Wyoming
State Highlights 04/01/09 to 01/31/10
The Wyoming State Leadership Team currently has 18 members. The Wyoming team is focused on the following major areas:
- Public Awareness/Training;
- Public Awareness/Outreach; and
- Professional Development.
Recent highlights of the Wyoming State Leadership Team:
- The team developed a SpecialQuest brochure that was finalized in September 2009 and disseminated in Fall 2009. The brochure included the DEC/NAEYC Definition on Inclusion, which was recently adopted.
- A childcare technical assistance provider from Children’s Nutrition Services joined the State Leadership Team in October 2009 and reported doing a number of regional childcare trainings on inclusion for over 100 childcare providers across the state.
- Agency administrators from early intervention and childcare are planning a disabilities strand at the early care and education conference (Stand and Celebrate). This strand will provide training on the SpecialQuest approach and materials.
- The SpecialQuest State Leadership Team is strengthening the coordination between SpecialQuest and the Wyoming Partnership (Smart Start Initiative).
- The community teams have consistent representation at the State Leadership Team meetings. There is a standing agenda item at each meeting to share updates on their activities. In addition to the two communities, other SpecialQuest Graduate Communities in Wyoming participate at the State Leadership Team meetings to inform the team of their activities.
- The State Leadership Team is looking at ‘lessons learned’ from the Community Teams than can be shared and replicated across the state.
- The SpecialQuest Ambassador for Wyoming participates in conference calls with the Liaison and Coaches to identify issues and problem-solve solutions. She participated in the Wind River training in August 2009. She communicates with the SpecialQuest communities and shares regular updates at the State Leadership Team meetings.
The SpecialQuest State Leadership Team Communities in Wyoming are Shoshone and Arapaho Early Head Start/Head Start Program in Richmond, and Wyoming and Family Child Development, Inc. in Guernsey. The communities receive quarterly site visits from the SpecialQuest Coaches.
Recent highlights of Shoshone and Arapaho Early Head Start/Head Start Program:
- A two-day SpecialQuest training was held on the Wind River Reservation in August 2009. The SpecialQuest Coach and a SpecialQuest consultant worked collaboratively with the Early Head Start/Head Start staff to plan, implement, and evaluate the event. The Tribal Chair participated; the SpecialQuest Coach shared her family story; and there was an expert panel present that shared information from the various programs represented on the State Leadership Team, including health, special education, family support, and SpecialQuest.
Recent highlights of Wyoming and Family Child Development, Inc.:
- The team has embedded SpecialQuest in their monthly CDA trainings and continues to look at how to embed SpecialQuest in Early Childhood Mental Health training.
State Summary 10/01/08 to 03/31/09
The Wyoming State Leadership Team has had a few changes in team membership and is exploring additional representation. The team continues to benefit from the support and guidance of the Liaison in planning and implementing state and community activities, in collaboration with the SpecialQuest Coordinator and Coaches. There have been some challenges in getting everyone together and scheduling meetings. No SpecialQuest State Leadership Team meeting was held in the Winter 2008 quarter. While team members see each other in other state planning meetings, they have not met as SpecialQuest workgroups in between quarterly meetings.
The Co-Liaison and SpecialQuest Ambassador have continued to support the planning, problem solving, and implementation of SpecialQuest activities with the Liaison. The Liaisons participated in a national presentation on SpecialQuest with two other SpecialQuest State Leadership Teams at the National Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) meeting for the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) in November 2008. The State Liaison is also a member of the SpecialQuest Birth–Five Advisory Committee and attended the March 2009 meeting. In addition, the Wyoming SpecialQuest Ambassador has actively reached out to all of the SpecialQuest Graduate Team Communities and is supporting implementation of state- and community-level action plans.
State-Level Action Plans
- Public Awareness (updated November 2008).
- Professional Development (updated November 2008).
- Support for the two Graduate Team Community pilots (developed November 2008).
Wind River (Shoshone/Arapahoe) Community Action Plans
- Awareness by embedding the SpecialQuest approach and materials in staff training and parent meetings (updated February 2009).
- Training plan to strengthen relationships with Early Head Start/Head Start and community partners to identify strategies to support families to help meet their needs.
Wyoming Child and Family, Inc. Community Action Plans
- To embed the SpecialQuest approach and materials in Child Development Associate Credential (CDA) training (November 2008)
- To embed the SpecialQuest approach and materials in Mental Health training (November 2008)
The Wyoming State Leadership Team met for the fall on-site meeting in November 2008. Representatives from the new Smart Start Initiative, entitled Wyoming Partnerships, were invited to participate in the meeting. Representatives shared information on the new planning initiative and there was some discussion of where the SpecialQuest work on inclusion might intersect. Wyoming Partnerships were also present at the Region VIII Head Start conference in October 2008, where State Leadership Team members presented on SpecialQuest Birth–Five work in Wyoming, and the Wyoming Partnership shared information on their work.
Prior to the November meeting, State Leadership Team members reviewed sections of the SpecialQuest Multimedia Training Library, and then shared back how each could bring the SpecialQuest approach and materials from the SpecialQuest Multimedia Training Library into their work. State-level action plans were reviewed and updated with suggestions made for expanding state-level team membership and outreach regarding inclusion. One of the exciting opportunities to introduce the SpecialQuest materials was in Regional Trainings across the state, with child care providers. Eight of 11 regional trainings have been completed, for 127 participants to date, introducing inclusion and family support, for families from diverse cultural backgrounds. The childcare providers were introduced to the session on "Listening to Families," which includes "Family Voices" and "Aracelly and Elizabeth" videos at the Regional Trainings.
From the community level perspectives, Wind River and Wyoming Child and Family, Inc. Graduate Team Community members shared the results of their Community Perceptions of Inclusive Practices (CPIP) processes and distributed copies of the action plans they each developed. The State Leadership Team agreed to support the implementation of these action plans as pilots, with the hope that these activities could later be shared and replicated in other Wyoming communities. An additional state-level action plan was developed to support the specific pilot activities for both of these communities. 25 percent of the subaward money has been allocated to each of the two Graduate Team Communities to implement their plans; with SpecialQuest consultant resources allocated to support the Wind River training plans.
In February 2009, the Wind River community, with support from the SpecialQuest Coach, Coordinator, and Liaison, developed a more detailed plan for implementing SpecialQuest training across the reservation, within the three smaller tribal communities of Shoshone, Arapahoe and Ethete. Further planning will take place over the next few months to refine plans for the trainings to be held in August/September 2009.
The Wyoming Child and Family, Inc. Graduate Team Community members, with support from the SpecialQuest Coach, have explored ways to embed the SpecialQuest materials and approach in their community CDA and Mental Health trainings. They have accessed subaward monies for stipends to support participation of Early Head Start/Head Start staff and childcare providers beyond their typical work hours.
State Summary 04/01/08 to 9/30/08
The State Leadership Team in Wyoming currently has 19 members. Five team members are also family members of persons with disabilities. Three team members are SpecialQuest graduates and five Early Head Start/Head Start programs have representation on the team. Membership on the State Leadership Team is composed of key players who are committed to the SpecialQuest Birth–Five activities. There are a small number of people doing this work in the state, so the relationships among the members and their commitment to the entire process are key. Two quarterly meetings of the full State Leadership Team took place in April and June.
In June of 2008, one action plan, developed at the National Leadership SpecialQuest focusing on Guiding Principles, was replaced with a plan on Public Awareness, since the original focus did not adequately represent the team’s intent. A second plan on Professional Development was also developed in June 2008. Professional development activities include learning more about the SpecialQuest Multimedia Training Library and resources; reviewing and revising the STARS Core Knowledge competencies; and piloting the cross-agency professional development work, using the SpecialQuest approach, materials, and resources, with the two targeted graduate communities on the State Leadership Team. The team has begun implementation of their action plan steps.
Team members who bring the family perspective have played a valuable role in state meetings and at the National Leadership SpecialQuest in May 2008 in Dallas, Texas. During meetings, family members on the team who have children or siblings with disabilities shared their personal stories that contributed positively to the motivation and inspiration about inclusion for this team.
The two SpecialQuest State Leadership Team Communities are Shoshone/Arapaho Early Head Start/Head Start in Fort Washakie, and Wyoming Child and Family Development, Inc., in Casper. These two communities are working to expand the SpecialQuest approach birth-five and complete the Community Perceptions of Inclusive Practices annually. The communities receive quarterly site visits from the SpecialQuest Coaches and are represented on the State Leadership Team.