Pacific TA Meeting: Quality Practices in Early Intervention and Preschool Programs

Pacific TA Meeting:Quality Practices in Early Intervention

and Preschool Programs

Service Delivery and TeamingPresented by

Ann Bailey, Grace Kelley and Anne Lucas

Pacific TA Meeting: Quality Practices in Early Intervention and Preschool Programs

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Service Delivery Discussion

• Current trends and approaches in use for providing Early Intervention and Preschool services around the country

• Common underlying themes to these approaches

• Some agreed upon implementation practices

• The roles and functions of a team during the Early Childhood processes

• Team responsibilities for providing ongoing services


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Statutes and Regulations

• Statutes and regulations tell us more information about:– What services are provided under the law– General purpose of early intervention and

preschool special education– Who can/must provide the services– The States’ responsibility of oversight and

monitoring– Ways in which services are paid


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What do we want for children?

• Health• Positive Social-emotional skills• Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills• Continuity


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Mission of Part C

• Part C early intervention builds upon and provides supports and resources to assist family members and caregivers to enhance children’s learning and development through everyday learning opportunities


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Mission of Section 619

• IDEA Preschool Services (Part B Section 619) are designated to provide Free Appropriate Public Education for all eligible children, ages 3 to 5 with disabilities within an inclusive environment.

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Mission for Section 619

IDEA Preschool Services (Part B Section 619) are designated to provide Free Appropriate Public Education for all eligible children, ages 3 to 5 with disabilities within an inclusive environment.


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Key Principles for Both Part C and 619

• Infants, toddlers and children learn best through everyday experiences and interactions with familiar people in familiar contexts.

• All families, with the necessary supports and resources, can enhance their children’s learning and development.

• The primary role of both the service provider in early intervention and the Part B Preschool staff is to work with and support family members and caregivers in children’s lives.


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More Key Principles• Both the early intervention and preschool special education

process, from initial contacts through transition, must be dynamic and individualized to reflect the child’s and family members’ preferences, learning styles and cultural beliefs.

• IFSP/IEP outcomes must be functional and based on needs and identified priorities.

• Interventions must be based on explicit principles, validated practices, best available research, and relevant laws and regulations.


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General Role of All Early Childhood Service Providers

• Consulting with parents, other service providers and representatives of community agencies

• Training parents and others regarding the provision of early childhood special education services

• Participating in the multidisciplinary team assessment of the child (and family in Part C) and in the development of integrated goals and outcomes for the IFSP/IEP


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Early Intervention Services

• Designed to meet the developmental needs of each eligible child

• Designed to meet the needs of the family related to enhancing the child’s development

• Are selected in collaboration with parents• Are provided under public supervision by

qualified personnel• In conformity with the individual family

service plan


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Early Intervention Services

• Meet the standards of the state and federal regulations

• To the maximum extent appropriate to the needs of the child, are provided in “natural environments” including the home and community settings in which children without disabilities participate

• At no cost unless federal or state law provides for a system of payments by families, including sliding fees


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Preschool Special Education

• Designed to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to all children residing in the State between the ages of 3 and 21, that is in inclusive settings, as appropriate

• FAPE for children beginning at age 3…must ensure that the obligation to make FAPE available to each eligible child residing in the State begins no later than the child’s third birthday


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What All Children Need

All children, including those without disabilities, children with disabilities, children living in

poverty, etc. deserve to have a differentiation of services and instruction to meet their needs


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The service delivery approach impacts:

• State (regional) structures necessary to support the approach

• The way the EI and preschool services are organized at the program or regional level

• Teaming practices and team composition• What “it” looks and feels like/ doesn’t look like• Providers knowledge or training• Beliefs, values and demonstrated competencies


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Team-Based Service Delivery Models

• Multi-disciplinary• Interdisciplinary• Trans-disciplinary• Primary Service Provider• Primary Coach• Consultation Services• Collaborative Team Model• Trans-agency


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Defining the Models• Coaching: “an interactive process of observation and reflection in

which the coach promotes a parent’s or other care provider’s ability to support a child’s participation in everyday experiences and interactions with family members and peers across settings”

• Primary Coach Approach to Teaming: “…assigns one member of a team as the primary coach, where he or she receives coaching from other team members, and uses coaching with parents and other primary caregivers to support and strengthen their confidence and competence in promoting child learning and development.”


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Defining the Models

• Consultation Services: Not tied to one particular model, but flexible to meet the individual needs of children and families and variation in program structure.

• Collaborative Team Model: – Team members work in partnership and pool resources. – All team members are involved in planning and monitoring goals

and procedures, although each team member’s responsibility for the implementation of procedures may vary.

– Team members jointly share ownership & responsibility for intervention objectives.


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Defining the Models

• Trans-disciplinary:– Evolved from multi-disciplinary to interdisciplinary to trans-disciplinary– Professionals share roles and see the child as a whole in the context of

the family.

• Primary Service Provider (PSP): – Linked to a Trans-disciplinary model.– PSP works in close collaboration with other team members integrating

and synthesizing information shared to deliver efficient and comprehensive support.

– Service delivery by one person with supporting services provided through joint visits and consultation.


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Defining the Models

• Trans-agency: - Provides a process for the primary service provider, the

family, and staff from outside agencies serving the family, to come together to develop an across agency service plan for the child and the family.

Defining the District Responsibility

• In order to ensure access to general education preschool, a district must work with the broader early learning community

• District must ensure FAPE• “Removal of children with disabilities from the

regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aides and service cannot be achieved satisfactorily.”


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Models for “Maximum Extent Appropriate…”

• District/School– Itinerant services in an ECE Entitlement grant class– Team teaching with a preschool special education teacher and general

preschool teacher in same class-joint responsibility for all children- community based program in school building

– Integration of related services in the classroom– Enrollment of nondisabled peers in a preschool special education

classroom– Locating in same space or facility but separate instruction based upon

disabled or nondisabled• Preschool special education classes in an early learning location with some joint

activities• General early learning program located in a building next to preschool special

education


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Itinerant ECSE Service

• Itinerant Services may be defined as: – Services provided by preschool special education

teachers or related services personnel which occur in the setting where the child or the child and parent(s) is located as opposed to providing services at a centralized location.


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Models for “Maximum Extent Appropriate…”

• Working with a Community Early Learning Program:– Itinerant services in a child care or Head Start or family child care– Team teaching with a preschool special education teacher and general

preschool teacher in same class-joint responsibility for all children– Integration of related services in the classroom– Enrollment of preschool children with disabilities in a child care or Head Start

or family child care– Locating in same space or facility but separate instruction based upon disabled

or nondisabled• Preschool special education classes in an early learning location with

some joint activities• General early learning program located in a building next to preschool

special education


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Rethink the Path

• Suspecting a disability and considering a referral is essentially evaluating:– The child’s behaviors and skills in comparison to age

expectations (nondisabled peers) = CHILD OUTCOMES

– The environment in which the behaviors and skills are exhibited=LRE

– Thinking that additional supports and services are necessary =IEP


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Federal Movement for Early Learning

• Early Childhood Collaboration– Child Care– Head Start– Part C and 619

• Federal Directions• Coordinate Service Delivery• Integrate Infrastructures• Family-centered Approach

– Will see more joint funding


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Quality Teams

• Have a common purpose• Have Agreed upon Values and Beliefs• Understand each others role and functions • Value and Respect Each Member• Are Willing to Help One Another


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Quality Teams Share and Support:

• Common Information• Common Tasks• Frequent and Clear Communication• Each Others’ Learning and Growth• A Focus on Personal and Team Growth

Component Multidisciplinary Interdisciplinary Transdisciplinary

Philosophy of Team Interaction

Team members recognize the importance of contribution from several disciplines

Team members are willing and able to share responsibility for services among disciplines

Team members commit to teach, learn and work across disciplinary boundaries to plan and provide integrated services

Family role Generally families meet with team members separately by discipline

The family might be consider a team member. Families may work with whole team or team representative

Families are always members of the team and determine their own team role

Component Multidisciplinary Interdisciplinary TransdisciplinaryLines of Communication

Typically informal. Members may not think they are part of a team

Team meets regularly for case review, consultation etc.

Meets regularly to share information and to teach and learn across disciplines; consultation and team building

Staff Development Happens independently and within individual disciplines

Frequently shared and held across disciplines

Frequently occurs and is across disciplines. Viewed as critical to team development and role transitions.

Component Multidisciplinary Interdisciplinary Transdisciplinary

Assessment Process

Members conduct separate assessments by disciplines.

Members conduct assessments by disciplines and share results with one another

Team participates in an “arena” assessment, observing and recording across disciplines

IFSP Development Members develop separate plans for intervention with in their own disciplines

Goals are developed by disciplines and shared with rest of team to form a single service plan

Staff and family develop plan together based functional assessments information from the family and the child

IFSP Implementation

Implemented separately by disciplines and separate visits by discipline

Still discipline specific but some times-co-visits when working on several outcomes/goals

One person is the major implementer with the family and other members consult or teach the primary member

Collaboration Framework

CommunicationContributionCoordinatio

nPartnershi

p

The exchange of information and meaning-networks. Communication

is acrucial part of any

productive relationship.

An informal relationship (often called mutual

support) through whichparties help each other by

providing some of the resources and support

needed toreach their independent

goals.

A deliberate, joint, formalized relationship involving

planning and division of roles, sharing of resources, risks and

rewards for efficiency and effectiveness in

achieving the complementary goals of the parties.

Parties with similar interests plan

together,negotiate mutual roles and share resources to

achieve joint goals. New levels

of service achieved.


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Collaborative Leadership

“Collaboration involves parties who seedifferent aspects of a problem. They engage in a

process through which they constructivelyexplore their differences and search for (and

implement) solutions that go beyondtheir own limited vision of what is possible.”

(Gray, 1989).


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Team work is like whitewater rafting!

• Have a clear sense of where you are headed

• Plot your course together• Check for rapids or rough spots

before entering the water when possible

• Good communication strategies and clear methods to communicate before you start

• Define the roles• Use individual strengths

Documents

Pacific TA Meeting: Quality Practices in Early Intervention and Preschool Programs