Category Archives: Source

System Improvement for Equitable Access, Experiences and Outcomes

Many folks have been engaged in equity work at a personal and professional level. But what does it mean to have an equitable system? This session focused on how to intentionally include equity in your system through the indicators of quality in the revised ECTA/ DaSy System Framework. We shared how to use data at the leadership level to inform policy development, and provide opportunity to dig deep to identify needs, priorities, and opportunities for action at both the state and local level within your own system.

Equity Starts with Allocations: Aligning Resources to Meet the Needs of All

Methods for state Part C allocations are typically driven by factors such as the number of children served in the previous year and historic expenditure patterns. But how well are these allocations meeting the needs of children and families in the state Part C program? Might other factors better support different levels of need? Using multiple sources of programmatic and fiscal data, states may better understand how to equitably allocate resources statewide to serve all families. Because states vary considerably in how they are structured, in this session we discussed different considerations and methods for determining allocations to facilitate equitable use of early intervention resources statewide.

Intersectionality, Quality, and Inclusion: The Role of Race in the Early Childhood System

Today’s early childhood system has many positive and meaningful supports for children and their families. However, outcomes for children are disparate. Equitable access, appropriate supports, and full inclusion are not available to all children. This disparity is especially true for racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse children and families. In this session, participants examined history and data to explore how bias and ableism have impacted the early childhood system, specifically in relation to intersectionality, the perception of “quality” in programs, and inclusive services for all children.

Building an Equitable System: Six Components of High Quality

This session focused on recent revisions to the revised Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center / Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems System Framework to infuse equity more intentionally into the indicators of quality. Participants learned how the framework has been used and then, with colleagues, brainstorm opportunities for applying the framework at both the state and local levels of their systems.

Promoting Equity in Access to Part C Using Child Find

In this session, participants learned about three Office of Special Education Programs-funded Child Find Model Demonstration projects and approaches to working with states and communities to improve child find systems and promote equity in access to Part C. Presenters highlighted three models for child find and discuss how stakeholder engagement and data can enhance system improvement efforts.

No Need to Reinvent the Wheel: Professional Development Resources to Reinforce Core COS Practices

This session explored available Child Outcomes Summary (COS) resources that help teams focus on functionality, cover the breadth of the outcomes, develop age-anchoring skills, determine ratings with the decision tree, and engage families in COS conversations. Participants discovered how these resources can improve, refresh, or refine team implementation of the COS process. Professional development providers and technical assistance staff using these resources shared strategies for practical implementation of quality learning activities for busy practitioners.