Massachusetts
State Highlights 04/01/09 to 01/31/10
The Massachusetts State Leadership Team currently has 41 members. The team represents five state-level departments, the Head Start Association, and four local Head Start/Early Head Start/Migrant Head Start programs. In addition, participants include selected community partners from public school preschool and early intervention programs; several parents of children with disabilities, including a parent who also serves on the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care Parent Advisory Team; Childcare Resource and Referral; the Massachusetts Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Project (MECCS), and the Perkins School for the Blind. Faculty at three community colleges and two universities are represented on the team. Five members of the original Expanding Opportunities Team continue to be active participants on the State Leadership Team.
The Massachusetts team is working on the following areas of focus:
- Vision/Mission/Core Values;
- Infrastructure;
- Strategies; and
- Professional Development.
Recent highlights of the Massachusetts State Leadership Team:
- The team stays connected between quarterly meetings through the use of a Listserv. Additionally, a newsletter is compiled before each meeting to update the State Leadership Team on statewide and community activities.
- A brochure describing the work of the State Leadership Team was developed and is being disseminated widely throughout the state.
- State Leadership Team members frequently present workshops at statewide early care and education/early intervention conferences and meetings.
- The State Leadership Team, along with the Department of Early Education and Care, sponsored a daylong Early Childhood Inclusion Symposium on May 1, 2009. The Symposium served as the launching of the SpecialQuest approach and materials to agencies and families from across the Commonwealth. Dan Habib, Director of the award-winning documentary film, Including Samuel, and Linda Brekken, Director of SpecialQuest Birth–Five, were keynote speakers. Workshops included the following:
- Higher Education Panel: Embedding SpecialQuest Materials into Professional Development and Coursework
- SpecialQuest Demonstration Project: The Fall River Team Shares the “Ins and Outs of Making it Work”
- Building Relationships with Families
- Building and Sustaining Inclusive Communities for Young Children with Disabilities and Their Families
- 34 participants attended a two-day SpecialQuest Intensive Professional Development event in August 2009. Participants were selected based on several criteria including their commitment to carry the SpecialQuest materials and approach forward in their respective agencies and communities. Individuals and teams that included service providers, IHE faculty, professional development providers, family members and administrators from a variety of early care and education programs wrote fifteen action plans. The State Leadership Team is currently developing a plan to support and connect with the participants of the Intensive.
- A parent who attended the SpecialQuest Intensive shared that, “…she entered the room as an individual, and left feeling like a part of something much larger…”
- A dean from a college in Massachusetts who attended the SpecialQuest Intensive commented at the conclusion of the event, “I have been teaching for 30 years, and you have changed my life…I will never teach the same way again…”
- The use of a joint IFSP/IEP form for children who have disabilities, ages birth–five is being explored.
- A CEU bearing distance course on inclusion that uses the SpecialQuest videos and activities has been developed and is being offered across the state.
- A statewide online professional development calendar is used by early care and education professionals and parents.
- An exchange system of credits for professional development has been established so that participants may attend cross-sector events and receive credit regardless of the license or credentialing system to which they belong.
- Massachusetts was highlighted in a presentation at the Annual OSEP Early Childhood Meeting in the District of Columbia in late 2008 and was featured in 2009 on a national Webinar jointly sponsored by NECTAC and SpecialQuest as part of a 619 Preschool series.
- SpecialQuest tracks will be offered at a three-day statewide conference in March including workshops in Spanish that will target family home proficers.
The SpecialQuest State Leadership Team Communities in Massachusetts are Citizens for Citizens Early Head Start in Fall River, Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Migrant Head Start in Springfield, and Cape Cod and Islands Early Childhood Intervention Program in Cape Cod. The communities receive quarterly site visits from the SpecialQuest Coaches. All three communities have strong partnerships with both Early intervention and public school special education programs and are implementing action plans around areas identified during the Community Perceptions of Inclusive Practices process. The communities serve as demonstration sites in which the SpecialQuest approach and materials, as well as other evidence-based practices are “tried out” in real life settings. Their experiences help inform the State Leadership Team as they work towards creating more inclusive opportunities for children and families in the Commonwealth.
Recent highlights of Citizens for Citizens Early Head Start:
- Leadership is emerging on the community team. Many team members are now actively involved and are working on different parts of the team action plan.
- The team has provided training at the Early Childhood Inclusion Symposium, Part C Conference, and other local, regional, and statewide events and conferences.
- Pilot projects underway include a universal referral form and a community-wide parent survey.
Recent highlights of Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Migrant Head Start:
- The team moved forward this year on sustaining the SpecialQuest vision.
- The team is implementing a community training using the SpecialQuest approach and materials. Successful collaboration took place with agencies in community. The team received an overwhelming response to training registration.
Recent highlights of Cape Cod and Islands Early Childhood Intervention Program:
- A local community college has embedded SpecialQuest in seven early education courses.
- The team conducted a community-wide training using the SpecialQuest approach and materials and modeled co-training with families.
- The team is exploring ways to document and write cross-sector procedures as a mechanism to ensure long-term sustainability.
State Summary 10/01/08 to 03/31/09
The State Leadership Team has been expanded to include an additional parent representative who also serves on the Massachusetts Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) and another Local Education Agency (LEA) preschool coordinator from one of the Team Communities. These two new members joined a large team representing five state-level departments, the Head Start Association, the Head Start State Collaboration Office, and four local Head Start/Early Head Start/Migrant Head Start programs. In addition, participants include selected community partners from public school preschool and early intervention programs; several parents of children with disabilities, including a parent who also serves on the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) Parent Advisory Team; Child Care Resource and Referral; the Perkins School for the Blind; and a technical assistance provider from the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC). There are eight State Leadership Team members who serve as faculty at three community colleges and two universities. Five members of the original Expanding Opportunities Team that pulled together the SpecialQuest proposal continue to be strong, vocal participants on the State Leadership Team.
The large size of the team continues to be an advantage by bringing multiple perspectives to the SpecialQuest work, as well as offering the challenge of maintaining cohesion and conveying the history of our work to new members as they come aboard. A Steering Committee was formed in Fall 2008 to coordinate the work of the State Leadership Team. A listserv helps keep team members connected between quarterly meetings. Additionally, a newsletter is compiled before each meeting to update the State Leadership Team on statewide and community activities. A brochure describing the work of the State Leadership Team in Massachusetts was developed and is being disseminated.
Massachusetts originally identified four areas of focus and developed action plans to address these areas:
- Vision/Mission/Core Values;
- Infrastructure;
- Strategies; and
- Professional Development.
The State Leadership Team has met quarterly since the National Leadership SpecialQuest in May 2008 in Dallas, Texas, to further define and operationalize the plans. Working groups were formed late in Summer 2008. Highlights of the many activities that are underway include embedding the SpecialQuest approach and materials in coursework offered by Institutions of Higher Education (IHE); developing a Professional Development Institute to offer reciprocal training for professionals and family members across systems; instituting a common referral form; moving forward a draft of the Massachusetts Interagency Agreement among Early Care, Health and Education Programs and Agencies in Massachusetts; and exploring the possibility of using a joint IFSP/IEP form for children who have disabilities, ages birth–five.
The State Leadership Team, along with the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), is sponsoring a day-long Early Childhood Inclusion Symposium on May 1. The Symposium will serve as the launching of the SpecialQuest approach and materials to agencies and families from across the Commonwealth. Dan Habib, Director of the award-winning documentary film, Including Samuel, and Linda Brekken, Director of SpecialQuest Birth–Five, will be keynote speakers in the morning. Workshops in the afternoon include the following:
- Higher Education Panel: Embedding SpecialQuest Materials into Professional Development and Coursework
- SpecialQuest Demonstration Project: The Fall River Team Shares the 'Ins and Outs of Making it Work'
- Building Relationships with Families
- Building and Sustaining Inclusive Communities for Young Children with Disabilities and Their Families
There are three SpecialQuest State Leadership Team Communities in Massachusetts. Two SpecialQuest graduate teams were selected during the application process: Citizens for Citizens Early Head Start in Fall River, and Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Migrant Head Start in Springfield. A third Community, Cape Cod/Barnstable, has embraced SpecialQuest in spite of not having the advantage of participating in Phase I or Phase II SpecialQuest events. All three communities have strong partnerships with both early intervention and public school special education programs and are implementing action plans around areas identified during the Community Perceptions of Inclusive Practices (CPIP) process. The communities serve as pilot sites in which the SpecialQuest approach and materials, as well as other evidence-based practices are “tried out” in real life settings. Their experiences help inform the State Leadership Team as they work towards creating more inclusive opportunities for children and families in the Commonwealth.
SpecialQuest Birth–Five has a strong presence in both Massachusetts and in the nation. State Leadership Team members frequently present workshops at statewide early childhood/early intervention conferences and meetings. Massachusetts was highlighted in a presentation at the Annual OSEP Early Childhood Meeting in the District of Columbia in late 2008 and will be featured on an upcoming national Webinar jointly sponsored by NECTAC and SpecialQuest as part of a 619 Preschool series.
State Summary 04/01/08 to 9/30/08
There are currently 41 members on the State Leadership Team representing five state-level departments, the Head Start Association, the Head Start State Collaboration Office, and four local Head Start/Early Head Start/Migrant Head Start programs. In addition, participants include selected community partners from public school preschool and early intervention programs; several parents of children with disabilities, including a parent who also serves on the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) Parent Advisory Team; Child Care Resource and Referral; the Perkins School for the Blind; a technical assistance provider from the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC); and the Head Start Quality Initiative in Region I. Additionally, there are eight State Leadership Team members who serve as faculty at three community colleges and two universities. Five members of the original Expanding Opportunities Team that pulled together the SpecialQuest proposal continue to be strong, vocal members of the State Leadership Team. The large size of the team has the advantage of bringing multiple perspectives to the SpecialQuest work, as well as challenges in maintaining cohesion and conveying the history of the work to new members as they come aboard.
Massachusetts originally identified four areas of focus and developed action plans to address these areas:
- Vision/Mission/Core Values;
- Infrastructure, Strategies;
- Strategies; and
- Professional Development.
The team has met twice since the National Leadership SpecialQuest in May 2008 in Dallas, Texas, to further define and operationalize the plans. Working groups were formed in late summer of 2008. Highlights of the many activities that are included in the action plans that are underway include embedding the SpecialQuest approach and materials in Institutes of Higher Education (IHE) courses; developing a Professional Development Institute to offer reciprocal training for professionals and family members across systems; instituting a common referral form; moving forward a draft of the Massachusetts Interagency Agreement Among Early Care, Health and Education Programs and Agencies in Massachusetts; developing a "Fact Sheet" about SpecialQuest Birth–Five in the Commonwealth; and exploring the possibility of using a joint IFSP/IEP form for children who have disabilities, ages birth–five.
There are three SpecialQuest State Leadership Team Communities in Massachusetts. Two SpecialQuest graduate teams were selected during the application process: Citizens for Citizens Early Head Start in Fall River, and Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Migrant Head Start in Springfield. A third Community, Cape Cod/Barnstable, has embraced SpecialQuest in spite of not having the advantage of participating in Phase I or Phase II SpecialQuest events. All three team communities have strong partnerships with both early intervention and public school special education programs and are developing action plans around areas identified during the Community Perceptions of Inclusive Practices (CPIP) process. The team communities have agreed to be demonstration sites in which the SpecialQuest approach and materials, as well as other evidence-based practices are "tried out" in real life settings. Their experiences will help inform the State Leadership Team as they work towards creating more inclusive opportunities for children and families in the Commonwealth. A strength in Massachusetts is the extensive participation of Institutes of Higher Education on both the state and local teams (mentioned above). A challenge is how to continue to move such a large team forward, especially in light of the impressive sweeping goals they wish to accomplish. A Steering Committee is being formed to ensure that this happens.