Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA)

The ECTA Center supports state IDEA Part C and Part B, Section 619 programs in developing high-quality, effective, and sustainable state and local systems, to improve access, services, and supports for children with disabilities and their families that result in positive outcomes.

We are a consortium of national experts from across multiple organizations.

• National Early Childhood Inclusion Indicators Initiative May 2019 The initiative is co-led by the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center and the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) and includes partners from across the early care and education system. ECTA Center is leading the development of the state and local program leadership indicators and the NCPMI is leading the development of the classroom indicators. Santa Clara County Office of Education is one of the stakeholders.
• Your Child’s Move from Preschool Special Education to Kindergarten (PDF)
• Local District Preschool Inclusion Self-Assessment (PDF) Feb 2018

• Additional Resources from Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
  • State Early Childhood Inclusion Self-Assessment (PDF) July 2017
  • Pennsylvania Preschool Inclusion Self-Evaluation Tool
  • ECTA Center for Families to help families understand their right under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), connect with other families and find high quality resources related to caring for infants, toddlers and young children with disabilities.
  • Recursos en Español (Resources in Spanish)
  • Inclusion in Least Restrictive Environments
    Designed for the administrators of state agencies responsible for services to young children and their families, including child care, Head Start, education, and early intervention. It has compiled information for administrators who are challenged with developing policies and programs that lead to inclusive comprehensive and coordinated services for all young children, ages birth to 8 years, and their families.
    • Preschool Inclusion Finance Toolkit 2017 (PDF)
      An update of ECTA Center’s resource that addresses updated guidance in the Dear Colleague Letter on Preschool Least Restrictive Environments published earlier this year. Worksheets included in this toolkit:
      • Early Childhood Programs Comparison Worksheet (DOC)
      • Determining Costs Inclusive Worksheet (DOC)
  • Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (Part C of IDEA)
    Provides a listing by state of the websites of the organizations responsible for early intervention for babies with developmental disabilities
  • Developing High Quality Functional IFSP and IEP Goals –Training Package
    This training package has been developed collaboratively with staff from the ECTA Center and WRRC in response to the need expressed from state and local providers to have specific information and resources about developing Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) outcomes and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals. First introduced in September 2012, this revised training package includes: an introductory video; a set of six fully scripted PowerPoint presentations; handouts, activities and supplemental materials; and how states have used and adapted the materials.
  • Inclusion in Least Restrictive Environments
  • Position Statements on Inclusion from National Organizations
  • Research and Studies on Inclusion
    • Fact Sheets of Research on Preschool Inclusion (2014) (PDF)
    • Inclusion of Preschool children with disabilities : What we Know and Should be Doing (PDF)
  • Personnel Development for Inclusion
  • Recommended Practices
    The OSEP funded Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) has launched a campaign to bring widespread awareness about the DEC Recommended Practices (RPs). The latest ECTA resources to support implementation of the RPs include Performance Checklists for practitioners as well as Practice Guides for Practitioners and Practice Guides for Families. These resources were highlighted on a recent national webinar which was recorded and can be accessed in aRPy’s Corner of the ECTA web site.
  • ECTA Webinar Series: Upcoming and Archived:
    • National Inclusion Webinar February 2016: Preschool Inclusion: What’s the Evidence, What Gets in the Way, and What do High-Quality Programs Look Like?
    • Early Childhood Training Modules from the IRIS Center March – April 2016
      • Session 1: Dual Language Learners with Disabilities: Supporting Young Children in the Classroom
      • Session 2: Early Childhood Environments: Designing Effective Classrooms Module & Website Tour