Back to School Resource Guide 2023 (PDF)

The State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD) is established by state and federal law as an independent state agency to ensure that people with developmental disabilities and their families receive the services and supports they need.

Consumers know best what supports and services they need to live independently and to actively participate in their communities. Through advocacy, capacity building and systemic change, SCDD works to achieve a consumer and family-based system of individualized services, supports, and other assistance.

The Back to School Resource Guide contains resources for families to support their child in getting the services they need at school. Educators, please share this resource with families!

Transitional Kindergarten California

TKCalifornia is an online hub for finding easy-to-use resources for administrators, teachers, and parents as California expands Transitional Kindergarten (TK) to serve all 4-year-olds. Many educators over the years have called for a developmentally appropriate grade for our youngest learners—now with the expansion of TK, California is on the cusp of achieving the vision of the Master Plan for Early Learning and Care (MPELC), which called for a year of publicly-funded preschool for all children in California.

On this site, you can find:

Resources for administrators to help them navigate staffing, facilities, funding, and more as TK is expanded to more children.
Strategies and tools for teachers on classroom management and developmentally appropriate practices.
Information for parents on what to expect in a TK classroom and how they can help their child get the most out of their TK experience.

Brain Building Through Play: Activities for Infants, Toddlers and Children

Three core principles of child development include fostering responsive relationships, strengthening core life skills, and reducing sources of stress. Play is an effective way of supporting all three. With support from the LEGO Foundation, we created a series of handouts with playful, age-appropriate activities for children, from newborns to adolescents, that are easy to do at home or just about anywhere!

Interested in learning more about the importance of play? C heck out this video!

Head Start ECLKC: Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for increasing access to education environments and opportunities, including in infant and toddler settings. Learning environments, materials, and activities are planned ahead of time, with the aim of welcoming all learners.

UDL supports all children, including infants and toddlers with disabilities, to help them engage more fully in learning. It doesn’t take the place of individualized curriculum modifications necessary for particular children. For more information on individualized curriculum modifications, see these helpful Curriculum Modifications resources.

The three guiding principles of UDL are:

Representation — offering children a variety of ways to learn new skills and information
Action and expression — allowing for flexibility in how infants and toddlers demonstrate success and understanding
Engagement — building on infant/toddler development and interests and giving them choices

On this web page Head Start gives you a place to start for designing your environments with UDL in mind with their “Tips for Educators” and provides links to additional resources to support UDL for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

2023-2024 Calendar of Activities Free From Brooke’s Publishing

Brooke’s Publishing is offering a new FREE early childhood resource that can help you keep track of your busy schedule and promote healthy development at the same time. The brand-new Growing Strong calendar is filled with 16 months—from September 2023 through December 2024—of colorful photos, memorable quotes from our authors, and practical tips and activities. Print one out for yourself, colleagues, and anyone who cares for young children, so they can help support key skills all year long!

Genius of Play: Emotional Wellness Playbook (PDF)

Welcome to the “Emotional Wellness Playbook”! You are about to discover a carefully curated collection of play-based activities that are designed to help kids develop emotional intelligence and learn to express their feelings in a healthy way — while having fun! Play is one of the best ways to teach kids just about anything, and expressing emotions is no exception. From learning to cope to building resilience and practicing empathy, learning to manage emotions helps little hearts grow bigger and stronger, building the foundation for a healthy adulthood. What’s more, play is an excellent tool to promote relaxation, encourage positive emotions, and provide moments of joy to offset and relieve life’s everyday stresses — for both kids and adults! Brought to you by The Genius of Play, the “Emotional Wellness Playbook” has been created in collaboration with Talia Filippelli, a recognized mental health expert, founder of Starr Therapy, and a Certified Holistic Health Coach. Every activity includes step-by-step instructions and a quick summary of the play benefits it provides. Depending on your child’s age, some activities may require adult help and supervision.

Quote from Nicole Eredics

“Inclusion begins by saying, yes, we will educate every child.”

11 Things to Do After an IEP Meeting

Many critical decisions are made during an IEP meeting for a student with support needs, so effective and timely followup—with families, students, and other team members—is essential. Today’s post offers a checklist of to-do items to follow after the meeting is over. Excerpted and adapted from Equitable and Inclusive IEPs for Students with Complex Support Needs by Andrea L. Ruppar & Jennifer A. Kurth, these action items will help you follow up successfully, ensure there’s a plan for implementing the IEP, and start the team on a path to success.

Promoting Neurodiversity in Early Childhood Services (PDF)

This pamphlet is intended for early childhood care providers who want to learn more about how to promote neurodiversity in early childhood. This could include early interventionists, developmental specialists, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, behavior analysts, preschool teachers, and anyone else who provides services to young autistic children and children with developmental disabilities.

Terminology Matters- Language That Respects Individuals with Disabilities (PDF)

In this PowerPoint Mary Ann Shaw, full time faculty member at Saint Francis University, provides an engaging summary of what to say and what not to say when talking about individuals with disabilities.

Back to School Resource Guide 2023 (PDF)