eNotes
May 28, 2020Updates from the ECTA Center
Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
To support the re-opening of schools and child care centers, and increasing in-home services following the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, ECTA has added new subpages to our topical page on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
- FAQ Regarding the Delivery of IDEA Early Childhood Services
- Supporting Children and Families
- (Re)Opening
- Increasing In-Person Activities (Part C)
(Re)Opening
As states began to lift restrictions on schools, childcare centers, businesses and other public spaces, ECTA developed this new subpage under the COVID-19 page. It supports the complex planning and preparation necessary following the initial wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Offerings include guidance from the Center for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Council of Chief State School Officers. We will continue to add content to this page as resources become available.
Part C Considerations Webinar
This webinar reviews considerations that state Part C programs should think about as they make plans to increase in-person activities related to workplace operations and service delivery. Indiana and Oklahoma offer presentations from their plans for safely increasing in-person activities for staff, and children and families.
Remote Administration
A new subheading has been added to the Screening, Evaluation and Assessment page that addresses successful implementation of assessment when the practitioner cannot be in the same room with the child and family. Tools that focus on naturally occurring behaviors lend themselves to collecting information remotely. With these tools, gathering information on a child's functioning can be done through teleconference, parent report, or parent videos of the child engaging in everyday routines and activities.
Companion webinars developed for Part C and Part B Section 619 provide information about applying assessment principles to evaluation to determine eligibility remotely, and a list of Norm-Referenced Assessment Tools for Children Birth to Age Five Years with Potential for Remote Administration for Eligibility Determination helps states and programs identify assessments to successfully administer when the practitioner, and child and family need to social distance as during the COVID-19 pandemic or other events.
Building Your Videoconferencing Skills
This entertaining eight-minute video presents important tips to improve practitioner's video conferencing skills. The lighthearted narration and whimsical illustrations identify key technical, environmental, and interactional aspects to keep in mind during videoconferencing sessions. Download a one-page checklist to help assess personal skills.
Supporting Grayson's Family
Grayson's parents Niki and Matt, describe how videoconference home visits engage and support the entire family during stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Early interventionist Jenny Seuntjens highlights key strategies that include focusing on all family members, embedding intervention in typical everyday routines, and following the family's lead.
Collecting and Tracking Maintenance of Effort Data
A new webpage, Collecting and Tracking Maintenance of Effort Data, assists state Part C lead agencies in establishing a process to collect and track the budget and expenditures of state and local public funds each year to determine if maintenance of effort (MOE) is met. Featured categories include critical questions for understanding the implementation of MOE, a Part C tracking tool and a resources list.
News from the Field
Call for Input: DEC/ITCA Joint Position Statement on Service Coordination in Early Intervention
Community feedback on a Joint Position Statement on Service Coordination in Early Intervention is being solicited from Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exception Children members, the IDEA Infant Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA), and other key stakeholders. Feedback will be accepted until June 10th, 2020 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
Increasing Child Comfort with Masks
As face masks become part of the arsenal against the spread of COVID-19, the Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities at Rutgers offers parents resources to help children feel more comfortable. Part of a series, these documents explain the need for face masks and how to lessen children's mask anxiety when seeing others in masks and when wearing masks themselves. These are now posted on our webpage Supporting Children and Families During the Pandemic.
- A Parent's Guide: Helping Your Child Wear a Mask
- Help your Child Feel Good about Using and Seeing Others Wearing Face Masks
- I Can Stay Healthy by Wearing a Face Mask