Dream Big, Start Early- A Curriculum for Families
Project Description:
The value of creating micro-learnings to support information around inclusion is that families need this information prior to preschool transition planning and often families at that time are overwhelmed and need simple, easy-to-digest information.
To pilot these micro-learnings, we plan to partner with family support organizations that have a presence in the Northeast part of the state such as INF2F as well as organizations that are specific to the Northeast such as the Early Childhood Alliance, with whom the ECC has partnered on an attendance intervention in 2017-2018. We are also excited at the prospect of building new networking connections with organizations known to AWS such as the Bridge of Grace. Additionally, we will collaborate with other research partners here at the IIDC doing research to engage families such as Dr. Cathy Pratt at IRCA who is doing work around developing parent resources for Autism. Our hope is that we can build content that includes the voices of these families and early childhood professionals so that families can learn from others in their community who are further along the journey and begin to gain knowledge confidence.
Our goal over this first year would be to meet with early childhood and family support organizations in the Northeast and begin to share the gaps we are seeing and hear how that resonates. We hope to make videos to include in the micro-learnings. As we build the micro-learnings on expectations and inclusion, we will offer stipends to families who will engage with the micro-learnings and provide feedback regarding relevance, accessibility, delivery, and interest. We hope to offer some families the opportunity to engage with the micro-learnings individually while some families engage in a networking component during which they have the chance to discuss the content with other families, either in-person or virtually. Our goal is to partner with at least 30 families and 10 early childhood leaders in the Northeast during the development phase.
Upon completion of this grant, we plan to incorporate feedback into finalized micro-learnings which we will make accessible and begin to share via social media and partner organizations (e.g., First Steps has indicated interest in sharing these mini-learnings with families in the early intervention system).
Keyword(s):
early childhood, inclusion, expectations
Core Function(s):
Continuing Education/Community Training
Area of Emphasis
Education & Early Intervention
Target Audience:
Family Members/Caregivers
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Disadvantaged Circumstances
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
