Provided by Early CHOICES, 
 Preschool LRE Initiative of the Illinois State Board of Education.



December 2017 Spotlight

Fiscal Year 2019 Preschool for All (PFA) Re-compete and Prevention Initiative RFP released by ISBE.

PFA is a preschool program that provides services in a half-day or full-day setting to children 3 to 5 years who are considered to be at risk of academic failure.
FY19 Preschool for All RFP responses must be mailed or delivered to the ISBE offices in hardcopy/original and USB flash drive formats as indicated in the RFP, no later than 4 p.m. January 12, 2018.
ISBE has also issued a RFP for the Prevention Initiative (PI) program for FY2019. The Prevention Initiative program serves children birth to age 3, also giving priority to children and their families who are at risk of academic failure. The Prevention Initiative programs are mostly home-based; however, these services can be based in a child care center.

  • Links to data, webinars, and other resources to assist communities, providers, and others in preparing for the FY 2019 re-compete can be found on this page.  https://www.isbe.net/Pages/RFPs.aspx 
  • Inclusion of young children with disabilities is part of offering a high quality program.  For guidance ISBE has this Inclusion clarification which clarifies best practice regarding Administrative Rule 235.30 (6)
    • "applicants must provide a description of the provisions to be made to allow for the participation of children with disabilities in the program"



Does your program implement high quality inclusive practices?
 
If you do, you will want to consider applying for the Outstanding Practices in Inclusion recognition that will be celebrated at the next Sharing A Vision Conference in 2019. Early CHOICES, as the Illinois State Board of Education Preschool Least Restrictive Environment Initiative, along with the Early Childhood LRE Stakeholders Consortium will administer the award.   
 
 Early CHOICES has created a webpage with critical information regarding this recognition.  Visit us at http://www.eclre.org/good-to-know/outstanding-practices-in-inclusion.aspx 
 
December 20, 2017 is the date to commit to apply this year.
 

In case you missed it:


Early CHOICES is proud to announce our new online learning module that reviews the Federal Policy Statement on Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs that was issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services U.S. Department of Education on September 14, 2015.   
 
The module is in three sections with a summary 
  • Introduction to the policy statement: overview of what inclusion is and why it is important.
  • Strategies to overcome challenges to inclusion within early childhood programs
  • Partnerships to build a culture of inclusion
  • Summary of the module

Each section includes activities and additional resources to consider as you reflect on the ways that inclusion impacts your practices.  A Reflection Guide can be downloaded to manage your reflections and any resources you'd like to further explore. Also, available is a Resource Guide with all of the documents and links used in the modules.

Early CHOICES can provide support to your preschool program to use the module as professional development within your professional learning communities and provide technical assistance to your team in implementation of high quality inclusive practices in preschool.

Save the Dates- from 3:30- 4:45 pm
virtual meetings:

December 4, 2017
January 9, 2018
February 5, 2018
March 5, 2018
April 3, 2018
 

Upcoming Events:
 
 
 
December 4, 2017  3:30 PM - 4:45 PM
Building Your Inclusion Toolbox: Community of Practice (COP) Policies and Procedures -online
 
Each COP webinar will feature a different chapter of the Building Your Inclusion Toolbox book, consecutively. This COP will focus on Policies and Procedures.

January 9, 2018  3:30 PM - 4:45 PM
Building Your Inclusion Toolbox: Community of Practice (COP)
Administrative Support -online

This COP will focus on Administrative Support. The COPs will provide opportunities to engage with peers from across the state, and to hear from guest speakers who have effectively put recommended practices into place in programs programs just like yours.

January 18, 2018 9-3 pm
Using The Inclusive Classroom Profile for Self Reflection
The Center, 2626 S Clearbrook, Arlington Heights IL
 
Or-
 
February 20, 2017 9am-3pm
Using The Inclusive Classroom Profile for Self Reflection
Southwest Cooperative, 6020 W. 151st Street, Oak Forest IL

In collaboration with STARNET,  join us for the unique opportunity to explore the Inclusive Classroom Profile, a research based assessment tool designed to look closely at the ways inclusive programs accommodate the learning needs of young children with disabilities.  This workshop will explore twelve indicators of high quality inclusion as described in the Inclusive Classroom Profile. In addition to reviewing the tool, attendees will learn how to use the ICP for self-reflection and improvement of high quality inclusive practices. Attendees will have an increased understanding of the twelve quality indicators and how they relate to teaching practices in the inclusive classroom.


 

Early CHOICES
December, 2017

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