Birth to Three Blog
Governor Lamont Visits the OEC!
March 7, 2019
When Governor Ned Lamont took office in January he made it clear to our Commissioner, Beth Bye, that he wanted to meet the people working at the state agencies and today was the day he visited the Office of Early Childhood. With those of us who were available, he even posed for this photo but he did more than buzz through. Governor Lamont asked important questions so he can better understand what we all do. He will likely remember Birth to Three well!
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FFY19 Part C Federal Application Draft Available for Comment
February 26, 2019
The Draft FFY19 (7/1/19-6/30/20) Part C Federal Application is now available for public comment. It can be found here. https://www.birth23.org/aboutb23/fedapp/ Written comment on the application must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. Comments should be sent to the attention of Alice E. Ridgway by mail at the Office of Early Childhood, 450 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford, CT, 06103-1835, fax 860-622-2789, or e-mail: Alice.Ridgway@ct.gov. Two public hearings concerning the proposed application will be held as follows: Monday, April 15, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Silas Bronson Library, 267 Grand Street, Waterbury, CT 06702 Tuesday, … Continue reading
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Service Coordinator CoP now in DEC!
February 26, 2019
The National Service Coordination Community of Practice (SC CoP) within Division for Early Childhood (DEC) has officially launched! Visit the new page on the DEC Website (https://www.dec-sped.org/servicecoordinationcop) to learn more about this CoP and its leaders!
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AAC Training for Speech Pathologists in Birth to Three
February 22, 2019
Elena Fader, M.A., CCC-SLP Assistive Technology Specialist will present a one-day workshop on March 30, 2019 for SLPs working in Birth to Three. The focus is on team collaboration, needs assessment, and a comprehensive feature matching process that can help set a child on the right path for AAC success. Learn through readily available resources, product demonstrations, and hands-on learning opportunities. Register on the Birth to Three Calendar.
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Child Conversations presents Together We Will @ Hartford – Windsor Marriott March 29th & 30th
February 14, 2019
Office of Early Childhood is sponsoring the Event. You may register for Single Day or Two Days. Learn to Support and Develop Children’s Social Emotional Skills to Reduce Challenging Behaviors, Strengthen Families and Communities. The 2019 conference registration deadline March 22, 2019. You may register here http://childhoodconversations.com/attend/. For more information visit the Child Conversation’s website http://childhoodconvo.wpengine.com/.
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FFY/SFY18 FINAL APR
February 8, 2019
Every year the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood submits a report to the US Department of Education about how we are doing on compliance and results for Part C of the IDEA. The final report is available here https://www.birth23.org/aboutb23/gensup/apr/.
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Webinars on Autism
February 6, 2019
The University of Illinois is producing 4 webinars starting in April, focusing on supporting families with children with Autism. A grant through the Military Families Learning Network aims to produce web-based professional development for professionals working with both military and civilian families. Focus is on early interventionists and early childhood special educators. More information on upcoming Webinars. https://militaryfamilieslearningnetwork.org/2019/02/06/fdei-autism/
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Smart Ears: Upcoming Online Workshops
January 22, 2019
Smart Ears is pleased to offer live online workshops on teaching children with hearing loss to listen and talk. The workshops are aimed at education and health professionals who work with children with hearing loss. More Information.
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Benefits for Children With Disabilities
January 22, 2019
The Social Security Administration has updated its Benefits for Children with Disabilities pamphlet (2019) describing benefits available to eligible children with disabilities and how to apply. Some benefits included are Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), health insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, and employment support programs. A 2018 version is also available in Spanish.
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Learn the Signs Act Early
January 22, 2019
CTAEYC is excited to offer a new Platform Academy as part of our Connecticut Early Childhood Professional Development Platform, which looks to strengthen the functions of early childhood, specifically Family Child Care (FCC) and Infant and Toddler (I/T) Care. February 9, 2019 9 AM – 12 PM UConn Farmington, CT More Information Here
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FFY17/SFY18 APR Draft Available
January 9, 2019
Every year the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood submits a report to the US Department of Education about how we are doing on compliance and results for Part C of the IDEA. The draft report is available here https://www.birth23.org/aboutb23/gensup/apr/. If you have any suggestions or questions just email Nicole.Cossette@ct.gov before 1/29/19. Unfortunately the PDF created by the GRADS360 online submission tool is a little hard to read…
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CCMC: Feeding Conference March 9, 2019
January 4, 2019
CT. Children’s is hosting Clinical Assessment and Intervention for Pediatric Feeding Problems on Saturday, March 9th. The conference is being presented by the Occupational Therapy Department. Click here for more information.
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Caregiver Coaching: Moving Principles to Practice (Session 3)
December 27, 2018
Webinar January 10, 2019, 2-3 PM. Presented by Dathan Rush and M’Lisa Shelden, this session will help further clarify the purpose of caregiver coaching and how to use the five characteristics of the practice to help caregivers build their capacity to promote a child’s learning and development, including social and emotional development. Register Here. Did you miss the first two sessions? Access the recordings at any time in the Virtual Event Archives!
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Assistive Technology Resource!
December 27, 2018
The Let’s Participate! project, funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, was designed to help infants, toddlers and preschoolers with disabilities participate more fully in everyday activities through the use of assistive technology (AT). Let’s Partcipate’s newly revamped website is chock-full of information on using AT with young children.
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Toddlers Need Laps More Than Apps!
December 21, 2018
In a recent interview with leading pediatrician, Dr. Dimitri Christakis (December 2018), Director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Hospital, he explains that toddlers are depending more and more on screens for self-soothing. When toddlers are left on their own with the device, they are “missing out on those critical human interactions” during a vulnerable period of brain development. He states that “toddlers need laps more than apps” and promotes the AAP’s recommendation that parents and caregivers avoid digital media use for children under age 2.
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Baby Talk: Resources to Support the People Who Work With Infants and Toddlers
December 13, 2018
New newsletter is out! Information and resources included on the following topics: The Importance of Faces for Infants’ Learning; New Guidance on Low Birth Weight, Prematurity, and Early Intervention; Does Research Support a Link Between Smart Phone Use and Behavior?; What Do Babies Learn By Pointing; I Said I Want the Red Bowl! Responding to Toddlers’ Behavior. Access newsletter here.
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Webinar – The Caregiver Coaching Framework (Session 2) – Dathan Rush & M’Lisa Shelden
November 29, 2018
Caregiver coaching consists of five research-based characteristics that when used together result in positive parent-identified outcomes for infants, toddlers, and their families. This one-hour webinar will introduce participants to the coaching characteristics of observation, action/practice, reflection, feedback, and joint planning. For more information and to Register
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Dispute Resolution Information Available in Spanish
November 19, 2018
Spanish Early Intervention (IDEA Part C) Family Guides Source: The Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE) In October 2018, CADRE released Las Guías para familias de intervención temprana de la IDEA Parte C están disponibles in Español (Early Intervention Family Guides for Part C of the IDEA in Spanish). The resource includes four family guides, an early intervention dispute resolution comparison chart, a list of common terms, and additional information about due process procedures under Part C of the IDEA. CADRE also offers Family Guides translated in Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Hmong, Korean, Russian, Vietnamese, Burmese, Portuguese, Japanese, … Continue reading
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Writing Functional IFSP Outcomes – Webinar sponsored by DEC
November 15, 2018
1 hour Webinar on November 29th, 1-2 PM EST. Effective IFSP outcomes are the foundation of intervention. This presentation reviews new guidance documents adapted from the ECTA Functional Outcome Framework. This session will support functional outcome writing with visual guidance documents. Register: https://divisionearlychildhood.egnyte.com/dl/TpETpuC2ut
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Baby Talk: Resources to Support the People Who Work with Infants and Toddlers
November 15, 2018
Baby Talk is a free monthly newsletter with links to research and tools to support working with families of infants and toddlers. This month’s newsletter covered topics such as: The Importance of Faces for Infants’ Learning; New Guidance on Low Birth Weight, Prematurity, and Early Intervention; What Do Babies Learn by Pointing? Each issue features high quality, readily available, and free resources. Some resources are available in English and Spanish. To join the listserv, send an email with no message to mailto:subscribe-babytalk@listserv.unc.edu
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