YEC
Vol. 12, No. 3, June 2009 YOUNG EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN 15
DOI: 10.1177/1096250609332306http://yec.sagepub.com
© 2009 Division for Early Childhood
Diane M. Branson, PhD, CCC-SLPAnn Bingham, PhDUniversity of Nevada
Using Interagency Collaborationto Support Family-CenteredTransition Practices
Harry’s mother, Lanie, looked around thetable at all of the professionals who hadcome together to write Harry’sIndividualized Education Plan (IEP):Harry’s service coordinator, the schooldistrict preschool coordinator, the earlychildhood preschool consultant, the childcare center director, Harry’s child care
provider, and his physical therapist. Shereflected back on the preparations thathad led to this meeting: There weremultiple conversations with Harry’s servicecoordinator, a parent transition planningworkshop sponsored by the school districtthat Lanie attended 3 months ago, andvisits to several school district preschool
programs to learn more about thecontinuum of services available forpreschoolers. Lanie had initially dreadedthinking about Harry’s transition at age 3;however, now that the time was closer,Lanie felt confident that both she andHarry were ready for any changes theymight encounter.
The transition from earlyintervention to earlychildhood special education
is only one of the many transitions
that children with disabilities andtheir families will face throughouttheir lives (Individuals withDisabilities Education Act, 2004).
Transition from EI to
ECSE at age 3 involves
more than just a change
in the location where
services are delivered for
children and families—it
involves a change in
services systems.
“
”
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This transition, however, can beparticularly difficult for children andparents (Hanson et al., 2000). Forsome parents, it happens quite soonafter they first learn that their childhas a disability or at a time whenthey have just begun to understandthe long-term consequences of theirchild’s diagnosis. These difficultieshave sparked a growing concern forspecial educators. This articledescribes how interagencycollaborations among the earlyintervention (EI) agency, the localeducation agency (LEA), andcommunity preschools can result insystem-level changes that supportfamily-centered transition practicesfor families with children who aretransitioning from early intervention(Part C) to early childhood specialeducation (Part B) at age 3.
Transition from EI to earlychildhood special education (ECSE)at age 3 involves more than just achange in the location whereservices are delivered for childrenand families—it involves a changein services systems (Hanson et al.,2000). The philosophy and servicedelivery models employed underPart C and Part B agencies aredifferent. Both systems areinfluenced by laws, regulations,policies, and procedures that affectthe way the system interacts withchildren and their families. As such,EI views the family as the focus ofintervention, whereas ECSE viewsthe child’s educational,developmental, and functionalneeds as the focus of specialeducation.
Children with disabilities andtheir families are likely to experienceboth vertical (e.g., moving from thehospital to EI to early childhoodservices across time) and horizontal
(e.g., the family’s involvement inmultiple service agencies during thesame time period, such as child care,ECSE, and outpatient rehabilitationservices) transitions throughout theirlives (Kagan, 1992). This article willfocus on vertical transitions,specifically, those that occur whenchildren transition from EI to ECSE.
Rice and O’Brien (1990)described transitions as “points ofchange in services and the personnelwho coordinate and provideservices” (p. 2). A well-plannedtransition is a process that ensuresservice continuity, reduces familydisruptions, and prepares childrenfor their program placements inaddition to meeting legalrequirements (Wolery, 1989).There is evidence that a child’sadjustment to a new environmentfollowing a transition has bothimmediate and long-rangeconsequences. In the short term, achild’s ability to adjust within acritical window of time, identified as4 to 12 weeks (Rous, Harbin, &McCormick, 2006), affects thechild’s ability to actively engage inthe new environment and tocontinue along his or herdevelopmental trajectory.
To appreciate the complexity oftransition issues, it helps to viewthem from broader theoreticalperspectives provided byBronfenbrenner’s bioecologicalsystems model and thecomprehensive transition conceptualframework presented by Rous,Hallam, Harbin, McCormick, andJung (2007). Bronfenbrenner’sbioecological systems model(Bronfenbrenner, 1979;Bronfenbrenner & Evans, 2000;Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 1998)emphasizes that a child’s
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development is influenced by theinteractions between the child, hisor her immediate (e.g., home, childcare center) and distal (e.g.,community, societal) environmentalcontexts, and the timing of theparticular process (e.g., transition)being investigated.
Rous and colleagues (2007)combined ecological(Bronfenbrenner, 1979) andorganizational theory (Shafritz, Ott,& Jang, 2005) to develop atransition framework that describeshow the complex interaction ofmultiple systems (e.g., individualproviders, programs, servicesystems, and state systems) caninfluence the transition process.
The first level of the frameworkoffered by Rous and colleagues(2007) explains how specificelements of the ecological contextinfluence a child’s and family’stransition experience. According tothese authors, a child’s successfultransition to the next environment isrelated to several factors, including(a) the child’s individualcharacteristics, such as disabilitytype and developmental skills; (b)family factors that affect a family’sability to participate in thetransition process, such as ethnicdiversity, family structure, economicresources; and (c) communityfactors, such as demographics,resources available, and the valuethe community places on childdevelopment (Harbin, McWilliam,& Gallagher, 2000). Four variableswithin the community that maydirectly influence transition practicesinclude (a) provider variables (e.g.,educational background, experiencewith transitioning children andfamilies), (b) individual programfactors (e.g., program policies and
procedures related to transition),(c) service system factors (e.g., howearly childhood services areorganized within a specificcommunity), and (d) state factors(e.g., which state agencies areresponsible for programs for youngchildren with disabilities, stateresources to support effectivetransition practices).
The second level of the Rouset al. (2007) transition frameworkillustrates how interagencyinteractions are directly related to achild and family’s preparation forand adjustment to the transitionprocess. The three criticalinteragency variables identified inthe model include (a)communication and relationshipsamong the child, family, serviceproviders, and agencies within thecommunity; (b) supportiveinteragency infrastructure andalignment; and (c) continuitybetween service delivery systems.
Effective transition practices aredesigned to prepare the child andfamily to successfully adjust to thenew environment within a minimalperiod of time to maximize positivechild outcomes (Rous et al., 2007;Rous & Hallam, 2006). Rous andcolleagues (Rous et al., 2007; Rous& Hallam, 2006) suggest that threeinterdependent child outcomes—engagement, adaptation, andcontinued developmental growth—should result from effectivetransition processes. Transitionpractices are considered effectivewhen the result is that a child is ableto interact appropriately with theadults, peers, and materials in thenew environment. McWilliam andBailey (1992) refer to this skill as“child engagement.” Childengagement is associated with
Family-Centered Transition / Branson, Bingham
Effective transition
practices are designed to
prepare the child and
family to successfully
adjust to the new
environment within a
minimal period of time to
maximize positive child
outcomes.
“
”
Vignette 1: Same Classroom,Same Service DeliveryModel, Different Provider
Harry was born with a raregenetic disorder. The constellationof anomalies caused by thissyndrome meant multiplesurgeries during his first 3 years oflife. Harry’s mother, Lanie, worksfull-time and Harry has attendedan on-site child care center at herworkplace since he was 12 weeksof age. Harry and his familyreceived EI services at the childcare center. His physical therapistand service coordinator metweekly with his mother and histeachers at the center to plan forand to monitor Harry’s progresstoward his Individualized FamilyService Plan (IFSP) outcomes.When the transition meeting washeld 90 days before Harry turned3 years old, the school districtpreschool coordinator describedseveral options for services forHarry but recommended heattend a self-contained
developmental preschool locatedat a local elementary school. Laniehated the idea; she dreaded havingto explain all of Harry’s physicalissues to staff at a new program,and she questioned theeducational benefit of Harry’sleaving his peers and the naturallearning opportunities at his childcare center to go to a self-contained developmentalclassroom. Harry’s IFSP outcomesincluded learning to move aroundthe classroom independently,learning to eat independentlyusing utensils, and joining hispeers in play. Lanie felt Harrycould continue to work on thesegoals at his child care center. Theschool district preschoolcoordinator listened to Lanie’sconcerns and her hopes forHarry’s transition, and hepromised to invite the child caredirector to Harry’s IEP meeting sothat plans could be made toprovide Part B services in the childcare center after Harry turned 3years old.
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transition practices that help a childadapt quickly to the structure andculture of the new setting.Adaptation and engagement to thenew setting are interrelated anddirectly affect the child’sdevelopmental growth.
Three vignettes illustrate howinteragency collaboration among anEI agency, LEA, and three differentcommunity preschools can be usedto support transition practices thatlead to seamless, stress-freetransition for children and families.
Lanie’s concerns about the LEA’soriginal plans to transition Harry toa self-contained class were justified.
Harry had developed meaningfulrelationships with his teachers andhis peers in his community childcare setting, and he had madeprogress towards his IFSP outcomesin that context.
Family-CenteredPractices
Family-centered practicesencourage EI and ECSE professionalsto empower parents to participatefully in decisions about their child’sservices, to strengthen family
functioning by building on bothinformal and formal communitysupports, and to provide services thatare flexible and individualized(Dunst, Trivette, & Deal, 1994b;Pletcher & McBride, 2000; Trivette& Dunst, 2005). It might have beeneasier for school district personnel totransition Harry into an establishedclass in the school district, but theECSE and EI personnel understoodthe importance of honoring Lanie’spreferences for placement and thebenefits of building on theestablished community support thatHarry’s child care center provided forthe family.
Interagency Supports
Important interagency supportsinclude interagency agreements thatdelineate roles and responsibilities,activities that encouragecommunication and relationshipsamong agency personnel, and policiesthat support continuity andalignment between the sending andreceiving programs (Hadden &
Fowler, 2000; Rous & Meyers,2006). Rous and Hallam (2006)recommend that interagencyagreements include three majorcomponents: (a) a description of theactions, roles, and responsibilities ofeach agency and agency personnel;(b) clarification of the financial andresource commitment of each agency;and (c) the specific time line forwhich the agreement is in effect.Harry’s child care center, his EIagency, and the LEA had developedan informal partnership that includeda brief interagency agreement. Thisinteragency agreement was developedjointly by all three groups andrefined during a period of severalyears. Table 1 provides an exampleof some of the specifics covered inthe interagency agreement. Thisagreement allowed the servicedelivery method, location of services,and primary care providers for Harryto remain the same. Cross-agencylinkages can serve to expand theoptions that are available to childrenand families during the transitionprocess (Rous & Hallam, 2006).
Several different kinds oftransition supports assisted Harryand his family in successfullytransitioning from EI to ECSEservices. Transition planning beganwell before Harry’s 3rd birthday,allowing team members to exploredifferent placement options. Lanieattended parent training classes ontransition procedures and herparental rights related to transitionthat empowered her to take anactive role in transition planning,and an interagency agreement waswritten between the participatingagencies to facilitate a smoothtransition. These and othertransition supports illustrated inVignette 1 are presented in Table 2.
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Table 1Interagency Agreements for Agencies That Serve Harry in Vignette 1, With an Example of Agreements That SupportEffective Transition Practices
Community ChildEI Services Agency Local School District Care Center Family
Note: EI = early intervention; IEP = Individualized Education Plan; ECSE = early childhood special education; IFSP = Individual Family Service Plan.
Transitionconference
Initial IEPcommittee
Placementsupports
Responsible for developingand implementingtransition plan to providefamily support and toprepare the child fortransition to Part Bservices
Participates in IEP meeting
Provides both formal andinformal training to childcare center staff tofacilitate inclusion ofchildren with disabilitiesProvides written progressnotes with suggestions forfollow-up to both childcare staff and parents
EI staff model interventionstrategies and providefeedback to child care staffon their implementation ofspecific interventionstrategies (e.g., time delay,creating opportunities,mand-model)
Attends transition meetingand participates inpreparing child fortransition to Part Bservices
Schedules and conducts IEPmeeting
Provides both formal andinformal training to childcare staff (EI/ECSE maychoose to co-train childcare staff)
Provides written progressnotes with suggestions forfollow-up
Models interventionstrategies
Participates in meeting,when appropriate, toshare information aboutchild’s functioning incurrent setting and todiscuss transition plans
Participates as appropriate
Agrees to follow countychildcare licensingregulations
Maintains good childcarequality standards asmeasured by the EarlyChildhood EnvironmentalRating Scale–Revised(Harms, Clifford, & Cryer,1998)
Participates in collaborativeconsultation meetingswith EI/ECSE staffProvides child practiceopportunities on IFSP/IEPgoals during dailyactivities.
Gives permission andparticipates fully intransition plan
Gives permission andparticipates fully in IEPdevelopment process
Chooses child care center fortheir child
Reads progress notes andprovides follow-up forchild and home
Table 2Transition Practices That Support Families and Link Families
Parents need to be fully informed about transition issues to be active participants. This can be accomplished in several ways (Rous & Hallam, 2006):• Parent training and informational meetings about transition laws and regulations, early childhood service delivery models, and strategies for
supporting the child’s adjustment to new settings• Parent-to-parent support groups that pair parents whose children have already transitioned to ECSE services with parents whose children are
getting ready to transition• Written information about transition procedures that are accessible to parents (e.g., written in several languages in addition to English,
available both in print copies and on the agency Web site)Use family-centered practices, such as listening to parent concerns and then working with parents to collaboratively identify solutions.Use a family’s informal supports to link EI and ECSE services for a child. These informal supports might include the child’s community child care
staff, a Head Start program, or extended family members.Write an interagency agreement between all the participating agencies. These agreements help the child’s smooth transition by clearly delineat-
ing each agency’s roles and responsibilities during transition.The Part C service coordinator can support families through the transition process by providing information, resource and emotional support to
parents.
Note: EI = early intervention; ECSE = early childhood special education.
Vignette 2: Transition WithinColocated Programs
When Jacob’s 3rd birthdaywas still more than 6 monthsaway, his mother, Trudy, startedworrying about the changes thatshe and Jacob would face. Trudyis a single mother and Jacob is anonly child. Trudy rememberedhow many weeks it took Jacob tofeel comfortable when he wasoriginally enrolled in the toddlerclass at the E. F. Dailey ChildcareCenter. Jacob has autismspectrum disorder (ASD), so anychanges in his routine aredifficult for him. Trudy, togetherwith teachers at the center andJacob’s EI team, had worked hardto get Jacob to the point wherehe could participate in toddlerclass activities without an adultshadowing him. Trudyappreciated the support shereceived at the E. F. DaileyChildcare Center, and she couldnot imagine having to start allover with a new agency and anew program just because Jacobwas going to turn 3 years old.She spoke to Jacob’s service
coordinator about her concerns,and plans were made to conveneJacob’s transition meeting withthe local school district thefollowing month.
The school district preschoolcoordinator, Jacob’s servicecoordinator, and Trudy attendedthe transition meeting, where thefollowing plans were written toprepare Jacob and Trudy forJacob’s transition: (a) Jacob’seligibility and IEP meeting wouldbe held 1 month prior to his 3rdbirthday, ensuring that the planwould be in place once he turned3 years old; (b) every effortwould be made to keep Jacob atthe E. F. Dailey Childcare Center,where he could transition intothe preschool classroom; (c)Jacob would be givenopportunities to visit his newclassroom frequently in theweeks prior to his 3rd birthday;and (d) the sending infant-toddler teachers and receivingpreschool teachers would meet todiscuss effective strategies forhelping Jacob understand theexpectations and routines in hisnew classroom.
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Transitions are difficult for mostyoung children, and they seem to beparticularly difficult for childrenwith ASD (Koegel & Koegel, 2006;Lord, Risi, Lambrecht, & Cook,2000). Children with ASD havedifficulty generalizing across settingsand often need individualizedenvironmental and curricularadaptations. These factorscontribute to this population’s
increased risk for experiencing astressful and difficult transition(Fox, Dunlap, & Cushing, 2002;Mesibov, Shea, & Schopler, 2004).Continuity across programs,curricula, and personnel leads to amore successful transition (Atwater,Orth-Lopes, Elliot, Carta, &Schwartz, 1994; Sainato &Morrison, 2001). There is evidenceof a critical window of time for a
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child’s adjustment to a new programto positively affect the child’sgrowth and development (Cryeret al., 2005; Rous & Hallam, 2006;Rous, Harbin, & McCormick,2006). Rous and colleagues (2007)suggest that the critical window oftime for a child to adjust and beginactively engaging in the newenvironment is between 4 and 12weeks, depending on how muchtime the child spends in the newenvironment each week. Jacob wasable to transition from the infant-toddler classroom, where aconsultant from the EI agencyworked with him and his teachers,to the preschool classroom at thesame facility. In the preschoolclassroom, an ECSE teachercotaught the preschool class.Because he was able to stay at thesame preschool, Jacob’s period ofadjustment to his new program wasminimized.
IndividualizedTransition Supports
A hallmark of family-centeredservices is the provision of supportsfor the child and family that areflexible, individualized, andresponsive to child and family needs(Dunst et al., 1994b; Pletcher &McBride, 2000). Individualizedtransition planning requires EI andECSE staff to consider both familyand child factors during bothvertical and horizontal transitionprocesses. Family culture, income,resources, and family composition(e.g., foster families, single parents)influence a family’s participation ineducational activities. For example,
Trudy’s status as a single motherhad not interfered with herinvolvement in Jacob’s EI program,but it did affect her stress level andneed for emotional support fromeducation staff. Individual childfactors that should be consideredinclude disability type and severitylevel as well as experience using theskills needed in the next setting.Researchers recommend thatchildren participate in a variety ofindividualized activities to preparethem for transitions (Forest,Horner, Lewis-Palmer, & Todd,2004; Pianta & Kraft-Sayre, 2003).One successful strategy forpreparing children with ASD fortransitions has been coined“identify-observe-explore” (Stoner,Angell, House, & Bock, 2007,p. 32). This is a three-step, parent-developed process that involvesidentifying potentially difficulttransitions, allowing the child toobserve the transition setting duringa time of low stress (e.g., a timewhen no demands are placed on thechild), and allowing the child toexplore the setting before thetransition actually occurs. Jacob’stransition team, including his EIservice coordinator, mother, and theECSE teacher, met to discusspotential transition challenges forJacob. This team anticipated thatJacob would need help feelingcomfortable in the newenvironment and understanding theclass schedule and teacherexpectations. To address theseconcerns, Jacob began visiting hisnew classroom with his EI servicecoordinator and a peer buddy 4weeks before his 3rd birthday.Teachers in the preschool classroom
Family-Centered Transition / Branson, Bingham
f
Table 3Transition Practices That Support a Child’s Individual Needs
Consider family factors (family composition, emotional support needs) as well as child factors (disability, severity of needs, need for adaptations)when individualizing the transition process for families.
Prepare the child for the transition by using the “identify-observe-explore” strategy (Stoner, Angell, House, & Bock, 2007). This involves identify-ing potential transition challenges ahead of time, allowing the child to observe the new setting during a time of low stress (e.g., no demandsplaced on the child), and allowing the child to explore the new setting before the transition occurs.
Prepare the environment with visual supports (e.g., the child’s daily schedule, choice boards, and task organizers) prior to the child’s transition. Itis particularly helpful to use the same visual supports that were used in the EI setting in the ECSE setting.
Sending and receiving teachers need to communicate about the child’s individualized needs before the child makes the transition. Ideally, theECSE teacher in addition to the Part B administrator should attend the transition meeting. This would allow the ECSE teacher to talk aboutthe developmental and behavioral expectations in the next setting and for all the participants to discuss ways to prepare the child in advanceof the transition. Examples of written communication between the two programs might include• Copy of recent assessment reports• Copy of updated Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP)• Child Summary Form completed by the sending teacher that lists the child’s strengths, needs, and learning style and suggestions for
classroom adaptations.Examine ways to maintain continuity for the child and family. Colocation of Part C and Part B programs is one way that this can be achieved.
When colocation of programs is not possible, programs can support continuity by attempting to more closely align the curricular content andtypes of learning experiences planned for children in both programs.
Note: EI = early intervention; ECSE = early childhood special education.
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created the same visual supports(e.g., daily schedule, choice board,and task organizer) that had beenused successfully in the infant-toddler classroom. These visualsupports were used with Jacob ashe began participating in a limitednumber of classroom activities priorto his official transition date.
The gradual transition andadvance classroom preparation,coupled with the fact that many ofhis peers from the infant-toddlerclassroom were also transitioning tothe preschool classroom,contributed to Jacob’s successfultransition. Hanson et al. (2000)report that good communicationbetween sending and receivingprograms helps facilitate positivetransitions for children and families.
The easy access that sendingteachers had to the receivingteachers working at the same centerallowed for frequent meetings todiscuss how best to support Jacob’stransition. In addition to the verbalexchange of information, Jacob’sinfant-toddler teachers alsoprepared a Child Summary Formfor Jacob. This form outlinedJacob’s strengths, areas of need,preferred activities, ideas forclassroom adaptations, and a list ofsupport services he was receiving.Verbal and written communicationbetween program staff can helpfacilitate a smoother transition foryoung children. Ideas forindividualizing the transitionprocess based on child and familyneeds are described in Table 3.
Family-Centered Transition / Branson, Bingham
Vignette 3: Preparation forthe Next Environment
Mariluz received home-basedservices through her state’s EIservices for the first 30 monthsof her life. These servicesconsisted of weekly home visitsby a Spanish interpreter anddevelopmental specialist whopartnered with Mariluz’s familyto provide opportunities for herto work on communication,cognitive, and adaptive skillsthat were delayed as a result ofDown syndrome. A speech-language pathologist consultedwith the family anddevelopmental specialist onetime a month. When Mariluzreached 30 months, her motherCorazon began to worry abouthow Mariluz, an only child,would adjust to attending apreschool program provided bythe local school district. One ofCorazon’s concerns was thatMariluz, who had spent all ofher time at home with herparents, would not know how tointeract with other children.Another big issue was Corazon’sconcerns about Mariluz’sseparation from her mother.Because the family had noextended family members withwhom Corazon would have feltcomfortable leaving her child,Mariluz often exhibited strangeranxiety when approached byunfamiliar adults. Corazonexpressed concerns that Mariluzwould have difficulty following
a structured preschool routinebecause her only consistentenvironment had been the familyhome. The family’s languagebarrier and discomfort withMariluz’s disabilities had limitedthe social interactionopportunities Mariluz mighthave had in the community.
During a home visit, Corazonvoiced her concerns to herservice coordinator. A decisionwas made to convene a transitionmeeting with the local schooldistrict to establish a plan thatwould prepare Corazon andMariluz for the upcomingtransition. The servicecoordinator asked Corazonabout any friends or serviceproviders who should be invited,which allowed Corazon to feelthat she was valued as an activeparticipant in the transitionmeeting. Corazon indicated thatshe would like to invite herfriend, Pilar, as well as theSpanish interpreter,developmental specialist, andspeech-language pathologist whohad been providing homeintervention services.
Two weeks later, when thetransition meeting was convened,Corazon was surrounded byfamiliar people. As she addressedher apprehension with the schooldistrict preschool coordinator, shewas surrounded by familiarprofessionals and a trusted friend,who helped devise a plan tocreate a smooth transition forboth Corazon and Mariluz.
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Children who are transitioningto new environments need to beprepared prior to the transition.Learning functional skills that allowthe child to participateindependently in the new settingrelieves tension for the child and hisor her family and results in thechild’s faster integration into thenew setting (Allen & Schwartz,2001; Blasco, 2001). While Mariluzwas still receiving EI services, aninteragency agreement establishedbetween the Part C EI agency andseveral community child caresettings provided options toMariluz’s family. Mariluz’s IFSPteam met and revised her IFSP tochange service delivery from home-based services to consultative EIservices provided at Little LambsChildcare Center and added a newIFSP outcome to address separationissues and socialization with peers.
They chose to have Mariluz begin toreceive her EI services at LittleLambs Childcare because it waslocated close to the family home andwas a culturally and linguisticallydiverse preschool. Spanish is theprimary language spoken inMariluz’s home and Corazon washappy to learn that the bilingualstaff at Little Lambs honored theHispanic culture through theinclusion of representative songs,books, and food.
The Role of CulturalSensitivity in ProvidingFamily-CenteredServices
Cultural and linguisticdifferences can affect a child’slearning and peer interactions. Thesefactors can also affect a family’sability to participate in services(Bruns & Fowler, 2001; Hanson &Zercher, 2001). It is important forservice providers to develop cross-cultural competence, defined byLynch and Hanson (2004) as “theability to think, feel, and act in waysthat acknowledge, respect, and buildupon ethnic, [socio-] cultural, andlinguistic diversity” (p. 425). Serviceproviders must be sensitive tocultural differences to providefamily-centered services. Mariluz’stransition team demonstratedrespect for the family’s culturaland linguistic differences byproviding an interpreter at allmeetings and home visits and bysuggesting a preschool thatembraced cultural diversity.
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Child care providers at LittleLambs helped both Corazon andMariluz with their initialseparations by encouragingCorazon to stay with Mariluz. AsMariluz increased her interactionwith peers and toys, Corazongradually increased her distanceaway from her daughter. Thisgradual introduction to thepreschool reassured Corazon thatMariluz was in a safe, supportiveenvironment. Mariluz’sfamiliarity with her servicecoordinator, who visited thecenter to deliver her EI services,also eased her transition, becausethe service provider was afamiliar adult.
Mariluz learned many skills atLittle Lambs that would latercontribute to her “schoolsocialization.” Among manyother activities during her 3-month placement in this setting,she experienced center times,lunches, and visits to the gym.Each activity enabled Mariluz to
practice new skills. During circletime, she learned to sit in a chairclose to other children. Sheenjoyed socializing with others asthey listened to stories, clappedto music, and sang songs. Atlunchtime, Mariluz waited for herturn to be served, learned to pourjuice from a small pitcher, andcleaned up by taking her paperplate and cup to the wastebasket.Walking from her toddlerclassroom to the center gym gaveMariluz the opportunity to lineup with her friends and walk in aline to the gym, a skill neededwhen she was subsequentlyplaced in the local educationdistrict’s developmentalpreschool. Functional social andbehavioral skills, such as thoseMariluz was learning, have beenidentified by kindergartenteachers as more important thanacademic skills for a successfultransition (Atwater et al., 1994;Rous, Hemmeter, & Schuster,1999; Wolery, 1999).
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An overarching benefit ofMariluz’s placement at Little Lambswas socialization with other childrenher age. Although her play skillswere not as developed as those ofsome other children in the center,Corazon was excited to see Mariluzplay in proximity to her new friendsand respond to their overtures.During her visits, the Part C servicecoordinator facilitated Mariluz’ssocial communication skills asMariluz gradually began to initiateinteraction with her peers. Theteacher in the toddler room watchedas this facilitation was modeled and
then began using the sametechniques to support Mariluz atother times. Table 4 summarizes thetransition activities that supportcultural sensitivity and preparechildren to participate in the nextsetting as illustrated in this vignette.
Building communitycapacity
The vignettes described aboveillustrate ways in which family-centered practices and interagencycollaborations can facilitate
transitions from EI (Part C) servicesto ECSE (Part B) services. The keyingredients in each of the vignetteswere use of family-centeredpractices and the contribution ofthe community child care settingsand personnel. These child caresettings provided the link betweenPart C and Part B services, whichallowed Harry to enjoy continuityof placement and caregiver andservice delivery, Jacob to benefitfrom a gradual transition from theinfant-toddler classroom to thepreschool classroom with his peercohort group, and Mariluz to learnskills that prepared her for thetransition from home-basedservices to a structured preschoolsetting.
Building communityinfrastructure for transitionpractices that support continuity ofservices for children is critical (Rouset al., 2007). This infrastructureincludes Part C and Part B policiesand procedures that encourageinteragency collaboration,
commitment from all agenciesinvolved to support thecollaborative efforts, adequateresources to provide staff training,and time for relationship buildingand communication (Johnson, Zorn,Lamontagne, & Johnson, 2003).Building this infrastructure canbegin with either the EI agency orthe LEA partnering with communitychild care centers or preschools.Interagency collaboration increasesinclusive education options forchildren transitioning to preschoolservices. It affords the benefit ofseamless transitions for somechildren and families. An additionalbenefit is the maximization ofpersonnel, training, and servicedelivery resources for allparticipating groups. Part C andPart B program coordinators canpool resources and provide jointtraining sessions to community childcare providers. These trained childcare providers can serve as partnersin inclusive settings for both EI andECSE agencies.
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Table 4Transition Practices That Are Culturally Sensitive and Prepare the Child for the Next Environment
Develop cross-cultural competencies when working with families from diverse cultures. Learn more about a child’s culture by providingopportunities for the family to share culture-specific information in nonthreatening ways (e.g., asking the family to share a favorite food or afamily routine or tradition).
Ensure that families are able to participate fully in discussions by always providing a language interpreter. Do not assume that someone whospeaks some English is able to understand information provided during a transition meeting or that the parent will be able to formulatequestions he or she may want to ask without help from an interpreter.
Build the agency’s cultural diversity capacity by networking with community resources. Consult with organizations that serve particular culturaland ethnic groups to learn how to make agency policies and procedures more culturally sensitive. For example, a cultural consultant couldhelp an agency understand the importance of scheduling the transition meeting at a time when the father could attend in cultures wheremothers do not feel comfortable sharing information about the family without the father present.
Prepare a child for transition by giving the child opportunities to learn the skills and behavior expectations needed in the next learningenvironment. Children who have received EI services in their home and who will be transitioning to a preschool setting at age 3 may need tolearn new social, behavioral, and self-help skills. These skills may include (a) how to follow directions in a group setting, (b) how to sit andattend for 10- to 15-min blocks of time, and (c) how to transition between activities throughout the day. Community activities could providesuch practice as (a) attending story hour at the library, (b) attending Sunday school at the child’s church, or (c) attending a community childcare center or preschool program 2 to 3 days a week.
ConclusionAll families and children
experience transitions as they movethrough the educational system.Transitioning between servicedelivery systems such as EI andECSE can be particularly stressfulfor families and children withdisabilities (Lovett & Haring, 2003).The transition framework describedby Rous and colleagues (2007)reminds us to focus our transitionefforts on the interactions andrelationships among all levels of thechild’s ecological system (e.g., child,family, provider, program, andcommunity) to promote the child’ssuccessful transition. The family-centered practice approachencourages professionals toempower families to use theirnatural social supports to addressboth the child’s and the family’s
needs (Dunst, Trivette, & Deal,1994a; Hanson & Lynch, 2004).Demographics of today’s familiesindicate that a large proportion ofchildren spend time in out-of-homecare while both parents work(Children’s Defense Fund, 2003).Community child care centers maybe overlooked as appropriatesettings for EI and ECSE servicesdelivery. However, when EI andECSE agencies partner withcommunity child care centers, theyhave an opportunity to build onexisting family supports whileminimizing transition issues at age 3years. The vignettes presented in thisarticle illustrated ways in which anEI agency, an LEA, and communitychild care centers could collaborateto promote family-centeredtransition practices that result inseamless, stress-free transitions forchildren and families.
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Today is Harry’s 3rd birthday,and Lanie brought cupcakes toHarry’s preschool class at heron-site work child care centerfor his birthday celebration.Lanie thought about all thework she and Harry’s serviceproviders had put into preparingfor Harry’s transition to ECSE
services, and she realized it waswell worth it. Lanie remarked,“I feel comfortable with thechanges in services, and moreimportantly, there won’t be anydelay in Harry receiving ECSEservices or in his ability tobenefit from those services—heis ready to go!”
NoteYou may reach Diane M. Branson by e-mail at [email protected].
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