US Department of Health and Human Services: Dear Colleague Letter on Mixed Delivery
US Department of Health and Human Services: Dear Colleague Letter on Mixed Delivery
We are writing to encourage you to work with local educational agencies and early childhood partners in your states and communities to serve more of our youngest learners in high-quality preschool1 through a mixed delivery approach. A mixed delivery approach involves a coordinated effort on the part of States and local communities to support preschool programs across a range of quality settings, building on the expertise and capacity of existing providers and leveraging existing Federal, state, and local funding.
By forging these partnerships, early childhood leaders have an opportunity to amplify the benefits of a mixed delivery approach. The letter lays out a series of benefits including:
- Supporting parents in selecting a setting and location that best meets their child’s and family’s needs, such as providing a longer program day or more flexible scheduling offered in many child care programs, or allowing older and younger siblings to attend the same site;
- Improving access to early intervention and early childhood special education in inclusive early childhood settings to provide more seamless experiences for development and learning for children with disabilities;
- Supporting smooth transitions between preschool and kindergarten, laying a path for success in the early elementary years.
US Department of Education: 2023 Early Childhood Transition Questions and Answers OSEP QA 24-01
The purpose of this IDEA 2023 Early Childhood Transition Questions and Answers document (2023 EC Transition Q&A) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is to assist State lead agencies (LAs), early intervention services (EIS) program and providers,[1] State educational agencies (SEAs), and local educational agencies (LEAs) in ensuring a seamless transition for children with disabilities who received EIS under IDEA Part C to eligibility for and receipt of preschool services under IDEA Part B. https://sites.ed.gov/idea/files/2023-Early-Childhood-Transition-Questions-and-Answers.pdf
Pathways to Partnership (P2P)
Pathways to Partnership (P2P), the California Department of Education Special Education Resource Lead (SERL) for Alternative Dispute Resolution would like to announce the launch of their website and their Spring 2024 Learning and Professional Development Series. Resources and information related to events and learning opportunities are updated regularly on the P2P website.
The P2P consortium envisions a statewide educational community with the necessary skill sets to prevent, reduce, and resolve conflicts by building trust and mutual understanding between families and local educational agencies (LEAs). P2P is a SERL with a focus building a continuum of dispute prevention and resolution among families, students, and schools.
Universal Preschool (UPK) Mixed Delivery Quality and Access Workgroup Final Report
Pursuant to EC Section 8202.6, the Superintendent, in consultation with the Director of Social Services and the Executive Director of the State Board of Education (SBE), is required to convene a universal preschool (UPK) mixed-delivery statewide interest holder workgroup (Workgroup). As part of a statewide collaborative effort, the California Department of Education (CDE) has welcomed the partnership of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).
You can learn about the purpose, members and work of this group on their web page.
The work of this group is coming to a close. The second consolidated draft of the UPK Mixed Delivery Quality and Access Report is now posted to California Educators Together.
Updates to the Preschool Learning Foundations – Preschool Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations Pre-Recorded Webinar Preview (Video)
The California Department of Education (CDE), Early Education Division (EED) is sharing a pre-recorded webinar of the high-level updates to the Preschool Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations, which are California’s early learning standards for children ages three to five and a half in center-based preschool, home-based preschool, and Transitional Kindergarten settings.
The revised Foundations will be posted on the CDE website in summer 2024. For any questions, reach out to UPK@cde.ca.gov.
Inclusive Early Education Resources
The CDE’s EED launched a web page dedicated to resources to support the field of early education professional and families of children with disabilities to increase identification, access, participation and supports of children with disabilities in early care and education programs. The web page includes a matrix of resources and targeted audiences. Additional resources are continually be added.
Inclusive Early Education for Children with Disabilities Program Overview
This web page provides background information on inclusion and links to CDE’s Early Education Division inclusion efforts associated with the Inclusive Early Education Expansion Grant Program (IEEEP).
Key Web Pages on Serving Children with Disabilities Serving Children with Disabilities FAQs
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding California state law relating to serving children with disabilities (CWD) in California State Preschool Programs (CSPP).
Local Planning Councils
The primary mission of the Local Planning Councils (LPCs) is to plan for child care and development services based on the needs of families in the local community. LPCs are intended to serve as a forum to address the child care needs of all families in the community for all types of child care, both subsidized and non-subsidized. Each California county has an LPC. A directory by county is found on this site. LPCs are frequently collaborators and leaders in inclusion initiatives. LPCs are also found on the County Specific Resources area of MAP.
Updated Joint Policy Statement on the Inclusion of Children With Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs
The U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released an updated joint-policy statement on supporting the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs. The joint statement sets the expectation that inclusion continues as a child transitions into elementary school, emphasizes the need to increase public awareness and understanding of the science that supports inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs, and reinforces the legal foundations that support inclusion.
The HHS-ED Policy Statement on the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs updated November 2023 includes a renewed commitment and urgency, as children with disabilities continue to face barriers accessing and fully participating in inclusive early childhood programs.
Purpose
All young children with disabilities[1] should have access to high-quality inclusive early childhood programs[2] that provide individualized and appropriate support so they can fully participate alongside their peers without disabilities, meet high expectations, and achieve their full potential. The responsibility to ensure that young children with disabilities and their families are included in high-quality early childhood programs is shared by federal, State, and local governments, early childhood systems, early childhood programs and providers, local educational agencies (LEAs), and schools.
This policy statement from the U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Health and Human Services (HHS) (the Departments) builds upon our earlier 2015 policy statement with renewed commitment and urgency as children with disabilities continue to face significant barriers accessing and participating in inclusive early childhood programs. This updated joint ED and HHS policy statement for States,[3] LEAs, schools, early intervention (EIS) providers, and early childhood programs advances the Departments’ position by:
- Reiterating the expectation for inclusion[4] in high-quality early childhood programs;
- Setting the expectation that inclusion continues as children transition into elementary school;
- Continuing to increase public awareness and understanding of the latest science that supports inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs from the earliest ages;
- Reinforcing the legal foundations supporting inclusion in early childhood;
- Reiterating and updating recommendations for State and local agencies that implement Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) programs, Head Start, child care, home visiting, preschools, and public schools for increasing inclusive early learning opportunities for all children;
- Updating models and exemplars of inclusion; and
- Identifying and sharing resources for States, LEAs, EIS providers, early childhood programs, schools, early childhood personnel,[5] and families to support high-quality individualized programming and inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs.