Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP): All families of children with disabilities (birth to three) enrolled in the Early Intervention Program have an IFSP. It tells who is responsible for what, and how often services will be provided. It is a "user friendly" plan that lays out goals for a child and his or her family. Child care providers may be asked to contribute to the plan.

Early Intervention Service Coordinator: Children and their families enrolled in the Early Intervention Program (birth to three) have a coordinator of services. This person helps the family access evaluation and services and makes sure things are working according to the IFSP. After checking with the parent, this person is who you can call if you need help or have concerns about an enrolled child.

Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE): This committee make decisions about services for children with disabilities between the ages of three years and five years of age. The Committee is chaired by a special education administrator from the school district where the child lives. The input from child care providers should be sought, especially if the child is in that setting while identified as a preschool child with a disability.

Individualized Education Plan (IEP): This is the plan that sets out the goals and objectives for a preschooler (three to five years old) with a disability. It lasts for a year and specifies what services will be provided to the child, where they will occur, how often and who will provide them.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): This is recent legislation that bans discrimination against children and adults with disabilities and requires that reasonable accommodations be made for a person with a disability. This is relevant to your facility because rooms need to be made accessible, including the bathroom. Also, try to lay out your classroom's floor plan in a way that helps all children maneuver easily.

These abbreviations are good to know:

DSS: Department of Social Services. Provide funding for some children to attend early childhood settings

PT: Physical therapy

ST: Speech therapy

OT: Occupational therapy

SED: State Education Department

DOH: Department of Health

Learn how your state provides free evaluation and services for infants, toddlers and/or preschoolers so that you can explain the system clearly to parents.

Do you own developmental screenings or checklists. You can get copies of such screenings from Head Starts, local school districts, local chapters of the Association for Retarded Citizens or United Cerebral Palsy.

Call your local Early Intervention Program (for infants and toddlers up to age three) and your local School District (for kids three to five years of age).

• As often as possible share some information with the family about their child's day, the good as well as the problems. Your concerns shouldn't come as a complete surprise.

 
• Remember the family is as nervous as you are!

 
• Maintain confidentiality and privacy when speaking with the family.

 
• Avoid jargon. State your concerns in clear language and give specific examples.

 
• If you observe something that concerns you, ask the family to share with you what they see at home.

 
• Realize that you may need several conferences to help a parent understand their child's special needs. Your goal for the first meeting may be only to have an exchange of information.

 
• Be clear on what is to happen next. Have several options. Assure the family that their child will not have to leave your program.

 

Observations:
Sometimes the evaluator will come to the day care center or preschool to see how the child relates and performs. Other evaluators will call the child care professional to gather information about specific concerns, behaviors, previous screenings and general thoughts about how the child performs at the center. Child care professionals are asked to fill out a "preschool checklist" for children referred for a Preschool Special Education Evaluation.

Family interviewing:
Much of the same information is gathered from the child's family. What questions do they want addressed? How does the child act at home? How has the child developed over the years? Parent input, their view of the strengths, needs and personality of their child is crucial.

Testing: The formal testing includes all areas of development
Motor: moving, using her body, using "fine muscles" for tasks like grasping
Cognition: thinking, figuring things out, problem solving
Speech/language: talking, understanding, communicating
Adaptive: self help in areas like dressing and eating
Social/emotional: getting along with others, coping, playing with toys & other children
Physical: general health

The answers to these questions are the foundation of an intervention plan: The IFSP (birth to three) or IEP (three to five).

The plan consists of goals based on developmental levels and a child's particular needs and strengths. These goals are reached by carefully mapping out activities using toys, exercises, games and other play to help the child move toward new goals...one step at a time.

Many of the activities can be part of the young child's normal day, such as during bath time or meal time. Most can be incorporated into the child care setting's range of activities. Early childhood teachers, parents and various specialists (such as speech pathologists, psychologists, physical therapists and special education teacher) team together to plan and carry out a constructive program.

Remember:

Any plan must be looked over regularly and re-evaluated to make sure that it still fits the child and her changing self. Parents are a very important part of this evaluation process!

Changes in the child's development, anticipated health or medical factors and prognosis for change are also relevant to whether the child received services. Remember that the needs of the family also impact the decision.

Age Three to Five Evaluators look at the same areas of development, and must show that they affect the preschooler's ability to learn. They must determine if this child is unable to accomplish the tasks kids his age can usually do. Kids are usually eligible for services if they have a specific diagnosis of autism, deafness, deaf-blind, hard of hearing, orthopedically impaired, other health-impaired, traumatic brain-injured, or visually impaired.

• Stages of team development

All teams or groups go through stages as the members learn to know each other and work together. It is helpful for staff to know that these phases are typical.
 
• Team meetings: How to learn to love them

Making effective use of meetings is critical to working well together.
 
• Effective communication strategies

All groups work better when the members employ effective communication skills and use good problem-solving strategies.
 
• How are we doing? A review process for evaluating teams that work in inclusive settings

Created by the Inclusive Education Project at Syracuse University, these self-study guides help team members analyze their process and identify areas to work on.

 

• deals with inclusion
• individuals look for people with similar backgrounds and experience
• differences are noted
• team in a dependent relationships with authority figures or trainers

• deals with power and control
• individuals challenges to regain individuality, power and influence
• attempts made to create order
• team in a counter-dependent relationships with authority figures or trainers
• individuals exhibit covert nonsupport or direct attacks
• emotional response to task demands

• deals with cohesion, negotiation
• team negotiates roles and processes for accomplishing its task
• an unspoken "teamness" emerges
• team in interdependent relationship with others
• the team tackles its task

• deals with growth, insight and collaboration
• tasks are completed and shared
• team in pleased with its work and the team

• group members feel great cohesiveness
• when group disbands, they are sad
• group is helped by thinking about the transference of their skills to a new group and/or new role

I. The Interview: Divide your team into pairs. Partners interview each other on the following topics:

After you have completed the interviews (about 20 minutes) report back to the team and introduce your partner by describing what you learned in your interview.

II. Show and Tell: From your classroom, select an object (toy/play/material, etc.) that reflects your style with children or your favorite way to spend time with children. Bring this to the team and talk about why you chose it.

III. Imagine: Close your eyes and imagine yourself as a preschooler, standing at the door of your classroom on the first day of school. You might even go and kneel at the door of the room. An adult is coming toward you. What are you feeling? What do you want the grownup to say and do? What will make you feel safe and comfortable? What will help you feel you belong and that you know what to do? Share your thoughts with your team members and talk about what this tells you about how you should begin the year with your students.

IV. Memories: Think about one of the following and share with your team members:

V. Symbolize: Distribute to each team a basket of construction materials (e.g. tinker toys, bristle blocks, inch cubes, Construx, etc.) or a pile of newspapers and magazines, poster board, scissors and glue. Using the materials provided, create as a group a portable symbol of what you hope your classroom will be for children and adults. Be sure that each team members is represented in the product. Show and describe your product to others. (These creations can be put on display in some school common area later.) Return to your team and talk about how you worked together on this task. For example,

VI. Projection: Your class has been nominated as "Class of the Year" by a local early childhood organization. You will be the subject of a Press Conference in June and you have been asked to write a statement for reporters and TV cameras regarding your great classroom. Write this statement by describing successful moments during the year, the positive contributions you have made to the lives of children and families, and any continuing challenges. Delegate someone in your group to read this statement to the reporters and the whole group.

It is always good to begin a team experience with a warm-up activity. These warm-ups can reduce tension, and let everyone laugh; they are good levelers. They might include: keeping a number of balloons in the air; playing musical laps; creating a January to December birthday line-up nonverbally; while all holding hands in a circle, pass a hoola-hoop around the group.

I. Investment: Each team member should complete the following chart and then share it with the team.

TAKE A FEW MINUTES AND COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING FORM; TALK WITH YOUR TEAM ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS  What I feel about: myself at work   What I feel about: our team  What I'm stressed about: my own work  What I'm dissatisfied with: in our team

II. Trust: Trust with other team members develops over time. In an effective team, members must trust each other in order to feel valued and respected, safe enough to disclose personal feelings, and to ask for help. Describe a time when you were part of a group; where you felt a high degree of trust. What happened there? What occurs that helps you trust others? What is happening on your team now that helps you trust or not? Share these thoughts with others.

III. Role Clarity: Complete the following form, indicating which roles are individual responsibility and which are shared responsibility. Share it with the team members.

Aspects of my role I am clear about:  Classroom tasks where responsibility in unclear/confused:  Areas of classroom responsibility that are sources of tension/dispute:

Where responsibilities are unclear, make a list of the tasks and decide who will do them and when. Where roles or tasks are in dispute, specify a process for talking and clarifying them (including ownership issues, differences in style, dislike of the work, etc.).

IV. Group Participation: Complete the following statements regarding group participation and personal style. Share your responses with team members.

I would characterize my participation at team meetings as ___________________.  I would describe my contribution to group problem-solving in this team as ___________________.  My active participation in meetings will increase if:  1. I did the following: 2. Other people did the following:

GROUPS WORK BEST WHEN... *There are agreed-up norms of operation (e.g., everyone should participate, the meeting should start and end on time, etc.
*There is an agreed-upon agenda
*A process allows the group to address personal/relationship needs
*The group has a sense of involvement and empowerment and knows that decisions are really its own
*Various members provide group facilitation, helping the group move forward through the agenda within the time available, make necessary decisions and plans for implementation
*The group takes the time to evaluate their process and their meetings in particular

REMEMBER, it helps to... Set an agenda prior to the meeting
Arrange seating in a circle
Have good food available
Have someone take notes
Set priorities for discussion
Evaluate the meeting
End on a positive note

Behaviors related to the task/agency items:

 
• Offering information
• Offering opinions
• Seeking information
• Seeking information of others
• Asking questions
• Diagnosing group difficulties
• Coordinating work

 
• Encouraging participation
• Offering comic relief
• Being an active listener
• Offering support to other people's ideas
• Managing conflict:
Criticizing/questioning ideas, not people
Integrating several opinions into a single position
Building on ideas
Seeing the idea from the other person's perspective
• Avoiding communication roadblocks, such as:

Use of killer phrases:
"That's impossible!"
You don't know what it's like here."
"It won't work."

Diverting from task/agenda items:
Let me tell you what happened to me today."
Speaking of _________ ,did you know that..."

• Deal with issues at they arise, but not necessarily in the heat of the conflict.
• Listen carefully and ask for clarification. Many problems are the result of incorrect assumptions and misunderstandings.
• Speak for yourself and talk directly to the person involved in any issue.
• Speaking to and for others can create new issues and escalate a conflict.
• Value others for who they are, not who you would like them to be. be empathic with their perspective.
• Never underestimate the importance of positive feedback!
• Aim to be assertive: Express your own feelings and needs while respecting those of others.

• A child centered program that allows children to make their own choices.
• Developmentally appropriate activities and environment.
• Routine and activities that enhance independence and autonomy in all children.
• Encourage parent/guardian partnerships with staff to provide for and support family needs.
• Provide environments and activities that support the needs of individual children.
• Acceptance and support of cultural families and individual differences.
• Promotion of the child's self-confidence and self-esteem.
• Assist in developing increased flexibility in children to help develop their individual ability to copy with change.
• Foster the child's sense of self-control over one's destiny.
• Strengthen and support cooperation and friendship between all children.
• Assist in developing increased appropriate play skills.

The Center on Human Policy: 1-800-894-0826. The Center has information about inclusion and Americans with Disabilities Act. A New York State Early Childhood Direction Center is located here and can provide you with some information about resources for including children with special needs in your child care facility.

Federation for Children with Special Needs, 95 Berkeley Street, Suite 104, Boston, MA 02116. A center for parents and parent organizations to work together on behalf of children with special needs and their families.

National Information Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families: 1-800-899-4301. State of the art information on best practices with the birth to three age group. Call for their catalogue and information about their publication, Zero to Three.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): 1-800-424-2460. 1509 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036. For information on inclusion, best practices, and Americans with Disabilties Act.

Books and articles:

Batshaw, M. L., & Perret, Y. M. (1992). Children with disabilities: A medical primer (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Child Care Law Center (1993). Caring for children with special needs: The Americans with Disabilities Act and child care. [Available from the Child Care Law Center, 22 Second Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 495-5498.]

DeHaas-Warner, S. (1994). The role of child care professional in placement and programming decisions for preschoolers with special needs in community-based settings. Young Children, 48(5), 76-78.

Karp, N., Lyons, W., & Sutherland, B. (Eds.). Inclusion: A right, not a privilege. [Available from The Community Inclusion Project, Division of Child and Family Studies, Dept. of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farm Hollow-Suite A-200, 309 Farmington Ave., Farmington, CT 06032]

Rab, V. Y., & Wood, K. I. (1995). Child care and the ADA: Handbook for inclusive programs. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Videos:

Child and Family Services. (1991). Just a kid like me. Available from Child and Family Services, 626 North Coronado Terrace, Los Angeles, CA 90026.

The New York State Education Department (1994). Off to a good start. Available from NYS Education Department, (518) 474-5807.

The North Central Ohio Special Education Center. (1994). Early childhood education at its best!