Children with Special Needs Work Group

The Children with Special Needs Work Group will convene to develop the next set of state policy recommendations to support young children, families and professionals. The Work Group will be comprised of researchers, community leaders, experts, parents, business leaders and others interested in improving the early education system for children ages birth to five with disabilities and special needs. The Work Group will begin its work at a kick-off meeting in January 2012.

A sampling of the issues the Work Group will address include:

• Lack of available child care, Head Start and public school pre-k options for this population;
• Dearth of professional development opportunities and the creation of learning standards for early education professionals working with this population;
• Under diagnosis of children living in poverty with disabilities or special needs;
• Impact of factors such as neurotoxins, maternal depression, premature birth rates, etc.;
• Lack of resources to fund proven, research-based initiatives;
• Strategies for parental engagement;
• Impact of health and nutrition on development;
• Best practices for transitions from birth-five settings to K-12 systems;
• Physical and mental health needs of this population; and
• Role of the commmunity in supporting child, family and professional success.

The Children with Special Needs Work Group is sponsored by Lakeshore Learning Materials .

If you are interested in serving as a member of the Work Group or providing information and feedback as a Work Group resource participant, please contact Kara Johnson at kjohnson@tecec.org or 512-476-7939.

Please check this site frequently for updates on the Work Group's activities.

Posted 11/1/11.