Consultation as a Strategy to Support Child Care Providers Serving

Infants and Toddlers in Inclusive Settings

Making Networks Work:

Eleventh Early Childhood Inclusion InstituteChapel Hill, NC May 17, 2011

Amanda MooreState Inclusion Network CoordinatorAgency for Workforce Innovation Office of Early Learningamanda.moore2@flaawi.com

Deana BuckEducation/Early Childhood Program Group LeaderPartnership for People with Disabilities at VCU (yes, that VCU)dmbuck@vcu.edu

Terry Butler, Inclusive Child Care Program CoordinatorOregon Council on Developmental Disabilitiesterry.butler@state.or.us

For Today…Explore successes and challenges in

developing and implementing regional and statewide networks in three states;

Build on successes and challenges to create and sustain networks; and

Provide examples and resources for implementing networks.

Oregon Population = 3,825,657

Children under 5 years old = 222,393

Children under 5 in paid child care = 77,041

Population clustered in 1/3 of the state (western side)

Large geographic areas with very few people

Community level connections: EC teams, LICC

State level connections: Child Care & Education Coordinating Council, SICC, Early Learning Transition Team

OregonBackground Identified consultation as key support to

inclusion

Established a vision for statewide consultation system, including structure, competencies, etc.

Not yet a reality. Challenges = Funding, infrastructure, professional/systemic silos

OregonConsultation examples to build upon: Oregon Early Childhood Inclusion Collaborative

Partnerships for Inclusive Child Care & Education

Child Care Health Demonstration Project

Inclusive Child Care Program

Mental health consultation in early childhood settings

CaCoon

OregonRelated supports to infants & toddler

consultation networks:

Infant/Toddler credential - Oregon’s professional development system

Infant/Toddler Mental Health Graduate Certificate – Portland State University

Discuss…What might you like to know or discuss from

Oregon’s experience?

If no formal infrastructure for infant/toddler inclusion consultation exists, what actions can sustain the vision and move it forward?

• Population 18,801,310• Children under age five > 1,000,000• ~600,000 attend early learning programs• 216,575 total children receiving School Readiness funding*• 61,261 (28%) Infants and Toddlers enrolled in School

Readiness*• 788 identified children with special needs enrolled in School

Readiness*• Office of Early Learning administers School Readiness,

Voluntary Prekindergarten and Child Care Resource & Referral programs

Fla. Stat. § 411.01015 (2010) requires consultation to child care centers

and family child care homes regarding health, developmental, disability, and special needs issues by administering

a statewide toll-free Warm-Line.

Florida

State of Florida Early Learning Coalitions

Santa RosaOkaloosa Walton Holmes

Jackson

Washington

BayCalhoun

Gadsden Leon Jefferson Madison Hamilton

TaylorWakullaLiberty

Franklin

GulfLafayette

Suwannee Columbia

AlachuaDixie

Union

Bradford

Gilchrist

Baker

Nassau

Duval

ClaySt. Johns

Putnam

Flagler

Marion

Levy

Citrus

Pasco

Volusia

Hernando

Sumter Lake

Hillsborough

Manatee

Pinellas

Polk

Seminole

Orange

Brevard

Osceola

Highlands

Sarasota

Hardee

DeSoto

Okeechobee

Charlotte

Lee

Glades

Hendry

Collier

Indian River

St. Lucie

Martin

Palm Beach

Broward

Monroe

Dade

1 Escambia 3

27

4

5

6

7

8

9

11

13

12

24

14 15

16 17

18 19 20 21 22

23

ELC (# inclusion specialists - # counties served) *=Inclusion - Infant/Toddler Specialist

1 ELC of Escambia (1-1)2 ELC of Santa Rosa (1-1)* 3 ELC of Okaloosa & Walton Counties (1-2)4 ELC of North West Florida (1-7)5 ELC of the Big Bend Region (1-7)*6 ELC of Florida’s Gateway (1-5)7 ELC of the Nature Coast (multiple-5)*8 ELC of Alachua (1-1)*9 ELC of CNBB (1-4) 10 ELC of Duval (2-1)11 ELC of St. Johns & Putnam (1-2)12 ELC of Marion (1-1)*13 ELC of Flagler & Volusia Counties (1-2)14 ELC of Orange (1-1)15 ELC of Seminole (1-1)16 ELC of Lake (1-1)*17 ELC of Pasco & Hernando Counties (3-2)18 ELC of Pinellas (1-1)19 ELC of Hillsborough (2-1)20 ELC of Polk (1-1)21 ELC of Osceola (1-1)22 ELC of Brevard (1-1)*23 ELC of Manatee (1-1)24 ELC of Sarasota (multiple-1)25 ELC of Florida’s Heartland, Inc. (multiple-4) 26 ELC of Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee (2-3)27 ELC of St. Lucie (multiple-1)28 ELC of Southwest Florida (1-4)29 ELC of Palm Beach (1-1)30 ELC of Broward (1-1) 31 ELC of Miami/Dade & Monroe (3-2)

Current as of 4/27/11

210

25 26

28

29

30

31

Thinking Outside the Examine current

responsibilities Prioritize tasks Redefine tasks Split duties Rotating duties Recruit community partners Director-driven models Regional in-kind support Reassign existing staff with

small incentives

Making the Networks Work• Monthly statewide conference calls• Quarterly cross-network webinars• Plan regional network opportunities around

required travel for other meetings/conferences

• Network specific & general Provider Services listservs

• Monthly I.N.F.O. calendar• Encourage peer-networking, ask for

outcomes • Request network input on state initiatives:

• Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards

• Florida Early Care and Education Core Competencies

Discuss… How does the consultant link with the following

systems?

Early learning guidelines/standards, Quality rating systems

Child care licensing Early Head Start Child Care Resource and Referral Part C Early Intervention

In designing systems/networks, how have administrators planned for collaborations among and between networks? How are duplicated efforts addressed?

Virginia Population = 7,882,590

Children under 5 years old = 6.7% (543,898)

30% of population lives in Northern Virgina. 25% of Virginia’s children (under 18) live in NoVA

Larger metropolitan areas in central Virginia and Tidewater with the remainder of the state largely rural and suburban

Community level connections: Smart Beginnings Coalitions in 28 localities/regions, LICCs (40); VACCRN grantees,

State level connections: VICC, Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (Virginia’s Plan for Smart Beginnings), Early Childhood Advisory Council, ITSN State Leadership Team, Virginia Cross-sector Professional Development (VCPD) Group, Home Visiting Coalition

VirginiaBackground:

Experience supporting infants and toddlers with disabilities in community settings

Strong interest in collaborative efforts and activities SpecialQuest Birth to Five NPDCI

Goal is to use existing resources to support inclusion: Infant & Toddler Specialist Network (www.va-

itsnetwork.org) Virginia Child Care Resource and Referral Network

(VACCRRN) Virginia DOE’s Training and Technical Assistance Centers Part C Smart Beginnings Coalitions Home Visiting Coalition

VirginiaExcitement that is growing….

Collaboration across sectorsFocus on caregivers of infants and toddlers

Focus on quality of care benefits ALL children

Important new resources in VA, especially ITSN

Focus on infrastructure and systems workExpansion of Smart Beginnings Coalitions

VirginiaAre we there yet? NO

Challenges on the horizon…FundingAbility to work cross-sector (at all levels)Need to go to scaleFigure out ways to support existing

networks and systems so that caregivers have the support THEY need to care for infants and toddlers with disabilities

Continue to learn from others states as we strengthen our consultation systems

Discuss…How do inclusion consultants keep up-to-

date on community resources and supports, particularly if they cover large regions?

Are there specific levels of technical assistance required for the program (i.e., length of time for consultations, frequency, and intensity of consultations)?

More Discussion…Competencies

Infrastructure

Linkages

Developing a Statewide Network of Infant and Toddler Specialists TA Manual for States and

Territories http://nitcci.nccic.acf.hhs.gov/resources/ITSN_Manual_March_2011.pdf

NAEYC/NACCRRA Early Childhood Education Professional

Development: Training and Technical Assistance Glossary

http://www.naeyc.org/GlossaryTraining_TA.pdf

Resources

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