The ECDC is available to facilitate workshops on a variety of topics. Several of the workshops are provided to our community as a part of our work plan and are delivered at no charge. Other workshops are created to match an expressed need or challenge and cost is negotiated based on preparation, travel, and length of workshop.
We schedule workshops during the typical work day and will set aside two evenings each month for presentations in order to better include families and child care providers as participants. If you need further information or have questions, please contact our office. Scheduled workshops will also be posted on our website.
workshop offerings at no charge include:
Understanding Early Intervention: This workshop is designed for families to introduce them to the world of Early Intervention services. The workshop will provide information about the process from referral to evaluation to delivery of services. It will also inform families about what Early Intervention services are, how an IFSP is developed and give them an overview of their child’s rights under IDEA.
Families attending this workshop will learn:
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The EI process from referral to delivery of services
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The services eligible children and their families can receive from Early Intervention
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About the components of an IFSP
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The major Early Intervention safeguards
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Some strategies for developing advocacy skills
Transition from EI to CPSE: For many families the move their child makes from Early Intervention Services to Preschool Special Education Services is the first transition that they and their child make. Making a transition easier occurs when families understand the process. This workshop will help families emotionally prepare for transition, understand the difference between EI and CPSE and strategize ways to introduce their child to new providers. Transition is a time of opportunity and growth, celebrate it!
Families attending this workshop will learn:
- The major components of Preschool Special Education
- The similarities and differences between Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education
- Ways to introduce their child to new providers
- The components of an IEP
- Some strategies for developing advocacy skills
Transition from CPSE to CSE: Preschool will be ending and kindergarten is approaching. For all parents of children entering kindergarten, it is a time of excitement and anxiety. For families of children with special needs this transition can be even more challenging. This workshop will provide families with suggestions about how to be an active member of the transition team, how they can “teach” people in the school district about their child, and what they can expect during the CSE process.
Families attending this workshop will learn:
- The similarities and differences between CSE and CPSE
- The components of an IEP
- The placements that are possible as a result of the CSE process
- Ways to introduce their child to school personnel
- Some strategies for developing advocacy skills
Early Childhood Development: The Meaning of “Red Flags ” This workshop introduces participants to the importance of knowing typical early childhood development. The areas of development that will be briefly highlighted are fine and gross motor skills, cognition, language, and social and emotional development. Participants will practice observation and use a portion of the developmental checklist.
People attending this workshop will learn:
- What it means to be an effective observer
- How to use the Developmental Checklist
- Where to find resources about the continuum of development
- Ways to include colleagues and families when you are concerned about a child’s development
- The resources available for further assessment and evaluation when you think there is a problem
Developmentally Appropriate PracticE: In order to truly understand what appropriate expectations are, parents and providers must have a working knowledge of typical developmental sequence. Understanding typical development and using observation skills offers developmental clues about what a child has mastered, what they are working on and what might be problematic. Using this process supports the creation of meaningful learning experiences for each child.
People attending this workshop will learn:
- A working definition of developmentally appropriate practice
- The importance of matching adult expectations with a child’s strengths and needs
- How to use knowledge of developmental sequence as a tool for observation
- Ways to modify daily activities to enhance a child’s learning
- Adult interactions
- The environment
- Materials
Advocacy: It is important for families of children with special needs to recognize how much they know about their child. This knowledge puts parents in a position to share what they have learned about their child’s strengths and needs as important educational decisions are being made. Being prepared to share this valuable information, understanding the special education process and knowing your role at the Committee on Preschool Special Education is all part of being an effective advocate. This is a make and take workshop and each family will leave with their own notebook.
Families in this workshop will learn:
- Basic strategies for effective advocacy
- How to create a personalized notebook
- Effective communication skills
Including All Kids: Should I, Can I, Am I? This is an inclusion workshop designed for child care providers and their specialist partners. For many child care providers there is an increasing responsibility for supporting children with special needs. Child care providers are finding that special educators and clinicians are working with children at centers or family child care homes and this means not only working with children but other adults too. This workshop will examine why child care sites are increasingly being viewed as the location of specialized service delivery and ways to enhance the relationships between child care providers, specialists and families so that identified children have the best opportunity for consistent growth and development.
People attending this workshop will learn:
- The principles of inclusion
- Methods for communication with each other and families
- What the Americans with Disabilities Act requires from child care providers
- Ways to generalize some IEP goals into daily activities
What is an Individualized Education Program and What Does it Have to do with Me? This workshop is specifically designed for child care providers who work with children from 3-5 years of age who are receiving special education services. The content will include an introduction to the basic format of IEPs, a guided tour through a sample IEP, and participant problem solving about ways to incorporate IEP goals into daily activities.
Child care providers attending this workshop will learn:
- The basic components of an IEP
- How to get a copy of a child’s IEP and when it is appropriate to do so
- Why they have an active role in the implementation of some IEP goals
- How to incorporate identified IEP goals into daily routines
Transition from Early Intervention to Preschool Special Education: This half day workshop on Transition Requirements for Children Turning Three is endorsed by both the State Education Department and the State Department of Health for CPSE chair people, early intervention officials, service coordinators and service providers, 4410 evaluators and providers, families, child care providers and Head Start providers. This training is specifically designed to provide accurate information for people who work with child with special needs and their families as they proceed through the transition process.
People attending this workshop will learn:
- The basic policies and practices of Early Intervention
- The basic policies and practices of Preschool Special Education
- The mandated and best practice components of a transition plan
- Who is responsible for implementing the major steps of the transition process
Possible Workshop Topics
For A Negotiated Fee
- Guiding Children’s Behavior
- Sensory Integration
- PDD 101-Developing an Understanding of Pervasive Developmental Disorders
- Temperament
- Early Literacy
- Brain Development
- Professionalism in the Workplace
When you schedule a workshop where families are part of the targeted audience, we will send you flyers for distribution to families explaining the details and goals of the workshop.
