Resources
- Evidence-Based Practices - The resources provided here are supported by research and evidence. Topics include assessment, child development, curriculum & instruction, family involvement, inclusion, and transition.
- State/Federal Organizations - This page provides national and state level initiatives and organizations relevant to early childhood special education.
Showing Results 251 - 281 of 281
Description: This is the Virginia Department of Education webpage for information on State Regulations for Special Education Programs. You can find specific regulations, fast facts, and procedural safeguard information on this site.
Description: The purpose of this document published in October 2016 is to assist early childhood programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)—Part B section 611 (Grants to States), Part B section 619 (Preschool Grants), and Part C (Grants for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities)—with addressing privacy and confidentiality questions. The frequently asked questions include general IDEA and FERPA privacy and confidentiality provisions, as well as information about...
Description: This policy brief promotes developmentally appropriate use of technology in homes and early learning settings. It was created by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help those who care for 0-8 year olds make wise decisions about technology use. It provides four guiding principles for families and early educators, and includes a call to action for researchers and technology developers, highlighting topics for further research and...
Description: The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, December 3, 2004, (IDEA ’04) and its implementing federal regulations, October 13, 2006, prompted the need to revise Virginia’s special education regulations. These regulations are effective January 25, 2010.
Description: States, communities, and local providers are using data to serve the needs of children and families participating in early childhood programs (e.g., Head Start, child care, preschool). Data sharing can support efficient, effective services for children. However, the benefits of data sharing and use must be balanced with the need to support privacy. To support this, the U.S. Department of Education Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) has assembled the following resources about privacy...
Description: The DEC Recommended Practices were developed to provide guidance to practitioners and families about the most effective ways to improve the learning outcomes and promote the development of young children, birth through age 5, who have or are at-risk for developmental delays or disabilities.
Description: The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) was signed into law on December 10, 2015. ESSA amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and replaces No Child Left Behind. The Board of Education approved its plan to implement ESSA at its July 2017 business meeting. The final version was approved by the U.S. Department of Education in May, 2018.
Description: This series of webshops showcases the products created by real co-teachers of Virginia, select teams of middle and high school co-teachers participating in the Virginia Department of Education’s Excellence in Co-Teaching Initiative. These co-teachers established demonstration sites and opened their doors to visitors wishing to observe quality co-teaching; they also developed co-taught lesson plans and videos to share through these webshops. In their videos, teachers model not only...
Description: The VCU-ACE How To Series demonstrates evidence-based practices for students with ASD. These short videos are approximately five minutes and are intended to provide a quick look at implementing a particular strategy. The How To videos provide a short description of the topic with real life video examples of how to implement the evidence-based practice in the classroom with students with ASD. More How To videos will continue to be added so please check back often! (Videos on Prompting,...
Description: Early Childhood Mental Health Virginia (ECMHVA) is a statewide initiative focused on the development, implementation and sustainability of a comprehensive early childhood system of care for infant and early childhood mental health. The Early Childhood Mental initiative collaborates with early childhood agencies and representation across the Commonwealth to identify opportunities to increase access to resources and services by researching and securing funding for a continuum of quality in...
Description: From birth to 5 years, your child should reach milestones in how he plays, learns, speaks, acts and moves. Track your child’s development and act early if you have a concern. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) updated developmental milestone checklists for infants & young children. These new milestones show skills 75% of children that age typically meet; previously, benchmarks were what 50% of children were doing. Check out the updated PEATC developmental milestone snapshot...
Description: VCPD members collaborate to provide diverse leadership to prepare early childhood personnel to support all children (prenatal to age five) and their families in home, school, and community settings. Our vision is for Virginia to have a high-quality, coordinated, cross-sector early childhood professional development system.
Description: The first three years of life are a period of incredible growth in all areas of a baby’s development. Learn how the earliest relationships with caregivers can promote healthy brain development, how young children build social and emotional skills, and ways you can support language and literacy development starting from birth.
Description: Online Course for Paraprofessionals: Autism Spectrum Disorder for Paraprofessionals: Providing Effective Instruction and Supports - In response to the need for comprehensive training for individuals working with students with ASD in Virginia as well as House Bill 325 and the Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE) Training Standards for Paraprofessionals Assigned to Work with a Teacher Who Has Primary Oversight of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (PDF) , VCU-ACE has developed online...
Description: Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) is committed to reaching all families, schools, and communities to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. Our Mission- Building positive futures by empowering individuals with disabilities through education and training. We accomplish this by offering: Services and support for families and professionals, Easy-to-understand, research-based information and training, Opportunities for strategic partnerships and advocacy for systemic...
Description: The Virginia Early Intervention Professional Development Center was created as part of Virginia’s Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) and is maintained by the Integrated Training Collaborative and the Partnership for People with Disabilities. For more information about early intervention services in Virginia or to make a referral, call the Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia at 1-800-234-1448. This site includes new and featured resources, tools of the trade,...
Description: NPDCI has developed a document, Research Synthesis Points on Quality Inclusive Practices that provides brief descriptions and supporting references for the evidence-based and promising practices that support early childhood inclusion. These practices are organized into three major sections corresponding to the defining features of high quality early childhood inclusion as described in Early Childhood inclusion: A Joint Position Statement of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National...
Description: The Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia is Virginia's early intervention system for infants and toddlers (age 0-36 months) with disabilities and their families. Any infant or toddler in Virginia who isn't developing as expected or who has a medical condition that can delay typical development is eligible to receive early intervention supports and services under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Early intervention supports and services focus on...
Description: Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE) Assistive Technology Network (AT Network) addresses priorities of VDOE with centralized coordination, implementation, and dissemination of information about the laws which define AT devices and services, the process of consideration of AT by Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams, and AT assessment and resources. It includes a section on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). In support of these priorities, the network has several...
Description: This 3 min video describes inclusion as a basic human right. Speakers focus on the importance of all children, from infancy on through adulthood, being fully included in all aspects of family and community life. This video was developed by VA's Integrated Training Collaborative at the Partnership for People with Disabilities at VCU as a project of the VA SpecialQuest Birth-5 Project.
Description: Welcome to the U.S. Department of Education’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) website, which brings together IDEA information and resources from the Department and our grantees. Whether you are a student, parent, educator, service provider, or grantee, you are here because you care about children with disabilities and their families and want to find information and explore resources on infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.
Description: Head Start is a national child development program for children from birth to age 5, which provides services to promote academic, social and emotional development for income-eligible families. Created in 1965, Head Start is the most successful, longest-running, national school readiness program in the United States. Head Start is a child-centered, family focused, comprehensive and community-based program. Head Start provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, dental, mental health,...
Description: The National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI) is working with states to ensure that early childhood teachers are prepared to educate and care for young children with disabilities in settings with their typically developing peers. The Web site provides resources, training modules, news, and a blog for discussions related to inclusive practices. (Inclusion)
Description: The Office of Head start (OHS) launched the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) in 2006 with a clear and innovative mission: to provide timely information and learning opportunities relevant to the Head Start and Early Head Start community, and to serve as a comprehensive resource for anyone involved in early childhood education. Head Start programs and parents visiting the ECLKC will find the latest information on OHS priorities, policies, and programs. The ECLKC also offers...
Description: Our mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. At ZERO TO THREE, we envision a society that has the knowledge and will to support all infants and toddlers in reaching their full potential. During the first three years of life, emotionally nourishing relationships lay the foundation for lifelong health and well-being. By supporting the caring adults who touch the lives of infants and toddlers, we hope to maximize our long-term impact in ensuring all infants and...
Description: The Virginia Project for Children and Adults with Deaf-Blindness is a statewide grant designed to provide technical assistance, training, and information to enhance the lives of children in Virginia with both vision and hearing loss. The project supports families, teachers, and service providers in their endeavors to improve outcomes for children and youth who experience both vision and hearing loss with a goal of improving the quality of life for people with deaf-blindness...
Description: The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation serves as Virginia’s public-private partner in building strategic and sustained focus on the healthy development and school readiness of our youngest children. VECF is the non-partisan steward of Virginia’s promise for early childhood success, working in tandem with diverse stakeholders to ensure equitable opportunities for all families with young children to thrive.
Description: Professional Standards Virginia’s Competencies of Early Childhood Professionals (PDF) – This document provides the core body of knowledge and skills professionals need in order to support optimal growth and learning of children from birth to kindergarten.
Description: The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) promotes policies and advances evidence-based practices that support families and enhance the optimal development of young children (0-8) who have or are at risk for developmental delays and disabilities. DEC is an international membership organization for those who work with or on behalf of young children (0-8) with disabilities and other special needs and their families.
Description: The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children. The association comprises nearly 60,000 individual members of the early childhood community and 52...
Description: CONNECT Modules are FREE practice-focused instructional resources for faculty and other professional development providers. CONNECT modules are designed using a 5-Step Learning Cycle, an approach for making evidence-based decisions about practice dilemmas, based on the integration of multiple sources of evidence. Topics (available in English and Spanish) include: Embedded Interventions Transition Communication to Collaboration Family-Professional Partnerships Assistive Technology...