July 2009

Looking for Information About Obtaining Your Teacher Certification in Exceptional Student Education?

Seeking an endorsement in Autism or PMH?

Are you an ESE teacher with questions about your Highly Qualified Teacher status?

Answers to these questions and more can be found at Florida’s Personnel Development Website http://www.florida-ese.org/personneldevelopment/.

Interested In the Connection between Quality and Inclusion???

You may find “Why Program Quality Matters for Early Childhood Inclusion” of
interest. Only a handful of states address children with disabilities in their early child care quality rating systems. As a result, few states are evaluating the quality of inclusive programs and services. This problem is compounded by a lack of consensus on dimensions that define high quality inclusion and a need for additional measures of quality inclusive practices. A new NPDCI paper advocates for the need to link early childhood program quality and professional development, with a particular focus on how this topic relates to early childhood inclusion. This paper was prepared by the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI) and is available at http://community.fpg.unc.edu/resources/articles/npdci-quality-paper/view.

Measuring Quality in Early Childhood Settings

In recent years, the importance of measuring quality well in early childhood programs has gained increasing attention. Several new Child Trends issue briefs related to this topic are now available online. These include: 

• Issues for the Next Decade of Child Care Quality Rating Systems (May 2009)http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2009_5_19_RB_QualityRating.pdf

• What We Know and Don’t Know About Measuring Quality in Early Childhood and School-Age Care and Education Settings (May 2009)
  http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2009_5_20_RB_WhatWeKnow.pdf

• Multiple Purposes for Measuring Quality in Early Childhood Settings: Implications for Collecting and Communicating Information on Quality (May 2009)
  http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2009_5_20_RB_MultPurposes.pdf

• Early Care and Education Quality and Child Outcomes (May 2009)
  http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2009_5_21_RB_earlycare.pdf

• Evaluating, Developing, and Enhancing Domain-Specific Measures of Child Care Quality (May 2009)
  http:/www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2009_5_21_RB_MeasureChildCar.pdf

Information from BEESS: Education Information and Accountability Services 2009 Database Workshop

The 2009 Database Workshop is now accessible via the Department of Education Web site at http://www.fldoe.org/eias/databaseworkshop/presentations.asp.  This virtual format includes PowerPoint handouts in conjunction with movie clip presentations.  Please share this information with colleagues as well as school faculty and staff.  Topics include: 

• Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) 
• Major Areas of Interest§  Migrant Student Information 
• Attendance 
• Dropout Prevention and Juvenile Justice
• Homeless Children and Youth 
• Compulsory School Immunization Update 
• Exceptional Student Education 
• School Safety and Discipline Data 
• Voluntary Prekindergarten Education

Any questions, concerns, or feedback may be addressed to the general workshop e-mail address at dbweias@fldoe.org.

Online CEU webinar for BA Practitioners

Introducing an innovative way to expand your knowledge of ABA! New online webinars are now available through Florida Tech PDP ABA Online program and ABA Technologies, Inc. These webinars are most appropriate for  anyone seeking to expand their understanding of the practice of behavioral analysis; including but not limited to: parents, teachers, behavior analysts, psychologists, social workers, counselors, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, individuals who work or live with persons with special needs, students seeking their degree in behavioral analysis or psychology, and students seeking their BACB^® or BCaBA^® certification.  These webinars are offered completely online in two different formats. 

Supporting Staff in the Classroom

This workshop is designed for Directors. Learn strategies to develop relationships with staff and families to support teachers in the classroom. Directors will learn how to help teachers develop a behavioral support plan.

Happiest Baby on the Block

Based on the work of Harvey Karp, MD, this workshop will teach you the secrets of how to calm a baby and save your sanity. Drawn from old wives wisdom and common sense, these techniques will give you skills to help your baby self-regulate, sleep longer, better and have happier awake time. You will receive a CD of Dr. Karp’s helpful advice and calming music.

Ronald McDonald House Charities Accepting Letters of Inquiry for Grants to Improve Lives of Children

Grants will be awarded to nonprofits working to improve the health and well being of children under age 21 through national and global programs. The RMHC Board of Trustees is most interested in national and international organizations that have a specific program related to children’s health and well-being. Organizations seeking funding should have a specific program that directly improves the health and well-being of children, addresses a significant funding gap or critical opportunity, has long-term impact in terms of replication or reach, produces measurable results, and is sustainable without relying on RMHC funding. Grants are not awarded to support ongoing general, operating, or administrative expenses.  Letter of Inquiry Deadline: September 4, 2009.  For more information or to apply please refer to
http://rmhc.org/what-we-do/grants/how-to-apply/.

CVS Caremark Community Grants Program Accepting Grant Applications for Programs Serving Children With Disabilities and the Uninsured

Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to nonprofits and schools working to provide disabled children and youth under age 21 with health and rehabilitation programs and active play opportunities alongside their non-disabled peers. Deadline: October 31, 2009.  For more information or to apply please visit http://info.cvscaremark.com/community/our-impact/community-grants.

Training Resources From FL DOE Bureau of Exceptional Education & Support Services (BEESS)

This is the fourth in a series of monthly State Performance Plan (SPP) indicator resources to assist districts in identifying additional supports.  This month, Transition from Part C to Part B, (Indicator 12) is highlighted.  Resources of information that may contribute to your efforts toward the 100% compliance target for this indicator include:
Transition Timeline Flow Chart:  This one page chart illustrates both Part C and Part B transition activities requirements and timelines to assist in planning all the components of transition. View the chart at http://www.nectac.org/~pdfs/topics/transition/transition_timeline.pdf
Chart with Requirements by Transition Steps:  This table lists the regulatory requirements for Part C and Part B early childhood transition organized by specific transition activities (e.g., notification, IFSP transition steps, transition conference, Part B evaluation/eligibility determination, and IEP development and implementation). View the chart at http://www.nectac.org/~pdfs/topics/transition/TRANSITION_REGS%20BY%20STEPS_05-16-08_FINAL.pdf.
Designing and Implementing Effective Early Childhood Transition Processes (March 2008): This paper was developed to support strategic planning efforts with states.  It is an in-depth framework and tool to analyze the transition system infrastructure and systematically identify improvement strategies to improve local implementation of the transition requirements of the IDEA as well as support effective local infrastructures for effective transition practices.  View the transition paper at http://www.nectac.org/~pdfs/topics/transition/ECTransitionPaper.pdf.
Additional Resources for Indicator 12:

• National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC) Web site:  http://www.nectac.org/default.asp
• National Early Childhood Transition Center(NECTC) Web site transition page:  http://www.nectac.org/topics/transition/transition.asp
• National Early Childhood Transition Initiative:  http://www.nectac.org/topics/transition/ectransitionta.asp
• Tools for Transition in Early Childhood – A Step-by-Step Guide for Agencies, Teachers, and Families By Beth S. Rous, Ed.D., & Rena A. Hallam, Ph.D.  A book on transition to assist in implementing a smooth and timely transition from Part B to Part C: http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/rous-7357/index.htm
• Regional Resource Center (RRC) Portal Web site transition page:  http://spp-apr-calendar.rrfcnetwork.org/explorer/view/id/323

For more information please contact Marilyn Hibbard, at marilyn.hibbard@fldoe.org or (850) 245-0478.

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