Project Description:
There is a need to increase the number of related service providers and early childhood special educators qualified to serve infants and young children with disabilities or delays in development and their families. GEORGE is a 9-month hybrid (online and onsite) program that will support 40 scholars to provide evidence-based early childhood intervention to children with high need disabilities birth to age 5.
Scholars will complete a professional preparation degree at the Masters or Clinical Doctoral level plus receive interdisciplinary training in early intervention. Scholars will obtain competency in evidence based early childhood practices. These include knowledge, skills, and dispositions in assessment, evaluation, intervention, and program-planning in support of family centered care. The competencies represent those developed for early intervention providers in the related services and are consistent with the CEC and DEC recommended practices.
Scholars enrolled in GEORGE will complete coursework related to: a) intervention for infants and toddlers with intensive needs, b) appropriate evaluation and assessment strategies, c) designing, implementing, and evaluating individualized family service plans, d) collaborating with other professionals especially early childhood educators to include children in natural environments and (e) partnering with families to meet the needs of infants and toddlers with high need disabilities. Scholars also will complete a 160-clock hour internship in an inclusive child care- preschool program.
GEORGE is a competency based program that includes: four, 3 semester hour online courses, a webinar, 1-day conference, capstone project, a 4-week practicum. Course work includes discussion board posts, online seminars, direct engagement with families and children building skills in routines based interviewing, creating an eco-map, administrating standardized tests, implementing coaching. In the team-based practicum scholars will implement the primary service provider model within an inclusive early childhood program. All aspects of GEORGE will be assessed using quantitative and qualitative methods for formative and summative evaluation. Applied research on the efficiency and effectiveness of implementing a team based, primary service provider model of service delivery will be conducted. The online course work meets the Quality Matter Standards for online learning.
Scholars enrolled in GEORGE will receive full tuition support for the additional course work as well as a stipend to defray costs of instructional fees and books.
