A bi-weekly e-brief of the DEC Children's Action Network
 
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washington
WHAT'S
HAPPENING
IN
WASHINGTON
★  The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is developing recommendations for the eventual reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). The CEC Board of Directors has created an IDEA Work Group to guide the development of the principles and recommendations. At this time, CEC is seeking input from its members, units, and divisions regarding the successes and challenges of the statute in order to support the creation of these recommendations based on the feedback of membership. CEC tentatively plans to release these recommendations in early 2017. To add your voice and expertise to this important work, please take the CEC IDEA Reauthorization Input Survey by Wednesday, October 12th. Please consider taking this opportunity to share your thoughts, as we need the input of those working in Part C, Part B, and Part D programs of IDEA. The contributions of DEC members will go a long way to ensuring the official CEC recommendations that are passed on to Congress include targeted recommendations specific to children 0-8 served through IDEA and their families. For more information, check out the CEC IDEA reauthorization flyer.




Before the Congress leaves Washington DC for election work, they are likely to take action on a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government for the FFY'17 which starts on October 1, 2016.  This action must occur by the end of September. This means that at minimum there will be a short term funding bill that lasts through the first few months of the new fiscal year.  The lame duck session of the Congress will come back to Washington DC in early October to either extend the CR or to actually pass funding for FFY'17 (October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017)  During the last fiscal year, some parts of IDEA were given small increases. Importantly, this is unlikely to be the case for early intervention/preschool special education programs in FFY'17. The House has proposed cuts to Part D and funding freezes to Part C and Part B 619. Be on the lookout for additional, targeted action alerts on this issue in the near future.

Other updates, courtesy of the Council for Exceptional Children:

Additional national policy and advocacy updates that may be of interest to you from our partners:

 ★ From ASHA :  The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Act (S.2424) needs co-sponsors. This bill appropriates funding for early hearing detection programs such as newborn screening, diagnostic evaluations, and referral to early intervention services. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimate that in 2011, the EHDI successfully referred 86.2% of babies diagnosed with hearing loss to Part C early intervention. The bill would be a reauthorization of existing legislation, and would continue funding of these programs and initiatives for the next five years. Having passed the House in September of 2015, now is the time for Senate to make a move. There is some talk in the Senate about taking up this bill before the end of September, but as always, there are competing priorities. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is asking for support in reaching out to the Senate to ask them to bring back up the bill. To take action, join ASHA in contacting your legislators

★ From Zero to Three : In June, the Family First Prevention Services Act (H.R. 5456) was introduced in Congress. The purpose of this bill is to enhance federal investment in programs and initiatives that seek to keep children living in the least restrictive, family-centered, and appropriate environment, including efforts to prevent children from entering foster care and/or structured, around the clock, supervised care (e.g., congregate care). DEC members may be interested to know that the bill includes a provision to create a federal entitlement to mental health, parenting skill, and substance abuse supports for qualified families. While different education, child, and advocacy organizations have taken a range of positions on specific provisions of the bill, DEC has not officially weighed in. To learn what Zero to Three is doing around this legislation, follow them on Twitter .

★ Child Care Aware : Earlier this month, Child Care Aware ® of America launched a new movement, Child Care Works, to work towards shifting public opinion, shaping policy, and working towards legislative victories for children and families as it relates to the access and quality of child care. To learn more and join the movement, sign the pledge .

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
  • Consider reaching out to candidates in the 2016 election, including those for local, state, and federal office, by asking them targeted questions about their views and plans for early childhood. Check out the Save the Children Action Network for ideas and prompts you can use. 
news
DEC
POLICY  
&
ADVOCACY
NEWS
  • DEC is seeking a new Policy Council Chair! Ashley Lyons has served as Council Chair since its inception in 2014, but will now be transitioning into a new role at DEC, remaining national CAN Coordinator but also focused on content creation and serving in an advisory role to the Policy Council as well.  The Chair(s) will continue the important work of planning and supporting DEC policy and advocacy activities that reflect the formal position of DEC, including developing and maintaining strategies and initiatives that are center to supporting DEC's mission and beliefs. Please consider applying today! The application will remain open through October 5th .
  • Be sure to register for the 2016 DEC conference! There will be a number of policy and/or advocacy specific sessions available, including the popular What's Happening in Washington, several listening sessions hosted by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), information on the new Head Start Performance Standards and many other interesting opportunities. To register, visit The DEC Conference Website  . Additionally, while you are there, you can download a convenient conference app or view the online guidebook to bookmark the sessions you find interesting.
  • We continue to seek new members who are interested in supporting our work. New members to the Council will be considered "at-large" and will shadow existing members to ensure a smooth transition. If you want to stay up-to-date about what is happening in the field and within DEC and would like to lend your voice, please complete our the application survey  so we can match you to opportunities that fit best with your interest, experience, and availability.
Children's Action Network
events
UPCOMING DEC POLICY & ADVOCACY EVENTS
1 - DEC Advocacy Webinar
  • What: Follow up from the 32nd Annual International DEC Conference on Young Children with Disabilities and Their Families
  • When: Friday, October 28th at 4 to 5pm ET
  • Where: GoToTraining
  • How to attend: Register for the webinar at 

    https://attendee.gototraining.com/r/4068884992105638914

    After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the training. 
telluswhatyouthink
TELL US
WHAT
YOU
THINK
 
Have you registered for the DEC Conference in Louisville? 

YES       NO      UNSURE

Do you plan to complete the CEC IDEA Reauthorization Input Survey (or have you already)? 

YES       NO       UNSURE

Will you pledge to take action to contact your representatives and senators to improve IDEA funding for early childhood intervention and early intervention in the continuing resolution (CR) when prompted?
 
   YES      NO     
 
Will you apply, or ask a colleague to apply, for the Policy Council Chair position? 
  
    YES      NO      
states
 U
Have an early childhood special education policy or advocacy story you would like to share? Whether you are a Subdivision leader/member or just an interested DEC member unaffiliated with a Subdivision, contact brittany@dec-sped.org or DEC CAN Coordinator anlyons@kent.edu to share what's happening in your state or Subdivision or just to bring awareness to an important policy or advocacy issue relevant to DEC. 
Please note that all story submissions must be non-partisan in nature. If you are interested in guidance on how to craft your story and/or how to ensure it is non-partisan, Ashley Lyons will be happy to help! Selected stories will be shared in a future issue of YES DEC CAN!