Phillips details EI coordination and inclusion specialists
Phillips says every program received training on EI referrals, and inclusion specialists are available to support teachers and families. She notes no specific requests for children have been received yet.
That's a great question.
As we prepared for the expansion of 2K, that was a place where the team spent a considerable amount of time because it is different for two-year-olds than it is how we support three-year-olds and their families.
So every program received training in how to provide resources and referrals to families who might be experiencing some questions or some
wanting to look at their child's development.
So we made sure that we worked with EI at the Department of Health.
That's another partnership that we have to have with them to make sure that
all of our programs understood what that process would be and how they can support a child who might be receiving early intervention services or who might be a candidate for that.
We have inclusion specialists who are certified special education teachers who go out to all of the programs and are available to push in to provide any
consultation to teachers and programs who want support with families.
In terms of sort of the specific information that is confidential between the family and DOHMH and their providers of early intervention services, however, you know,
we are letting them know that our team is there to provide support if they have.
any families who are saying that they need that.
So far, I mean, the year is very early.
We have not received any requests for specific children, but it was, you know, training and information that we really front-loaded as we went into the year.