eNotes
January 20, 2021Updates from the ECTA Center
Recruiting New aRPy Ambassadors
The ECTA Center, in partnership with the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children and Parent to Parent of Georgia/the Region B Parent Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), is recruiting a cohort of 10 new aRPy Ambassadors. Applications are due February 22, 2021. The aRPy Ambassadors help build states' capacity to use the Center's Practice Improvement Tools to support implementation of recommended practices by local practitioners and families.
There will be two types of Ambassadors: professional and family-level with five ambassadors for each. Professional ambassadors represent state agency representatives, Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs), and technical assistance and professional development organizations. Family-level Ambassadors represent the Parent Centers such as Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs), Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs), and PTACs.
Preschool During the Pandemic: Early Childhood Education in Extraordinary Times
It's been said that "necessity is the mother of invention". When the pandemic struck last year, practitioners in early education and early childhood special education, and parents came together to support young children and their families through remote service delivery. This multi-part video series, developed by Larry Edelman, features preschool staff and families from five states and illustrates their working together to use technology to make the virtual learning experience exciting, effective and engaging for young children.
Currently, there are 12 videos in the series, each ranging from five to 16 minutes in length. The videos cover the perspectives of professionals and parents on topics such as inclusion, equity and family support, the challenges and joys of remote learning, hands-on and play-based experiences, a family's approach to supporting a preschooler in a virtual environment, promoting social skills, relationships and positive social emotional development and the use of green screens to engage preschoolers.
State and Jurisdictional Eligibility Definitions for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Under IDEA Part C
Whether for comparison or consideration of an eligibility change, states and territories under IDEA Part C often find need to know the eligibility definitions used by other states and territories. This database provides the following information about a state or jurisdiction's Part C eligibility policy:
- Definition of developmental delay
- At risk for developments delay policy (if applicable)
- Link to state eligibility policy and additional links to other policies, if available
- Selected Categories of Diagnosed Conditions (e.g. prematurity, low birth weight, very low birth weight, small for gestational age, prenatal exposure to substances, hearing impairment, vision impairment and prenatal exposure to Zika) are included if information is available beyond Part C regulatory language.
Your Leadership Role in Implementing and Influencing Policy
This recorded 90-minute interactive session focuses on the type of state leadership needed to proactively influence policy and its implementation, and to respond to policy implications that result from federal and state changes. It is part of the Targeted Leadership TA Series for IDEA Part C and Section 619 Coordinators. Featured speakers are Sharon Walsh, technical assistance specialist, ECTA/Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy) and Deborah Ziegler, technical assistance consultant, Early Childhood Personnel Center (ECPC).
Subsequent recorded webinars from the series will be posted as they become available.
News from the Field
OSEP Fast Facts: Asian and Hispanic/or Latino Children with Disabilities
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has released two new Fast Facts that look at IDEA 618 data on Asian and Hispanic/or Latino children with disabilities. Data is collected through child count, educational environments, discipline and exiting data collections. Highlights include:
- In 2018, Hispanic and/or Latino children comprised 27.18% of the population of students ages 6-21 served under IDEA, Part B.
- California, Texas, Florida and New York served more than 50% of all the Hispanic and/or Latino students across the country.
- In 2018, Asian children comprised 2.49% of the population of students ages 6-21 served under IDEA, Part B.
OSEP's Fast Facts page summarizes key facts related to specific aspects of the data collection authorized by Section 618 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Aside from race and ethnicity, Fast Facts also includes data on children identified with emotional disturbance and autism.
Now Read This! Books that Promote Race, Identity, Agency and Voice
This two-part article promotes children's identity, agency, and voice regarding race through picture books. Through short vignettes, educators are shown the importance of having open, honest, and anti-biased classroom discussions and activities about racial, ethnic, and cultural differences and injustice. When teachers intentionally plan for these conversations (versus responding to them reactively), children speaking up about their classmates' (mis)treatment will become a common practice in classrooms where children's identities are affirmed, and their agency to advance equity will be preserved.