Inclusive Preschool: There

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Inclusive PreschoolTheres No Place Like Home
OSEP National Early Childhood Conference
2008 Building Partnerships for Effective Change

• Marylands Preschool LRE Initiative

Nancy Vorobey, Preschool 619 Coordinator Valerie
von Behren, Preschool 619 Monitor and TA
Specialist Maryland State Department of
Education Division of Special Education/Early
Intervention Services
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Theres no place like home, theres no place
like homeWestern Maryland has mountain
ranges 2827 feet above sea level and the Eastern
shore has Ocean City and Assateaque Island
complete with wild horses
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Southern Maryland is home to the 2nd largest
population of bald eagles, scenic waterways and
islands, and was settled in 1634 by 140 colonists
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Central Maryland is more urban such as
Baltimore City and the suburbs of Washington, DC
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Marylands Demographics as of 2007

• Population 5,615,727
• White 61, African American 28.9, Asian 4.9,
  Hispanic 6.0
• Median household income 65,000
• Families below poverty 5.3
• 17.8 High School Diploma, 12.8 Bachelors,
  10.8 Graduate Degree or higher
• 13.9 of families speak a language other than
  English at home
• 2008 pre-k enrollment 27,179
• 2008 Kindergarten enrollment 59,455

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Marylands Organization

• The Maryland State Department of Education is
  home to
• The Division of Early Childhood Development which
  includes the Office of Child Care, Head Start and
  Early Childhood General Education
• Division of Special Education/Early Intervention
  Services, which includes the Maryland Infants
  and Toddlers Program and Preschool Special
  Education Services in the Early Childhood
  Intervention and Education Branch

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Marylands Preschool LRE Initiatives
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What happened then was rich!
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Dedicated funding of 440,000.00from Big B

• Analyzed three years worth of Preschool LRE data
• Shared anecdotal successes from the Preschool LRE
  teleconference
• Made our pitch to the Assistant Superintendent
  and she granted us the funding!

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The primary objective of the Statewide Preschool
LRE Initiative is to get home!

• to promote and support a comprehensive,
  family-centered, driven technical assistance
  system for all young preschool children, their
  families and communities. This initiative will
  offer opportunities for personal and professional
  growth and systems development in collaboration
  with families, schools and other community
  stakeholders to include preschool children with
  disabilities in typical early childhood settings.

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Preschool LRE Initiative has two components

1. Funding for projects to improve the continuum of
   settings for preschool SWD with emphasis on
   collaboration with families and community partners

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Follow the yellow brick road, follow the yellow
brick road!

• Establishing teams to go to community programs
  and provide coaching, co-teaching, infused
  related services
• SEFEL and behavior specialists
• Differentiated instruction, adapted curriculum,
  including community partners and families in
  training and TA
• Partnerships with Judy Centers, Head Start, Child
  Care Centers, Libraries, Parks and Recreation
  programs
• Reverse mainstreaming, assistive technology
• Language enrichment programming
• Families involved in programs and support
  activities

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Regional TA Centers

• To build a framework of regional technical
  assistance to sustain the improvements

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But youve always had the power to go home!

• Each of the Regional TA Centers will be providing
  coaching, observation to other local systems
• Menu of statewide TA
• 4 presentations at the statewide Head Start
  Conference

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If I Only Had a BrainThe Preschool LRE Decision
Making Module
An online tutorial is being developed to increase
the knowledge and skills of LSS preschool special
education and early learning staff, community
early childhood partners and families to improve
preschool LRE decision making and expand options
for the LRE continuum through our Maryland State
Improvement Grant.
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In Maryland, were trying very hard to overcome
the Wicked Witch of the West
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And include to the maximum extent possible,
preschool students with disabilities with their
typically developing peers in their own
communities because there really is NO PLACE LIKE
HOME!
Thank you.
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Special Thanks to wendyswizardofoz.com
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The Lullaby League

• Valerie von Behren
• 410-767-7800
• vbehren_at_msde.state.md.us
• Nancy Vorobey
• 410-767-0234
• nvorobey_at_msde.state.md.us