Week 4: Organizations

My professional goal is to become a developmental therapist for Central Indiana First Steps. I enjoyed this assignment because it made me look at various organizations that could relate to my field or be a possible job opportunity in the future.

Ounce of Prevention (www.ounceofprevention.org) The first organization that I looked into was the Ounce of Prevention organization (www.ounceofprevention.org). This website is organized to help parents, student groups, practitioners, and other advocates get involved in the public policy-making process by educating key audiences about, and developing support for, early childhood initiatives. This organization addresses issues in Illinois and nationally. The website discusses how to become an advocate and how to volunteer. Being an advocate is a position that is always open and needs volunteers. The skills needed are training regarding special education laws and services.

The Division of Early Childhood (DEC) (www.dec-sped.org) The Division of Early Childhood (DEC) is one of seventeen divisions of the Council for Exceptional Children (the largest professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted and talented (www.dec-sped.org). This site has a discussion forum for parents and professionals, recommended practices, section for parents discussing available resources, and policy/advocacy section. This organization promotes policies and advances evidence-based practices that support families and enhance the education of children who exhibit developmental delays or disabilities. This organization discussed being elected as a public servant or public official. These positions must be elected.

IN*SOURCE (www.insource.org) This organization is an Indiana resource for families with children with special needs (infants through young adults). It is a parent organization, has many volunteers, an elected board, and many other staff. “IN*SOURCE celebrates the accomplishments of individuals with disabilities and their families and we affirm our ongoing commitment to them” (www.insource.org). This organization discusses available resources for families pertaining to education and local agencies that support individuals with disabilities. This organization is also available to provide support and information to parents and help them resolve school or early intervention agency-related problems. This organization was hiring for a public resource. This position is available to attend I.F.S.P. or I.E.P. meetings at the request of the parent. The skills needed are a knowledge base of laws and available services. You would also be able to form a good rapport with families. This is a position that I might be interested in in the future.

REFERENCES

Ounce of Prevention, (n.d.). Ounce of Prevention. Retrieved November 23, 2012 at www.ounceofprevention.org

Division of Early Childhood, (n.d.). Division of Early Childhood. Retrieved November 23, 2012 at www.dec-sped.org

IN*SOURCE, (n.d.). IN*SOURCE. Retrieved November 23, 2012 at http://insource.org

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

Blog Assignment: Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

As a developmental therapist, I will be working with children from birth to age three who exhibit developmental delay. My son received early intervention services (OT, PT, DT, and speech). Personally, I know that there was very little support for families to learn the laws regarding special education or transition from early intervention services to a preschool (developmental or general) setting. As my capstone project, I hope to develop a way to help ease the transition for families who are transitioning from early intervention services to a preschool setting. I strongly believe that knowing the laws that pertain to this transition is imperative. In this role, I will need to effectively communicate with families (in order to gain their knowledge about laws and their child’s needs), early intervention agencies (in order to learn what supports are available for families to learn the laws regarding their child’s services), and preschool coordinators (in order to inform families of available programs). Most importantly, the child is impacted by this challenge. Parents can make an informed decision regarding the placement and services for their child.

1. ASK: Parents who have experienced their child’s transition from early intervention services to a preschool setting can provide first-hand feedback. Early intervention agencies, early intervention therapists, and preschool coordinators can also provide information regarding placement and available services. In Indianapolis, agencies such as ASK (About Special Kids) provide support for parents of children with special needs (www.aboutspecialkids.com). Therapists and local support agencies (such as ASK) can also provide resources (such as a list of available related events or services) for the parents. I believe this organization will be a wonderful resource in my role as a developmental therapist. I am a part of a local program for families of children with special needs. I contacted ASK about providing information at our next meeting.

2. Marion County Early Intervention Planning Council: It would also be important to include Marion County Early Intervention Planning Council (M.C.E.I.P.C.) and get their ideas about improving early intervention services. “Early Intervention Planning Council’s goals include: expanding access to and improve the quality, coordination, and range of early intervention programs available in local neighborhoods, communities, and faith-based organizations; providing in-depth training to primary care medical providers, childcare workers, preschool teachers, and public and private school teachers in the assessment of childhood and adolescent risk factors and to help them develop procedures to refer identified children, adolescents, and families to the appropriate community services; expanding access to mental health services for children and families in need; and improving coordination of information and resources for children and adolescents entering the “system” (e.g., first contact with special education, child welfare, mental health, or juvenile justice)” (M.C.E.I.P.C., 2008). The Early Intervention Planning Council is a local organization that focuses on improving services in Indiana, mainly the Marion County area. Indianapolis is located in Marion County. I will be a developmental therapist for First Steps and practice in Marion County. This organization appealed to me because they promote acceptance and diversity. This organization is in the process of promoting minorities to enter the field of early childhood and youth programs.

3. First Steps: I will be working as a developmental therapist for Central Indiana First Steps (www.firststeps.org). First Steps provides therapies (OT, PT, DT, speech, and nutritional support). It serves children from birth to age three. All therapists are placed by an agency. I spoke with an agency this week and they submitted my resume to First Steps to become a developmental therapist. As a developmental therapist, I needed teaching degree with an early childhood focus. I am completing this requirement by obtaining my Master’s in Early Childhood: Teaching and Diversity.

References

ASK, (n.d.). About Special Kids. Retrieved from www.aboutspecialkids.org.

First Steps, (n.d.). First Steps Indiana. Retrieved from www.firststeps.org.

M.C.E.I.P.C. (2008). Plan for Improving Early Intervention Services for Children and Youth and their Families in Marion County.