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The Ninth Inclusion Institute July 14-15, 2009

Partnerships for Inclusive Education. The Ninth Inclusion Institute July 14-15, 2009. The Lullaby League. Ellen Abramson 301-753-1745 eabramson@ccboe.com Barbara Hanft 301-587-6026 barbarahanft@aol.com Valerie von Behren 410-767-7800 vbehren@msde.state.md.us.

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The Ninth Inclusion Institute July 14-15, 2009

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  1. Partnerships for Inclusive Education The Ninth Inclusion Institute July 14-15, 2009

  2. The Lullaby League • Ellen Abramson 301-753-1745 eabramson@ccboe.com • Barbara Hanft 301-587-6026 barbarahanft@aol.com • Valerie von Behren 410-767-7800 vbehren@msde.state.md.us

  3. Objectives • Gain awareness of Maryland’s Preschool LRE Initiatives • Learn how one local school system in Maryland improved LRE options through building partnerships • Consider characteristics of effective partnerships

  4. Your Inclusion Partners?

  5. Inclusive Preschool:There’s No Place Like Home Maryland’s Preschool LRE Initiative Valerie von Behren, Preschool 619 Monitor and TA Specialist Maryland State Department of Education Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services Early Childhood Intervention and Education Branch

  6. Maryland’s 2008 Early Childhood Data • General Education Kindergarten enrollment: 60,530 and 4,903 were children (age 5) receiving special education • General Education Pre-kindergarten enrollment: 23,414 and 4,193 were children (age 4) receiving special education • Preschool Special Education served 3,107 children age 3 • 12,203 children 3 through 5 receiving preschool special education in total

  7. Maryland’s Preschool LRE Initiatives

  8. GOAL: Get preschoolers “home” to their communities! “to promote and support a comprehensive, family-centered, driven technical assistance system for all young preschool children, their families and communities. This initiative will offer opportunities for personal and professional growth and systems’ development in collaboration with families, schools and other community stakeholders to include preschool children with disabilities in typical early childhood settings.” The objective developed for Maryland’s Preschool LRE initiatives.

  9. What happened then was rich!

  10. Federal Discretionary Funds$440,000 in ‘08$550,000 in ‘09 • Analyzed three years worth of Preschool LRE data • Shared anecdotal successes from the Preschool LRE teleconference • Made our pitch to the Assistant Superintendent and she granted us the funding!

  11. There’s no place like home… The 2008 Preschool LRE Grant Initiative provided funding up to $40,000 per jurisdiction • 11 Preschool LRE Improvement Grants awarded to local school systems • Emphasized collaboration with families and community partners to increase the continuum of placement options for young children with disabilities

  12. Follow the yellow brick road! • Teams to provide coaching, co-teaching, infused related services • SEFEL and behavior specialists • Differentiated instruction, adapted curriculum, assistive tech • Partnerships with Judy Centers, Head Start, Child Care Centers, Libraries, Parks and Recreation programs • Reverse mainstreaming, free tuition for typically developing peers • Language enrichment programming • Families involved in programs and support activities

  13. 11 Preschool LRE Improvement Grants:the 2008 outcomes! • 7 of 11 grantees increased the number of children in inclusive settings • 6 of 11 grantees moved above the state average of 60% of children in inclusive settings • 5 of 11 increased their number of children in inclusive settings by 10% or better

  14. Preschool LRE TA Centers 4 local school systems with LRE data above the state average of 60% awarded an additional $15,000… …to work with MSDE to build a framework of regional technical assistance to sustain and support other systems with expanding options

  15. Maryland’s Preschool LRE TA Centers 2008 Preschool LRE 3 through 5 data • Allegany – 83% • Cecil – 80% • Charles – 86% • Howard -71%

  16. But you’ve always had the power to go home! • Regional TA Centers provide coaching, mentoring and TA to other local systems… • …and training and presentations at local, state and national conferences

  17. Regional TA Centers held Preschool LRE Conferences Number of participants attending: • Cecil County: 20Howard County: 80 • Charles County: 140 Allegany County: 80

  18. Maryland School for the Blindwww.vicurriculum.org and Allegany County Early childhood Tech Assistance Center www.ectac.net Preschool LRE projects funded by the MD State Dept of Education to support preschool age children in inclusive settings. Resources developed through the Preschool LRE Grant Initiative

  19. If I Only Had a Brain….The Preschool LRE Decision Making Module An online tutorial is being developed to increase the knowledge and skills of LSS preschool special education and early learning staff, community early childhood partners and families to improve preschool LRE decision making and expand options for the LRE continuum through our Maryland State Improvement Grant.

  20. Preschool in the Least Restrictive Environment • Head Start • Reverse mainstreaming • Full Inclusion Classrooms • Co-taught general/special education pre-k classrooms • Co-taught general/special education kindergarten classrooms

  21. Preschool LRE Technical Assistance Conference by the Charles County Preschool LRE TA Center and MSDE“Can we Build It?YES WE CAN!!!!”

  22. Toddlers in the Natural Environment • Community Recreation Programs • Kid Fit • Music, Rhythm and Movement • Learning through Art for Toddlers • Playground for All

  23. Toddlers in the Natural Environment • Library Story Times • Preschool In Community Settings

  24. Collaboration……Opportunities and challenges

  25. Collaboration tools…Characteristics of collaborative teams • Voluntary participation • Equality among members • Common purpose • Joint responsibility for outcomes • Shared resources • Collective decision making Deboer & Fister, 1995

  26. Collaboration tools…Partnership Roles Implementing: “hands-on”staff Supporting: info, PR, feedback Guiding: local- administrators & supervisors; distant- funding, regulatory or statutory authority Hanft & Read, 2001

  27. Resolving conflict:Pay attention to emotionsFisher and Shapiro, 2005

  28. Collaboration tools… Early Childhood Transition ModuleMaryland State Dept of Education, 2005 Application Activity 2: Collaboration between Part B special educators and community early childhood personnel http://olms.cte.jhu.edu/olms/output/page_site.php?pageID=1063&siteID=365

  29. … include to the maximum extent possible, preschool students with disabilities with their typically developing peers in their own communities… because there really is NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

  30. References Deboer & Fister. (1995). Working together: Tools for collaborative teaching. Longmont, CO: Sopris West. Fisher & Shapiro (2005). Beyond reason: Using emotions as you negotiate. NY: Penguin. Hanft & Read. (2001). Collaborative partnerships. In K. Murray & J. Stockhouse, Professional Development Leadership Academy. Alexandria, VA: NASDSE. Hanft & Shepherd. (2008). Collaborating for student success. Bethesda, MD: AOTA. MSDE. (2005). Early childhood transition (click on Early childhood tutorial).www.cte.jhu.edu/ecgateway

  31. Special Thanks to: www.wendyswizardofoz.com And to all of you working on behalf of young children with disabilities and their families!!! THANK YOU!!!!

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