Resources

Professional Organizations

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC)
http://www.dec-sped.org
The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) is an international membership organization for those who work with or on behalf of young children with disabilities and other special needs.

Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
http://www.cec.sped.org
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
http://www.naeyc.org
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children, with particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8. NAEYC is committed to becoming an increasingly high performing and inclusive organization.

Government

Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts.

ED.Gov US Dept of Ed Building the Legacy IDEA 2004
http://idea.ed.gov/
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.

Infants and toddlers with disabilities (birth-2) and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth (ages 3-21) receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B.

Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)
http://education.state.mn.us
The Minnesota Department of Education strives to be an innovative education agency serving a wide range of customers: approximately 850,000 K-12 students and their families; 118,000 young children participating in a variety of early learning programs including Head Start and ECFE; 82,000 adult learners participating in adult education programs including GED and citizenship programs; Minnesota’s 339 school districts and over 52,000 licensed teachers.

Advocacy

PACER Center
http://www.pacer.org
The mission of PACER Center (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights) is to expand opportunities and enhance the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities and their families, based on the concept of parents helping parents.

ARC Greater Twin Cities (ARC)
http://www.arcgreatertwincities.org
Arc's Mission: To secure for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families the opportunity to realize their goals of where and how they live, learn, work and play.

Early Intervention, Education, and Support

MN Centers of Excellence
http://mncoe.org/
MN Centers of Excellence for Young Children with Disabilities is a state wide initiative designed for professional development. Professional development is focused in eight regions of the state with a regional ECSE Professional Development Facilitator who is responsible for coordinating the professional development efforts.

Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Resources

http://ectacenter.org/topics/inclusion/default.asp

Resources to support the Inclusion of Young Children with Disabilities.

Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Products

http://ectacenter.org/decrp/

Products to support the use of the DEC Recommended Practices.

Natural Resources
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~scpp/nat_allies/na_resources.cfm
Are you interested in quality materials on topics related to early childhood and early intervention? The Natural Resources listserv is one way to stay up- to-date with the latest free or low- cost booklets, CD-Roms, videos, Power Point presentations and other items. Subscribe to the Natural Resources listserv and receive weekly email announcements featuring a product that is available at no cost or very low cost. A short description combined with ordering information will give you the details you need to add another valuable resource to your own library.

Head Start Center for Inclusion
http://depts.washington.edu/hscenter/
Our overarching goal is to increase the competence, confidence, and effectiveness of personnel in Head Start programs to include children with disabilities. Look here for training materials, tools for teachers and coordinators, as well as other resources.

Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children (TACSEI)
http://www.challengingbehavior.org/
The Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children, also known as TACSEI, is a five-year grant made possible by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. TACSEI takes the research that shows which practices improve the social-emotional outcomes for young children with, or at risk for, delays or disabilities and creates FREE products and resources to help decision-makers, caregivers, and service providers apply these best practices in the work they do every day. Most of these free products are available right here on our website for you to view, download and use.

Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL)
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/

The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) is focused on promoting the social emotional development and school readiness of young children birth to age 5. CSEFEL is a national resource center funded by the Office of Head Start and Child Care Bureau for disseminating research and evidence-based practices to early childhood programs across the country.

Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Effective School-wide Interventions and Supports
http://www.pbis.org/

The TA Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports has been established by the Office of Special Education Programs, US Department of Education to give schools capacity-building information and technical assistance for identifying, adapting, and sustaining effective school-wide disciplinary practices.

Help Me Grow
http://www.helpmegrowmn.org/
An interagency initiative of the State of Minnesota (Department of Education, Department of Health and Department of Human Services) partnering with all local service agencies. This website provides trusted parenting information, resources, and activities to help your children grow, develop, and learn from birth through age five. Many materials are translated or presented in additional languages.