meet the specific needs of parents and children with disabilities who seek your services. However, there is a lot that can be done ahead of time to move your program toward full compliance with the law. This checklist and guide has been developed with that in mind—what can you do now, before any specific parent or child with a disability presents him/herself at your door, to better comply with the law?

Download "Moving Toward Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance: A Checklist and Guide for Privately Operated Child Care Programs" here.