This website uses cookies

This website uses cookies and similar technologies to understand visitor experiences. By using this website, you consent to UNC-Chapel Hill's cookie usage in accordance with their Privacy Notice.

Improving Systems, Practices, and Outcomes

Application for ECTA Intensive Technical Assistance: Implementing, Sustaining, and Scaling-Up High-Quality Inclusive Mixed Delivery Preschool Policies and Practices

The Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center invites applications from State Part C and Part B, Section 619 coordinators to receive Individualized with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) intensive technical assistance (TA) from ECTA. This initiative will support the implementation, sustainability, and scaling of high-quality inclusion across state, community, local programs, and early care and education settings. These settings include community-based childcare providers, schools, Head Start programs, and family childcare homes.

The following references will be used to guide this TA effort through ECTA:

Purpose of Intensive Technical Assistance (TA) Opportunity

This 18-month intensive TA opportunity will help states build their capacity to implement, sustain, and scale inclusive, mixed-delivery early childhood policies and practices according to the IDEA. ECTA's approach emphasizes that, guided by family priorities, services should be provided where the child would be included if they did not have a disability and embedded throughout the child's daily routines. This ensures positive long-term educational and community outcomes.

Anticipated Outcomes of the Intensive TA

The state will:

  1. Establish linked cross-sector teams across state, community, and local levels to implement, scale, and sustain inclusion.
  2. Implement a capacity-building system to support inclusion in a birth-to-5 mixed delivery system.
  3. Establish a professional development network of program implementation coaches to provide ongoing training and coaching on ECTA State, Community, Local Program, and Early Care and Education Environment (ECEE) indicators of High-Quality Inclusion.
  4. Design and implement an evaluation system that includes data on implementing state, community, local program, and ECEE indicators of high-quality inclusion.
  5. Develop a sustainability and scale-up plan for state, community, and local programs to support and enhance inclusion efforts.

By the end of the TA, in partnership with ECTA, participating states should establish:

  • Focused State Leadership Team (SLT): An interagency, cross-sector, collaborative team to develop and strengthen state infrastructure to ensure children served by IDEA have access to high-quality inclusion. The SLT will guide planning, measure progress, and drive the work to scale high-quality inclusion. The SLT will choose a coordinator who will:
    • Coordinate and facilitate SLT meetings
    • Coordinate, monitor, and support the professional development (PD) network of program implementation coaches and implementation programs
    • Coordinate data evaluation and sharing
    • Be the liaison with ECTA
    Review a sample State Leadership Team Coordinator(s) Position Description
  • State Professional Development Network of Program Implementation Coaches: A network of systems coaches or TA providers who will support community inclusion teams and local programs to ensure the effective implementation of inclusion practices.
  • Community Inclusion Teams (two to three teams): These teams, composed of local education agency (LEA) administrators, community program leaders, staff, and family members. Teams will develop action plans using the community indicators of high-quality inclusion. These teams will work to create and support inclusive environments in community-based childcare, schools, Head Start, and family childcare homes.
  • Local Program Implementation Sites (at least two sites per identified community): Programs will implement ECEE indicators to ensure children with disabilities experience meaningful participation, belonging, and developmental outcomes in an inclusive setting.
  • Data Decision-Making Tools: These tools will evaluate implementation and guide data-informed decision-making processes.
  • Plans for Resource Allocation and Budgets for Scale Up and Sustainability: States will develop plans and budgets to ensure sustainability and scale-up of inclusion efforts beyond the duration of the TA.

Additional Information

Application Process

ECTA will select two states for this intensive TA opportunity based on a written application and interview process.

The application requires you to submit two parts:

Once you have completed both, you're ready to transmit your application.

Narrative Application

Applications should be submitted in narrative form, 10-page maximum length (double-spaced, 12-point font), which includes the following information:

  1. Introduction Summary:
    • Your state's commitment to inclusive education for children with disabilities, birth to age 5.
    • A high-level overview of your state's alignment with the anticipated outcomes of this TA opportunity.
    • A statement of your state's readiness to dedicate resources, staff, and leadership to this initiative.
    • A statement that describes how your state uses data and how they inform implementation of and accountability for inclusion.
  2. Intentional Shared Purpose: Describe your state's shared purpose for inclusion for children 0-5 years of age with disabilities and their families over the next two-three years. Describe how partnering with ECTA through this TA opportunity will help achieve this purpose.
  3. Strengths and Challenges: Highlight strengths and challenges related to inclusion practices, systemic capacity for PD, and barriers that are important in implementing inclusion.
  4. Budget and Resource Allocation: Describe your state's commitment to allocate resources to ensure initiative success.
    • Provide 1.0 FTE dedicated to the following initiative activities:
      • Coordinate the SLT
      • Coordinate, monitor, and support the PD network of program implementation coaches and implementation programs
      • Coordinate data evaluation and sharing
      • Be an ECTA liaison
    • Dedicate resources for activities estimated to be $20,000 per year, including:
      • The PD network of program implementation coaches
      • Community Inclusion Team (CIT) facilitation, support, training and coaching at implementation sites and meeting and professional development event expenses
  5. State Commitment: The state director of special education and ECSE/619 coordinator submit a statement affirming your state's commitment to collaborate with ECTA and the anticipated outcomes of the TA. The state special education leaders will set expectations, provide guidance, and be accountable for districts to follow IDEA and processes to make sound LRE decisions. The state will develop or identify a PD network that includes program implementation coaches. The network can include PD resources from the following:
    • State departments of education, health and human services, early childhood, and child welfare
    • Head Start
    • Other state-funded or private agencies and programs that support the implementation of inclusion for children ages birth–5
  6. Links to Documents: Include any links to state documents relevant to this initiative, such as the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP). These supplements don't count toward the 10-page limit.

State Leadership Team Membership List

The State Leadership Team (SLT) is convened by a state coordinator or co-coordinators. SLT members commit to a multi-year, collaborative effort to implement and scale up inclusion, and must include:

  • State ECSE/619 coordinator (or director of preschool special education services)
  • At least one representative from your state Parent Training and Information Center or Community Parent Resource Program

Additional key collaborators who will have an investment in guiding implementation and scale include:

  • State special education director
  • Part C coordinator
  • Representatives from Head Start, childcare, public school, preschool, and other early childhood education programs
  • Statewide TA initiatives
  • Pyramid Model or positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) initiatives
  • Institutes of higher education (IHEs)
  • Other state-relevant partners

For each member, include the following information in your application:

  • Name
  • Position
  • Agency
  • Address
  • Email

Application Transmission Process

Upload your application by July 25, 2025. Applications will be assessed based on responses to the application requirements. After reviewing the application ECTA staff will schedule interviews to learn about your specific state context.

If you have questions, contact Alissa Rausch: alissa.rausch@du.edu

Submit Application

Interview Process Description

We may request an interview with selected states to understand more about the specific context in implementing inclusion. The interviews will be between 30–60 minutes in length and conducted on Zoom. The interviews will include 2–3 representatives from the ECTA staff involved with the TA and representatives selected by the state to share information about the state context.

Appendix A: State Responsibilities and Resources

State Leadership Team

Establish a State Leadership Team (SLT). Required members include:

  • SLT Coordinator
  • 619 Coordinator
  • representatives from state Parent Training and Information Center or Community Parent Resource Center

SLT Activities

The SLT Coordinator and 619 Coordinator will convene the SLT. The SLT will:

  • Meet monthly to guide statewide implementation of equitable inclusion.
  • Use State Indicators of High-Quality Inclusion to strengthen infrastructure through policy, fiscal, and program improvements while measuring implementation progress.
  • Establish and supervise a state professional development network of program coaches.
  • Organize and attend training events.
  • Develop a system to identify communities and recruit implementation sites.
  • Establish data collection policies and procedures using State Indicators of High-Quality Inclusion to guide implementation, measure progress, and track outcomes.
  • Create a sustainability plan continuation and growth of statewide inclusion.
  • Appoint coordinator(s) to lead SLT and liaise with ECTA to convene team monthly team meetings and monitor implementation progress.
  • Allocate resources, estimated to be $20,000 annually, to ensure the initiative's success. These funds may come from current budgets, collaborative agencies, grants, and other state resources. Resources will cover state meetings, professional development costs, implementation site support, and support to the professional development network of implementation coaches.
  • Mentor program implementation coaches to continue implementation of training events with new cohorts of teams.

Recommended Members

  • State special education director
  • Part C coordinator
  • Representatives from:
    • Head Start
    • Childcare
    • Public school preschool
    • Other ECE programs and settings
    • Statewide training and TA initiatives, such as Pyramid Model or positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) initiatives
    • Higher education (community colleges and four-year institutions)
    • Other state-relevant invested partners

Recommended Team Structure

  • Maximum 15 members
  • Commitment to multiple year participation

Professional Development Network of Program Implementation Coaches

Identify a network of experienced training and TA professionals who will serve as program implementation coaches to provide ongoing training and external coaching to communities and local programs to implement community, local program, and Early Care and Education Environment (ECEE) Indicators of High-Quality Inclusion. Other resources, such as the Preschool Inclusion Toolbox, may be used.

Program implementation coaches will:

  • Visit or contact the program leadership team at least once per month to guide implementation and support the use of coaching and data tools.
  • Monitor the progress and fidelity of implementation.
  • Support data collection on implementation outcomes. Report regularly to SLT and training coordinator.
  • Participate in practitioner coach trainings.
  • Support practitioner coaches from implementation sites.
  • Provide support and training to new cohorts of practitioner coaches.
  • Develop a training plan of events and follow-up coaching/TA in collaboration with ECTA.

Community Inclusion Teams and Implementation Sites

Approximately two to three communities will form community inclusion teams (CITs) to implement and expand high-quality inclusion programs for preschool children in their community. The LEA will convene the first meeting of the CIT. The CIT is made up of LEA administrators, community program administrators, program staff, family members, and others as appropriate. They will implement action plans that guide and support the availability of high-quality inclusive ECEE and the implementation of high-quality inclusion using the Community, Local Program, and Early Care and Education Environment Indicators of High-Quality Inclusion.

The CIT will:

Implementation sites will:

Appendix B: Professional Development Events

Program Implementation Coach Orientation

This orientation introduces coaches to their role and responsibilities. It emphasizes understanding their relationship with state, community, and program teams and other coaches.

  • Audience: Program implementation coaches, coach coordinator
  • Time Commitment: Three 90-minute virtual meetings, or one-day in-person meeting

Program-Wide Leadership Team Training

This series provides action plan development to support high-quality, inclusive program-wide practices.

  • Audience: Program implementation coaches, program-wide leadership teams
  • Time Commitment: Ten 90-minute virtual sessions, or ongoing monthly action planning meetings

Community Inclusion Team (CIT) Preschool Inclusion Toolbox Monthly Webinar

This 10-month long series uses the Preschool Inclusion Toolbox: How to Build and Lead a High-Quality Program (Barton, E.E., & Smith, B.J., 2015).

  • Audience: SLT, program implementation coaches, CIT
  • Time Commitment: Ten 90-minute virtual sessions, and ongoing monthly action planning meetings

Practice-Based Coaching Training

This training teaches participants the core components of Practice-Based Coaching (PBC) and how practitioner coaches use PBC to promote the use of inclusive practices. Participants will explore the Early Care and Education Environment Indicators of High-Quality Inclusion and become familiar with how they are used in PBC.

  • Audience: Program and practitioner coaches
  • Time Commitment: Five 90-minute virtual sessions and ongoing monthly coaching calls

Practices Training

This training helps participants learn about the implementation of evidence-based practices for high-quality inclusive programs and how those practices are embedded in daily routines and learning activities.

  • Audience: Program implementation coaches, practitioner coaches, early childhood education and care providers
  • Time Commitment: To be determined with the state, and training options various formats