Teaming for Early Childhood Supports
Project Description:
The Teaming for Early Childhood Supports (TECS) Project is a grant funded by the Arkansas Department of Education, Office of Early CHildhood (OEC), to provide training and techniccal assistance to providers of early education services across the state to enable them to successfully support children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). These early education vendors can be providers of center-based services, Head Start/Early Head Start services, home-based services, Medicaid-funded clinic-based services, such as day habilitation and therapies, and faith-based early childhood programs. The training sessions include topics such as Overview of Common Developmental Disabilities; Screening Tools to Identify Children with Autism; Understanding and Supporting Young Children with Autism; Autism Services Available in Arkansas; Understanding Sensory Processing Disorders; Reframing Children's Behavior Through A New Lense; Benefits of Integrated Therapy; Connecting with ALL Families; Creating a Trauma-Sensitive, Compassionate Early Education Space for Children; Engineering an Early Education Setting with Visual Supports; IDEA/504 Services, etc. Training and technical assistance are provided at locations and times convenient for staff, including evenings and weekends. The expected benefits of these servies are that young children with disabilities can be educated alongside thier non-disabled peers, a model that had proven to be beneficial for both the children with disabilties and their nondisabled peers.
Keyword(s):
Mental/Behavioral Health – Autism, Developmental Disabilities, Early Childhood – Developmental Health (including developmental screening), Early Childhood – General, Epilepsy, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Core Function(s):
Developing & Disseminating Information, Continuing Education/Community Training
Area of Emphasis
Education & Early Intervention, Child Care-Related Activities
Target Audience:
Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Specific Groups
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State, Regional
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
