Training & Technical Assistance

Updated January 11, 2012

The organizations in this area of the website provide technical assistance and/or training that may be useful to families, childcare providers, or preschools who are developing orsupporting an inclusive setting for children. State and national organizations are listed here. For local training and technical assistance check with your local child care resource and referral agency available in the County Activities section or your local Early Start family resource center.

Beginning Together was created in collaboration with the California Department of Education, Child Development Division (CDD) and WestEd, Center for Child and Family Studies as an inclusion support to the Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers (PITC).

The purpose of Beginning Together is to ensure that children with special needs are incorporated, and appropriate inclusive practices are promoted, in the training and technical assistance provided by the existing cadre of CDE/WestEd certified trainers in the PITC. This is accomplished through a "training of trainers" institute, regional outreach activities, revision/development of written materials, support to institute graduates, and support of inclusive practices in other PITC activities, such as the demonstration programs.

California Early Childhood Education Mentor Program is the largest mentoring program for child care professionals in the US. This program has provided advanced training for experienced child care workers who wish to become mentors to new practitioners.

The California Inclusion and Behavior Consultation (CIBC) Network is a project of the California Department of Education, Child Development Division, coordinated by the WestEd Center for Prevention & Early Intervention. The CIBC Network offers on-site consultation and technical assistance to early care and education providers seeking to support the learning and development of children ages birth to 5 with disabilities and other special needs and those with challenging behaviors in early care and education settings.

A statewide network of Inclusion and Behavior Consultants is available to local providers to build their capacity to:

  • Respond effectively to a child's unique needs in group care and classrooms
  • Implement strength-based teaching strategies
  • Develop individualized strategies and/or accommodations to enhance a child's learning environment and support
  • Effectively utilize community resources

For more information and to requestion consultation:

http://www.cibc-ca.org/
cibc@wested.org
P: 877.524.2422

Download the CIBC Brochure [Adobe Acrobat Reader Icon Acrobat Required] for more information.

California School Age Consortium “promotes high qualify after school care for every child.” They offer training, resources, advocacy and information.

California Preschool Instructional Networks (CPIN) provides professional development and technical assistance to preschool teachers and administrators to ensure that preschool children are ready for school.

Child Development Training Consortium provides services, training, technical assistance and resources to students and professionals working with and for children. They collaborate with a consortium of 96 community colleges to offerappropriate coursework and to provide a Schedule of Non-traditional Classes and Trainings and technical assistance and training to CARES participants.

Communication Technology Education Center (CTEC) , developed and managed by the Supported Life Institute, provides services in Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC), which is the use of personalized methods or devices to increase a person's ability to communicate. They offer direct services to infant and adults with complex communication needs and training and consultation to school staff for preschool to grade 12 students in Sacramento, Yolo, Alpine, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sierra, Sutter and Yuba Counties.

Desired Results Training and Technical Assistance Project is brought to you by the California Department of Education, Child Development Division in collaboration with the Center for Child and Family Studies at WestEd.

Desired Results access Project logo Desired Results access Project assists the California Department of Education, Special Education Division (SED), in implementing the DRDP Assessment System to measure the progress of California's preschool-age children with IEPs. The Desired Results access Project web site offers information and resources to assist special educators, administrators, and families in participating in the Desired Results assessment system. You can view and download the two Desired Results assessment tools used with preschool-age children with IEPs: the PS DRDP-R (including instructions for use with children with IEPs) and the DRDP access.

  • Desired Results Access Video Initiative Library (Video)
    • Child Outcomes Step by Step (Video, Direct Link)
      The Desired Results access Project established a Digital Video Initiative to support early childhood providers' use of video in their work. Many of the videos illustrate the ways that teachers have been using digital video to enhance their practices and achieve better outcomes for young children and their families.

Early Start Neighborhood Training and Technical Assistance Network This environment provides a virtual community for Early Start professionals and partners seeking training, technical assistance and resources on early intervention Part C requirements, implementation, and evidence-based practices.

Early Start Online is part of a new, multi-modal delivery model that complements the EARLY START INSTITUTES. At the heart of both delivery models is the comprehensive, evidence-based content that the field has come to expect from Early Start personnel development. It provides the core curriculum and learning outcomes for both online and face-to-face training.

Infant Development Association (IDA) is a multidisciplinary organization of parents and professionals committed to ensuring optimal developmental outcomes for infants with special needs and their families. The organization brings together professionals from the public and private sector to work collaboratively across disciplines to encourage Best Practices in the field of Early Intervention.One of the goals of IDA is to provide educational opportunities for your professional and personal development. IDA provides a variety of training formats: workshops, professional networking gatherings, and multi-day conferences. Check the site frequently as new events are planned.

KIT National Training Center on Inclusion (NTCI) was established to support the overall mission of Kids Included Together through training, technical assistance and resources of the highest quality for staff in out of school time programs at all levels of experience and interest. KIT's National Training Center on Inclusion utilizes a combination of the latest technology coupled with live presentations by dynamic and experienced trainers and practitioners to support providers like you in welcoming children with disabilities.

Least Restrictive Environment Resources Project provides resources for use by districts and sites to improve service to all students. Includes information on teacher training, mentoring and leadership sites.

Preschool English Learners
The purpose of the English Learning for Preschoolers Project is to offer teaching strategies, materials and trainings to individuals interested in achieving optimal educational outcomes for children who attend public preschool programs, are between the ages of 3 and 5, and arrive at school knowing a language other than English or who come from homes in which more than one language is spoken, one of which may be English. The information contained in the products and presentations are based on the most current research and successful practices.

The English Learning for Preschoolers Project is funded by the California Department of Education (CDE), Child Development Division (CDD). Our project is one of the many quality improvement activities undertaken by the CDD in order to assure that California's children receive the best care and education possible.

Results Matter Video Library
These videos, produced by the Colorado Department of Education and Larry Edelston, help providers better understand ways to use observation, documentation, and assessment to inform practice. You can watch the clips online or download QuickTime versions of the videos for use in educational and professional development activities.

Santa Clara County Office of Education Inclusion Collaborative logo Santa Clara County Office of Education Inclusion Collaborative leads the effort to provide every Santa Clara County Child with a quality learning environment. Its focus is the successful inclusion of children with special needs in child care, preschool programs and the community through education, advocacy and awareness. The Inclusion Collaborative offers downloadable documents, training Power Points, and an inclusion support Warm Line that responds to questions by telephone (408) 453-6651or by email inclusionsupport@sccoe.org.

Schools Moving Up - WestEd
SchoolsMovingUp webinars bring experts to the web to share lessons learned, new ideas, and related resources. Webinars combine an online interactive presentation and phone conference.

Special Education Early Childhood Administrator’s Project (SEECAP) offers professional development opportunities to address the unique issues of providing leadership to early childhood and early childhood special education from general education, special education, state and private preschool, Head Start, Early Head Start and early care and education.

Supported Life Institute
The mission of the Supported Life Institute is to offer educational and training opportunities to assist individuals and organizations in the work of improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. The Supported Life Conference has been held annually since 1987 and has grown to be the best-attended conference in the field of developmental disabilities on the West Coast, with 1250 to 1500 professionals, teachers, people with disabilities and family members sharing information, learning, and gaining encouragement from our focus on state-of-the-art efforts to create fully inclusive communities.

The annual Inclusion Celebration, the first event of the Supported Life Conference, celebrates the progress being made in California in building inclusive schools, communities and workplaces. At this celebration, the people behind these changes are honored — people with disabilities, families, educators, service providers, employers and neighbors — who extend themselves to make belief in inclusion and belonging reality.

Supporting Early Education Delivery Systems (SEEDS) is for administrators, staff and families involved in early childhood special education programs in Local Education Agencies. They provide technical assistance and training on varied early care and education topics including inclusion. Services may include individual onsite, online or telephone consultation and arrangement of consultation at SEEDS visitation sites that include model inclusive programs.

Teaching Pyramid Training and Technical Assistance Model
The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) is a national center focused on strengthening the capacity of child care and Head Start programs to improve the social and emotional outcomes of young children. The Center has developed and disseminated evidence-based, user-friendly information to help early childhood educators meet the needs of the growing number of children with challenging behaviors and mental health challenges in child care and Head Start programs. The Teaching Pyramid Model is a systematic framework developed by CSEFEL that incorporates Early Childhood Positive Behavior Support (EC-PBS) through promoting social-emotional development, providing support for children’s appropriate behavior, preventing challenging behavior, and addressing problematic behavior. (Please see the accompanying article from the July 2003 issue of Young Children for a complete description of this model.)

Through a partnership with CSEFEL, WestEd Center for Child & Family Studies, San Marcos Office (WestEd San Marcos) is able to offer the comprehensive, program-wide Teaching Pyramid Model to organizations in California.

National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center: Natural Environments and Inclusion website is designed for the administrators of state agencies responsible for services to young children and their families, including child care, Head Start, education, and early intervention. It has compiled information for administrators who are challenged with developing policies and programs that lead to inclusive comprehensive and coordinated services for all young children, ages birth to 8 years, and their families.

National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI) is working with states to create a system of high quality, cross-agency, accessible professional development for early childhood personnel. While NPDCI will serve as a resource to all states, the center will select eight states for more intense collaboration.

WestEd Center for Prevention & Early Intervention (CPEI) WestEd's Center for Prevention and Early Intervention in Sacramento, provides statewide high quality training, technical assistance and resource development, dissemination, and support to state agencies and community programs that administer or provide prevention and early intervention services. The state agencies have included the California Departments of Education, Developmental Services, Health Services, Social Services, Mental Health, and Alcohol and Drug Programs.

The Center for Prevention and Early Intervention is recognized as California's premier source of training, technical assistance and resource development and provision supporting early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and at-risk conditions and their families.

Western Regional Resource Center
The Western Regional Resource Center is part of a network of technical assistance agencies funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The center is a program in the University of Oregon Center For Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the College of Education. It offers consultation, technical assistance, training, product development and information services that provide the states access to current special education policy, technology and best practices research. It also assists state agencies in developing collaborative and networking relationships with stakeholders, other states, and other technical assistance providers across regional boundaries.

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