DaSy Critical Questions: Local Early Intervention Services (EIS) Program- and Local Educational Agency (LEA)-Level Questions

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3.A. EIS Program/LEA Characteristics
3.A.1. What are the characteristics of local early intervention services programs and local educational agencies? Bread and Butter Icon
3.A.1.a. Where are EIS programs/LEAs located in the state (e.g., by geographic region, urban/suburban/rural/frontier)? Bread and Butter Icon
3.A.1.b. What are the characteristics of EIS programs/LEAs in the state (e.g., number of children served, number of providers in program, average funding per child)? Bread and Butter Icon
3.A.1.c. What curricula are used in the early care and education programs serving young children with disabilities? Aspirational Climbing Icon
3.A.1.d. What is the EI/ECSE practitioner to child ratio for each EIS program/LEA overall? By type of profession/role? Aspirational Climbing Icon
3.B. EIS Program/LEA Performance
3.B.1. How well are local early intervention services programs and local educational agencies supporting children and families? Bread and Butter Icon
3.B.1.a. How do child and family outcomes compare across EIS programs/LEAs? Are some EIS programs/LEAs meaningfully (e.g., statistically) different from the state? Bread and Butter Icon
3.B.1.b. What are the local determinations for each EIS program/LEA? Bread and Butter Icon
3.B.1.c. What percentage of EIS programs/LEAs provide IDEA services in general early care and education settings? What percentage of their children receive IDEA services in these settings? Bread and Butter Icon
3.B.1.d. Within each EIS program/LEA, what percentage of early care and education programs attended by children with IFSP/IEPs are participating in a Quality Rating and Improvement System [QRIS]? What are the ratings of those early care and education programs? Aspirational Climbing Icon
3.C. Funding and Expenditures
3.C.1. What is the cost of providing early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) services to children and families? Bread and Butter Icon
3.C.1.a. What major funding streams and allocations support children participating in EI/ECSE (e.g., federal, state, local)? Bread and Butter Icon
3.C.1.b. What is the total amount of funding from all sources that is supporting the operation of the EI/ECSE program (including direct services, administration, general supervision, training, technical assistance, etc.)? Bread and Butter Icon
3.C.1.c. What is the cost to each local EIS program/LEA to provide EI/ECSE services? Bread and Butter Icon
3.C.1.d. What is the average cost per child for EI/ECSE services statewide? For each EIS program/LEA? Bread and Butter Icon
3.C.1.e. What are some of the factors (e.g., demographics of population, geography) that are related to differences across EIS programs/LEAs in the average cost per child? Bread and Butter Icon
3.C.2. Does the state have sufficient revenue to provide quality IDEA services? Bread and Butter Icon
3.C.2.a. What is the comparison between projected revenues/budget and estimated need at the state level (i.e., revenue gap)? Bread and Butter Icon
3.C.2.b. What is the comparison between projected revenues/budget and estimated need for each local EIS program/LEA? Bread and Butter Icon
3.C.2.c. What would it cost to provide IDEA services for young children with disabilities consistent with recommended practices and quality standards (i.e., estimated need)? Aspirational Climbing Icon
3.C.2.d. What is the relationship between the extent of the revenue gap and child outcomes (e.g., the percentage of children who make greater than expected growth) for each EIS program/LEA? Aspirational Climbing Icon
3.C.3. How can the state maximize efficiency in the operation of the early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) program (e.g., by changing practices and reallocating resources) and maintain or improve outcomes? Aspirational Climbing Icon
3.C.3.a. What are the high-cost drivers within the state program configurations (e.g., personnel, evaluation, delivery of service, program models, administration)? Aspirational Climbing Icon
3.C.3.b. What are the characteristics of programs with relatively lower than average cost per child and relatively higher child outcomes (e.g., higher percentages of children experiencing better than expected growth)? Aspirational Climbing Icon
3.C.3.c. What are alternative configurations of IDEA service provision (e.g., amount and type of service, level and type of personnel) that contribute to same or better outcomes without increased cost? Aspirational Climbing Icon