A Presentation at the 2013 QRIS National Meeting Camille Catlett FPG Child Development Institute (NC) Andy Gomm Family, Infant, and Toddler Program (NM) Dan Haggard Early Childhood Services Division Children, Youth & Families Department (NM)

2 What issues are we examining? What do we mean by inclusion? New Mexico examples QRIS-Part C Collaboration in NM Other state examples and resources

3 What do we mean by inclusion? RTT-ELC CONTEXT Focus on High Needs Children

4 Different lenses on quality QRIS US DOE/OSEP State Performance Plan Annual Report (SPP APR) Early Childhood Early Childhood Special Education/ Early Intervention

Early Childhood Inclusion: A Joint Position Statement of DEC and NAEYC

Definition Early childhood inclusion embodies the values, policies, and practices that support the right of every infant and young child and his or her family, regardless of ability, to participate in a broad range of activities and contexts as full members of families, communities, and society. The desired results of inclusive experiences for children with and without disabilities and their families include a sense of belonging and membership, positive social relationships and friendships, and development and learning to reach their full potential. The defining features of inclusion that can be used to identify high quality early childhood programs and services are access, participation, and supports.

Every child in New Mexico has diverse strengths rooted in his or her family’s unique culture, heritage, language, beliefs, and circumstances. Early learning programs that support the full participation of every child build on these strengths by promoting a sense of belonging, supporting positive social relationships, and enabling families and professionals to gain advocacy skills that positively impact the life of every child.

We are committed to... Valuing and embracing all children and their families Involving families and communities as partners and decision makers Suspending biases to build trust and establish collaborative partnerships that benefit children, their families, and the professionals who work with them Providing choice, flexibility, and continuity of services and supports for families within communities

We are committed to... Making a variety of services and supports available so all children have access to and can participate in opportunities that are both respectful of and responsive to their family experiences, culture, beliefs, abilities, and circumstances. Advancing advocacy efforts for inclusive practices that build upon unique child, family, and community strengths and are accountable to every child and family.

We will... Promote every New Mexico citizen’s understanding of the importance of high quality inclusive early childhood programs and practices. Support interactions and relationships that foster self-reflection. Utilize information about the growth, development, and experiences of individual children and families for program and curriculum development and improvement.

We will... Continuously improve services and supports by evaluating current practices and incorporating effective methods, models, and research in our work with children and families. Promote the establishment of aligned services and supports that build on both the unique assets of each child and acknowledge the strengths of children’s and families’ heritage, language, and culture.

We will... Ensure that services and supports are provided by people who reflect the diversity of the community, are well educated, and are well compensated. Establish an integrated, multi-disciplinary system of professional development, training, and technical assistance that supports the design, implementation, and evaluation of practices that are respectful of and responsive to each child and family.

What are the barriers to collaboration between TQRIS and Part C/619 in your state?

FOCUS on Young Children’s Learning is New Mexico’s third generation TQRIS 16

17 Explicit and Intentional Expectations

First, a little background…  The FIT Program is the lead agency for early intervention services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C.  The FIT Program contracts with 34 provider agencies across the state that serve one or multiple counties.  We serve over 13,000 children birth to age 3 and their a families.  And.. The roadrunner is our state bird! In case you were wondering. 18

 Community Based Assessment – 2 day site visit where the state team looks at compliance issues – mostly in the child record  Annual Performance Report – Each state is required to report of 14 indicators to the US Office of Special Education Programs. Local FIT Provider collect and analyze their data and develop an improvement plan as part of a local APR.  Focused monitoring – 1-2 day onsite review of a specific compliance area that has been determined through complaint, CBA or other mechanism to need attention 19

 My first reaction was – what this got to do with the FIT Program?  This is for classroom based programs…  This is for programs just starting out looking at quality…  This is for when you want Reimburse providers at different rates 20

 We started to realize that this was a great opportunity to look at quality practices (rather than on just compliance…)  We started to like the shift towards program self assessment and validation / verification (rather than external monitoring…)  We started to like the shift to a Continuous Quality Improvement process where program receive support and coaching to meet quality standards. (rather than finding and corrective action…) So we decided to get on board… 21

With our Race To the Top – Early Learning Challenge grant we will:  Determine the Essential Elements of Quality  Align with the other NM Early Learning programs  Train and coach providers (incl. in the use of video)  Develop tools:  Quality practices observation tool  Quality IFSP tool  Quality Evaluation and Assessment tool 22

BEST FOR ALL KIDS Infusing Inclusion into TQRIS (Quality Rating & Improvement Systems) Edna Collins, Ph. D., Program Specialist, NC DHHS Division of Child Development & Early Education Jani Kozlowski, Senior TA Specialist Zero to Three Mary F. Sonnenberg, M.Ed., Deputy Director, Delaware Stars for Early Success, Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood Verna Thompson, 619 Coordinator Delaware Department of Education Moderator: Pam Winton FPG Child Development Institute

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Question to Consider Structures How do you consider ways of including the variety of programs for children with disabilities within a QRIS (e.g., home-based, part-time)? Measurement How do you measure high quality inclusive practices? How do you develop indicators that are relevant for diverse young learners?

Question to Consider Professional Development How do you ensure that professionals and administrators have access to the ongoing supports that will lead to changes in their practice and to more intentional teaching and learning opportunities for each young learner, including those of diverse abilities? Incentives What kind of incentives would increase opportunities for inclusion?

The class photo that broke a mother’s heart

“It’s gorgeous,” mom says.

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