CHILDREN WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SERVICES UNDER IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)
7.1 GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THIS CHAPTER AND INTRODUCTION
The information in Chapter 7 is provided to acquaint child care providers with programs available for children who are eligible for services under IDEA. It also identifies roles the child care provider might have in achieving optimum developmental opportunities for children who are receiving services under IDEA. Because Chapter 7 focuses on children eligible for services under IDEA, a federal law, the reader is encouraged to review relevant state statutes, regulations, state and county agency policies concerning specific situations or diseases. This publication focuses on national standards and does not address specific state and county requirements or variances from federal education law.
The content of this chapter was prepared with the guidance of four principles:
1) Standards that are relevant to children with special needs, as well as to all children, are integrated into other chapters within this document. This does not diminish the importance of making sure that children with disabilities or chronic illnesses receive the special care that typically developing children would not require to participate fully in the child care service.
2) Standards for children with special needs have been integrated throughout this book with those for all other children to promote an inclusionary approach. Standards in this chapter are primarily those that apply solely to the general special service needs and planning mechanisms, as addressed in IDEA, for a child whose needs differ from those of a typically developing child. See page 324 for a list of standards, now found in other chapters, that address health, safety, nutritional, and trans-
portation issues for care of children with special needs.
3) This chapter includes standards that enable accommodation and inclusion of children with disabilities and special health care needs in child care facilities to achieve a level of participation as close as possible to that of typically developing children. The content of these standards will not segregate or discriminate against participation of children with special needs, but specify the practices needed to compensate for the child's disability or chronic illness so that full, safe inclusion in child care can occur.
4) While parental consent is required to obtain information about a child's special needs, the child care provider should be able to obtain parental consent to seek information that is relevant to meeting the health and safety needs of the child in the child care setting.
SERVING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS UNDER IDEA
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law most recently amended in 2000(
1), affords caregivers a unique opportunity to support children whose special needs might affect their educational success as well as impact upon both the children and families in other ways in the child care setting. The purpose of the law is to provide "free appropriate public education" regardless of disability or chronic illness to all "eligible" children, ages birth through 21 years, in a natural and/or least restrictive environment. Eligible children under IDEA include those with mental, physical or emotional disabilities, who, because of their disability or chronic illness, require special instruction in order to learn. Part B of this statute supports the needs of eligible preschool-age children through the local school district. Part C provides for a collaborative system to serve the needs of eligible infants and toddlers between the ages of birth and three years through early intervention. Child care programs can play a significant role in offering services required by children with special needs in the child care setting.
The original statute of IDEA, titled The Education of All Handicapped Children Act(
2), was passed in
1975. It initially covered only children aged five through 21 years old in what is today identified as Part B of the act. This law was amended in 1986 (
3) to include preschool education services to children aged three to five and early childhood services to children from birth through age two. The infant and toddler portion of the act, which was Part H when initially passed, is now Part C under the 1997 reauthorized version of the act. The law is now identified as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Information about IDEA can be obtained from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), U.S. Department of Education. Contact information for OSERS is located in Appendix BB.
Part C Supports Collaborative Efforts
Part C of IDEA makes federal funds available for states to implement a system of early intervention services for eligible infants and toddlers and their families. The state department of education may be the lead agency or may designate another agency to provide the assessment, coordination of services, and administrative functions required under Part C. The intent of Part C is to enhance the development of, and to provide other needed services for, infants and toddlers who have developmental delays or are at risk of developing such delays and to support the capacity of families to enhance the development of their children in the home and community. A further intent is to transition children to effective and inclusionary school-age services.
Although each state must designate a lead agency for implementing this federally funded program, the program is designed to be a coordinated, collaborative effort among a variety of state agencies for screening of children, assessment, service coordination and development of an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) for every eligible infant or toddler and his or her family. The IFSP describes early intervention services for an infant or toddler and the child's family, including family support and the child's educational, therapeutic, and health needs.
Among the more important aspects of this interagency model is the belief that children and their families should be viewed from the perspective of an ability model rather than a deficit model, i.e., emphasizing the strengths and capabilities of the family and child rather than the family's or child's perceived weaknesses. This means that the approach of the providers of services and supports identified in the Individualized Family Service Plan should be that of enhancing and supporting already-existing resources, priorities, and concerns of the child and family rather than assuming that services can correct "deficiencies" of the child or family.
The focus of services and supports to the child and family under Part C is the achievement of two related goals:
1) To enhance and support the development of young children with disabilities and chronic illness and minimize their need for special education and related services when they enter the public school system.
2) To maximize the potential for infants and toddlers with disabilities and chronic illness to enjoy the benefits of their communities and grow into adults capable of living independently, pursuing vocations, and participating in the benefits their communities offer all citizens.
Serving Children in Natural Environments
Part C of the IDEA emphasizes delivery of services in natural environments. These are defined generally as settings that are "natural or normal for the child's same-age peers who have no disabilities." Natural environments reflect those places that are routinely used by families and typically developing children and represent a wide variety of options such as the child's home, the neighborhood, community programs and services such as child care centers, parks, recreation centers, stores, malls, museums, etc. By incorporating elements of the child's regular environment-furniture, toys, schedule, siblings, care providers, extended family, etc.-in the planning and delivery of services and supports, the family and providers can best discover the child's talents and gifts and enhance these in the normal course of play, relationships, and caregiving.
Learning about and understanding the child's routines and using real life opportunities and activities, such as eating, playing, interacting with others, and working on developmental skills, greatly enhances a child's ability to achieve the functional outcomes identified in the IFSP. For these reasons, it is critical to have a representative from the child care setting that the child attends or may attend at the table when the IFSP is developed or revised. It is also imperative that written informed consent is obtained from parents before confidential information (written or verbal) is shared among providers. For these same reasons, it is essential that a child care provider become familiar with a child's IFSP and understand both the role the provider is to play and the resources available through the IFSP to support the family and child care provider.
Other federal legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (
4) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (
5), prohibit discrimination against children and adults with disabilities by requiring equal access to offered programs and services. The IDEA promotes inclusion of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in the same activities as their peers by providing support in the form of services and funds, some of which may be available to support eligible children in the child care setting.
Part B and the Individualized Education Program
Three-and four-year olds eligible for services under Part B of the IDEA are served through a written Individualized Education Program (IEP). This document is similarly developed by a team with the local education agency assuming responsibility for its implementation in either a public preschool program or a private preschool setting. Although federal funds are not specifically designated to support services provided by agencies outside of the public school system, local education agencies may contract with private providers for preschool services and cover educationally related services identified in the IEP, such as speech and language therapy, in the preschool setting.
Child care providers should become as familiar with a preschooler's special needs as identified in the IEP as they are with the services for an infant or toddler set forth in an IFSP. The provider may wish to send a representative, with prior informed written parental consent, to the child's IEP review meetings to share valuable insight and information regarding the child's special needs in both the educational and child care settings.
The standards in this chapter articulate those opportunities and responsibilities that child care agencies share with other agencies in serving a child with special needs, whether the child is served through an Individualized Family Service Plan or an Individualized Education Program.
7.2 INCLUSION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN THE CHILD CARE SETTING
inclusion in all activities
Facilities shall include children with disabilities and other special needs (such as chronic illnesses) and children without disabilities in all activities possible.
RATIONALE: The goal is to provide fully integrated care to the extent feasible given each child's limitations. Federal laws and some state laws do not permit discrimination on the basis of the disability (Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act) (
4,
5).
Studies have found the following benefits of inclusive child care: Children with special needs develop increased social skills and self-esteem; families of children with special needs gain social support and develop more positive attitudes about their child; children and families without special needs become more understanding and accepting of differences and disabilities; caregivers learn from working with children, families, and service providers and develop skills in individualizing care for all children (
6,
7).
COMMENTS: Child care providers may need to seek professional guidance and obtain appropriate training in order to include children with special needs, such as children with severe disabilities and other special needs such as chronic illnesses, into child care settings. These may include technology-dependent children and children with serious and severe chronic medical problems. Every attempt should be made, however, to achieve inclusion.
The facility should pursue the many funding mechanisms available to supplement funding for services in the facility. These resources usually require the parents' consent and may require that the parents actively pursue their rights and the provider's rights. Even so, child care providers can and should discuss options with the parents as potential sources of financial assistance for the needed services. These sources might include:
a) Medicaid, including waiver funding (Title XIX);
b) Private health insurance;
c) State or federal funds for child care, education, or for Children with Special Health Care Needs (Title V);
d) IDEA (particularly Part C funding);
e) Community resources (such as volunteers, lending libraries, free equipment available from community-based organizations);
f) Tax incentives (credits and deductions available under federal law to most for-profit child care programs);
g) Local Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and other community development funding.
TYPE OF FACILITY:
Center; Large Family Child Care Home; Small Family Child Care Home
Planning for needed resources, support, and education for staff and administrators to increase understanding and knowledge by staff, parents, and children without disabilities shall facilitate the inclusion and participation of children with special needs at the facility.
RATIONALE: Inclusion without adequate preparation, understanding, training, mobilization of resources, and development of skills among all those involved, may lead to failure.
COMMENTS: The utilization of age-appropriate resources (including, but not limited to, brochures, books, guest speakers, and advice from parents of children with special needs) should be a component of any education program. Methods may vary according to need and availability. The facility should provide opportunities to discuss the similarities as well as the differences among all the children enrolled. These discussions are useful preparatory exercises that can be assisted by including parents in the group discussions. Professionals or knowledgeable parents who are effective teachers should assure that, to the extent permitted by the parents of a child with special needs, caregivers and typically developing children in the facility receive presentations and discussions about the special equipment that the children with special needs may require and use. Children without disabilities should be given the opportunity to explore and learn about these items. Providers should take special care to apply the principles of cultural competency and general sensitivity in all communications with parents and when discussing the child and the family, particularly in discussion of an inherited condition.
TYPE OF FACILITY:
Center; Large Family Child Care Home; Small Family Child Care Home
7.3 PROCESS PRIOR TO ENROLLING AT A FACILITY
Children with special needs and their families shall have access to and be encouraged to receive a multidisciplinary assessment by qualified individuals, using reliable and valid age and culturally appropriate instruments and methodologies, before the child starts in the facility. If the parent consents to disclose the information and if the information is relevant to health and safety concerns in the child care setting, this evaluation shall consist of the following:
a) Results of medical and developmental examinations;
b) Assessments of the child's cognitive functioning or current overall functioning;
c) Evaluations of the family's needs, concerns, and priorities;
d) Other evaluations as needed.
The multidisciplinary assessment shall be voluntary and focus on the family's priorities, concerns, and resources that are relevant to providing services to the child and that optimize the child's development.
RATIONALE: The definitive characteristic of services for children is the necessity of individualizing their care to meet their needs. Therefore, individual assessments must precede services.
The family's needs, values, and childrearing practices are highly relevant and respected in the provision of care to the child; however, the child's special needs continue to be the central focus of intervention.
COMMENTS: This comprehensive assessment need not be carried out by the facility itself but instead, could be done largely by an outside center, clinic, school district Child Find team, or professionals who conduct evaluations of this nature. The multi-disciplinary assessment must be administered by qualified individuals using reliable and valid age and culturally appropriate instruments and metho-dologies. The designated lead agency for Part C may be responsible or may delegate the responsibility to another agency. This evaluation forms the basis of planning for the child's needs in the child care setting and for the pertinent information available to the staff. The comprehensive assessment should include the development of a written plan for the child's caregivers that they believe they can implement.
The facility should pursue the many funding mechanisms available to supplement funding for services in the facility. Even so, child care providers can and should discuss these options with the parents as potential sources of financial assistance for the needed services. These sources might include:
a) Medicaid, including waiver funding (Title XIX);
b) Private health insurance;
c) State or federal funds for child care, education, or for Children with Special Health Care Needs (Title V);
d) IDEA (particularly Part C funding);
e) Tax incentives (credits and deductions available under federal law to most for profit child care programs);
f) Local Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and other community development funding.
TYPE OF FACILITY:
Center; Large Family Child Care Home; Small Family Child Care Home
7.4 DEVELOPING A SERVICE PLAN FOR A CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
determining the type and frequency of services
The parents of a child with special needs, the child's primary health care provider, any authorized service coordinator, and the child care provider shall discuss and determine the type and frequency of the services to be provided by the child care facility.
RATIONALE: To serve children with varying forms and severities of disability, child care providers should take a flexible approach to combine and deliver services. Parents must be involved to assure that the plan is compatible with their care and expectations for the child.
COMMENTS: In facilities that are not designed primarily to serve a population with special needs, the additional therapeutic services may be obtained through consultants or arrangements with outside programs serving children with special needs. These services may be available, as arranged, through the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The child care provider may become a member of the IEP team if the parent of a child with special needs so requests.
When there is an IFSP, IDEA requires the appointment of an authorized service coordinator. For more information on authorized service coordinators, see
STANDARD 7.007.
TYPE OF FACILITY:
Center; Large Family Child Care Home; Small Family Child Care Home
formulation of an action plan
The formulation of an action plan, as determined by the child's needs, shall be based on the assessment process specified in
STANDARD 7.003 and
STANDARD 7.004. Such a plan shall be written and shall be maintained as part of each child's confidential record.
RATIONALE: The plan may be developed and implemented after the parents have discussed and approved it. The facility shall keep the plan as a permanent part of the child's confidential record.
COMMENTS: All issues and questions should be dealt with during the discussion with families; consensus should be obtained and the plan written accordingly. Parents should provide written consent for the agreement to any plan before implementation for the child. Parents may revoke their consent at any time by written notice. This is standard procedure in the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for those child care programs involved with the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). All release of information must be in accordance with IDEA.
TYPE OF FACILITY
: Center; Large Family Child Care Home; Small Family Child Care Home
determination of eligibility for special services
The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or Individualized Education Program (IEP) and any other plans for special services shall be developed for children identified as eligible in collaboration with the family, representatives from disciplines and organizations involved with the child and family, the child's health care provider, and the staff of the facility, depending on the family's wishes, the agency's resources, and state laws and regulations.
RATIONALE: For the IFSP, IEP, or any other needed or required special service plan to provide systematic guidance of the child's developmental achievement and to promote efficient service delivery, service providers from all of the involved disciplines/settings must be familiar with the overall multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary plans and work toward the same goals for the child. To be optimally effective, one comprehensive IFSP or IEP is developed and one care coordinator is designated to oversee implementation of the plan. If the parents choose to involve them, the child care providers should be partners in developing and implementing the IFSP or IEP to obtain the best possible evaluation and plan for the child within the child care facility
COMMENTS: Development and implementation of the IFSP or IEP is a team effort. The various aspects of planning include the input of the child care program in which the child is enrolled in the evaluation for eligibility for Part B or C, the development of IFSP/IEP, and the child care program's role in implementation. Components of the IFSP or IEP may include elements developed to meet service needs developed elsewhere, when applicable in the child care setting.
See Coordination and Documentation,
TYPE OF FACILITY
: Center; Large Family Child Care Home; Small Family Child Care Home
designation and role of staff person responsible for coordinating care
If a child has an
Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), the child care facility shall designate one person in the child care setting to be responsible for coordinating care within the facility and with any caregiver or coordinator in other service settings, in accordance with the written plan. Although this person may have other duties, the role of the designated person shall include:
a) Documentation of coordination;
b) Written communication with other care or service providers for the child, to ensure a coordinated, coherent service plan;
c) Sharing information about the plan, staff conferences, written reports, consultations, and other services provided to the child and family. Informed, written parental consent shall be sought before sharing this confidential information;
d) Ensuring implementation of the components of the plan that is relevant to the facility.
When the evaluators are not part of the child care staff, the lead agency shall develop a formal mechanism for coordinating reevaluations and program revisions. The designated staff member from the facility shall routinely be included in the evaluation process and team conferences.
RATIONALE: One person being responsible for coordinating all elements of services avoids confusion and allows easier and more consistent communication with the family. When carrying out coordination duties, this person is called a care coordinator or a service coordinator. Each child should have a care coordinator or service coordinator assigned at the time the service plan is developed.
With more than half of all mothers in the workforce, caregivers other than the parents (such as teachers, grandparents, or neighbors) frequently spend con-
siderable time with the children. These child care providers need to know and understand the aims and goals of the service plan; otherwise, program approaches will not carry over into the home environment.
This requirement does not preclude outside agencies or child care providers from having their own care coordinator, service coordinator, or case manager. The intent is to ensure communication and coor-
dination among all the child's sources of care, both in the facility and elsewhere in the community. The care coordinator or service coordinator does not have responsibility for directly implementing all program components but, rather, is accountable for checking to make sure the plans in the facility are being carried out, encouraging implementation of the service plan, and helping obtain or gain access to services.
A facility assuming responsibility for serving children with developmental disabilities, mental illness, or chronic health impairments must develop mechanisms for identifying the needs of the children and families and obtaining appropriate services, whether or not those children have an IEP/IFSP.
COMMENTS: Usually, the person who coordinates care or services within the child care facility will not be the person assigned to coordinate care or provide overall case management for the child and family. Nevertheless, the facility may assume both roles if the parents so request and state law permits. The components and the role may vary, and each facility will determine these components and roles, which may depend on the roles and responsibilities of the staff in the facility and the responsibilities assumed by the family and care providers in the community.
TYPE OF FACILITY:
Center; Large Family Child Care Home; Small Family Child Care Home
development of measurable objectives
The service plan for a child with special needs shall include long-range services aimed at enhancing and improving the child's health and developmental achievement, based on measurable, functional outcomes agreed to by the parent. Each functional outcome objective shall delineate the services, along with the designated responsibility for provision and financing.
With the assistance of the child's service coordinator, the child care provider shall contribute to the assessment of measurable outcome objectives (service plan) within the child care setting at least every three months, or more often if the child's or family's circumstances change, and shall contribute to a full, documented case review each year. Re-evaluations shall consider a self-assessment by the caregiver of the caregiver's competence to provide services that the child requires.
Service reviews shall involve the child care staff or persons providing the intervention and supervision, the parents, and any independent observers. The results of such evaluations shall be docu
mented in a written plan given to each of the child's caregivers and the child's family. Such conferences and lists of participants shall be documented in the child's health record at the facility.
Each objective shall include persons responsible for its monitoring.
RATIONALE: When measurable-outcome objectives form the basis for the service plan, the family and service providers jointly formulate the expected and desired outcomes for the child and family. By using measurable-outcome objectives rather than service units, all interested parties can concentrate on how well the child is achieving the outcome objectives. Thus, for example, progress toward speech development assumes more importance than the number of hours of speech therapy provided.
Further, measurable outcome objectives constitute an individualized approach to meeting the needs of the child and family and, as such, can be integrated into, but are not solely dependent upon, the array of services available in a specific geographic area. The measurable-outcome objectives will provide the facility with a meaningful framework for enhancing the child's health and developmental status on an ongoing basis.
Regularly scheduled reassessments of the outcome objectives provide the family and service providers with a framework for anticipating changes in the kind of services that may be needed, the financial requirements for providing the services, and identification of the appropriate service provider. The changing needs of children with disabilities do not always follow a predictable course. Ad hoc reevaluations may be necessitated by changes in circumstances.
COMMENTS: The defining of measurable objectives provides a useful structure for the caregiver and aids in assessing the child's progress and the appropriateness of components of the service plan. Though this principle should apply to all children in all settings, implementation, especially in small and large family child-care homes, will require ongoing assistance from, and participation of, specialists, including those connected with programs outside of the child care setting, to provide the needed services.
Many facilities that provide intervention services review the child's progress at least every 3 months. This is not a comprehensive review, but an interim analysis of the progress toward meeting objectives and to decide if any modifications are needed in the service plan and its implementation. Generally, the entire plan and the child's progress receive a comprehensive review annually. It is likely that caregivers will need training on development of goals and the means of assessing progress.
It is assumed that staff members who interact with the child will have the training described in Preservice Qualifications and Special Training,
STANDARD 1.007 through
STANDARD 1.022, and Training,
STANDARD 1.023 through
STANDARD 1.033, including child growth and development, and that these topics will extend their basic knowledge and skills to help them work more effectively with children who have special needs and their families. Caregivers should have a basic knowledge of what constitutes special needs, supplemented by specialized training for children with special needs. The number of hours offered in any inservice training program should be determined by the experience and professional background of the staff.
Training and other technical assistance can be obtained from the following sources:
a) American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP);
b) American Nurses' Association (ANA);
c) National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and its local chapters;
d) State and community nursing associations;
e) National therapy associations;
f) National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) and its local resource and referral agencies;
g) Federally funded University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service for individuals with developmental disabilities;
h) Other colleges and universities with expertise in training people to work with children who have special needs;
i) Community-based organizations serving people with disabilities (United Cerebral Palsy Associations, The ARC, Easter Seals, American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association, etc.)
The State-designated lead agency responsible for implementing IDEA may provide additional help. If the child has an IFSP, the lead agency will be responsible
for coordinating the review process. If the child has an IEP, the local education agency will be responsible for seeing that the review occurs. If not, a less formal evaluation process may need to be conducted.
Assessments may be the financial responsibility of the IDEA Part C State-designated lead agency. Funding available through implementation of IDEA Part C should provide resources to assist in implementing the IFSP.
See
STANDARD 8.052, for additional information on the documentation of child health records.
TYPE OF FACILITY:
Center; Large Family Child Care Home; Small Family Child Care Home
CONTRACTS AND REIMBURSEMENT
If a child with special needs has an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), the lead agency shall arrange and contract for specialized services to be conducted in the child care facility. If a child with special needs has an Individualized Education Program (IEP), the local education agency shall arrange and contract for specialized services to be conducted in the child care facility.
If the child or the specialized service is not covered by IEP/IFSP:
· The child care provider shall cover the cost when the service is reasonable and necessary for the child to participate in the program;
· The parent or source arranged by the parent shall cover the cost when the service is not a reasonable expectation of the child care provider or if it is provided while the child is in child care only for convenience and is separately billable (such as speech therapy).
RATIONALE: Child care facilities may have to collaborate with other service providers to meet the needs of a child and family, particularly if the number of children who require these services is too few to maintain the service onsite. To achieve maximum benefit from services, those services should be provided in the setting that is the most natural and convenient for the child and family. Whenever possible, treatment specialists (therapists) should provide these services in the facility where the child receives daytime care.
"Reasonableness" is a legal standard that looks at the impact of cost and other factors.
COMMENTS: The agency that has evaluated the child and/or is planning the entire service plan, or the facility, should make the arrangements. The specific methods by which these services will be coordinated with the child care facility is determined locally.
The facility should pursue the many funding mechanisms available to supplement funding for services in the facility. Even so, child care providers can and should discuss these options with the parents as potential sources of financial assistance for the needed accommodations. These sources might include:
a) Medicaid, including waiver funding (Title XIX);
b) Private health insurance;
c) State or federal funds for child care, education, or for Children with Special Health Care Needs
d) IDEA (particularly Part C funding);
e) Community resources (such as volunteers, lending libraries, free equipment available from community-based organizations);
f) Tax incentives (credit and deductions available under federal law to most for profit child care programs);
g) Local Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and other community development funding.
7.5 COORDINATION AND DOCUMENTATION
coordinating and documenting services
Services for all children shall be coordinated in a systematic manner so the facility can document all of the services the child is receiving inside of the facility and is aware of the services the child is receiving outside of the facility. If the parents of a child with special needs so choose, the facility shall be an integral component of the child's overall service plan.
RATIONALE: Coordination of services is a fundamental component in implementing a plan for care of a child with special needs. This is particularly true of the need to coordinate the medical care with specialized developmental services, therapies, and child care procedures in the facility.
COMMENTS: Children with Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) have a service coordinator; children with Individualized Education Programs (IEP) have a primary provider or other identified service coordinator. These are the contact persons within the local education agency or lead agency. This method of service coordination is consistent throughout all of the states under the IDEA. Child care providers need to become informed of how this system works and what their responsibilities are.
TYPE OF FACILITY:
Center; Large Family Child Care Home; Small Family Child Care Home
With the prior written, informed consent of the parent in the parent's native language, child care facilities may obtain written reports on Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) or Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), conferences, and treatments provided.
RATIONALE: This information is confidential and parental consent for release is required if the child care facility is to gain access to it. Written documentation ensures better accountability.
TYPE OF FACILITY:
Center; Large Family Child Care Home; Small Family Child Care Home
7.6 PERIODIC REEVALUATION
The care coordinator shall ensure that formal reevaluations of the child's functioning and health care needs in the child care setting and the family's needs are conducted at least yearly, or as often as is necessary to deal with changes in the child's or family's circumstances. This reevaluation shall include the parent and child care provider. Such conferences and lists of participants shall be documented in the child's health record at the facility.
RATIONALE: The changing needs of children with developmental disabilities do not follow a predictable course. A periodic, thorough process of reevaluation is essential to identify appropriate goals and services for the child. The child's primary health care provider and the program's health consultant should be involved in the development and reevaluation of the plan. A child's health is such an integral part of his or her availability to learn and to retain learned information that health/development-related information is critical for a complete review/reevaluation process to occur.
COMMENTS: Though regular intervention services are recommended for review at 3-month intervals, ad hoc reevaluations may be necessitated by changes in circumstances. See
STANDARD 7.008.
TYPE OF FACILITY:
Center; Large Family Child Care Home; Small Family Child Care Home
