News

The U.S. Department of Education has released the first three in a series of resource guides to support access to high-quality early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities.

About

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C program promotes the development of infants and toddlers with delays or disabilities, enhances the capacity of families to meet the developmental needs of their infants and toddlers, minimizes the need for special education and related services when children enter school, and enhances children’s long-term outcomes. In December, the following guides were released in in English and Spanish:

• The Vision and Guiding Resources guide, which provides an overview of the initiative;

• the Outreach and Family Engagement guide, which explains the need for outreach and family engagement in the child find process, which locates, identifies, and evaluates infants and toddlers who may benefit from early intervention services; and

• the Monitoring, Screening, and Referral guide, which details how health care providers and others working with infants and toddlers regularly monitor and screen children to ensure they meet specific milestones.

Also available is a recording of the Working Together to Support All Infants and Toddlers With Disabilities webinar, which highlights how federal agencies, state agencies, local programs, and families can work together to support infants and toddlers with disabilities’ growth and development.

Additional resources in this series available this year. For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Education’s IDEA website.