State Early Childhood Technical Assistance Systems

Massachusetts

• Section 619 State TA System Description
• 1/22/07

Basic design features

In Massachusetts, the Section 619 program and the provision of early childhood special education is not separate, but incorporated into the work of Early Learning Services, a unit of the Massachusetts Department of Education. Early Learning Services encompasses both regular early childhood education and early childhood special education within a broad and inclusive community wide perspective. This broad perspective on early childhood at the state level is mirrored at the local level as well. The majority of the communities in the Commonwealth belong to the Community Partnerships for Children program which brings the early childhood community together to plan, implement, and evaluate services for young children, including young children with disabilities.

Likewise technical assistance related to preschool children with disabilities is but one aspect of a broader technical assistance system that involves several state, regional, and local agencies related to early childhood. In addition to Early Learning Services, other participating agencies include: the Office of Child Care Services, the Administration for Children and Families, the Department of Public Health, and institutions of higher education, and regional resource and referral centers for childcare. Early Learning Services staff members, who have both specific community and topical responsibilities, provide technical assistance.

In addition Early Learning Services also funds technical assistance and training activities that are carried out by institutions of higher education and other TA organizations. The TA system is funded through both federal and state funds. Federal funds include Section 619 and Part B of IDEA, and money coming through the state’s IDEA State Implementation Grant (SIG). Some Transitional Aid to Needy Families (TANF) funds is also used. State funds come from the Department of Education through the following early childhood grant programs: Massachusetts Family Network (family support for families birth through three); Parent-Child Home Program (family literacy for families with children 2-4 year old); Community Partnerships for Children (early care and education for preschool-age children); and Full-Day Kindergarten program (for kindergarten-age eligible children. In addition, locals may use a portion of their state money to support TA activities.

Primary clients/recipients of TA services

The TA system serves a broad mix of clients including local early childhood school teachers and school administrators, Head Start personnel, and child care personnel. Sometimes personnel from other health and social service agencies, and representatives serving on community councils receive technical assistance services. Families are also considered primary clients for TA services.

Ways technical assistance is provided

Early Learning Services provides technical assistance in many ways, including: workshops and inservice training courses, information and consultations to programs via telephone and email or on site, the development /dissemination of print and non-print materials, and by maintaining a video lending library and five regional resource centers. The TA system also encourages peer-to-peer information exchange, consultation and mentoring. Early Learning Services often identifies and uses local sites to present at regional, state, and national conferences on areas of expertise. Sometimes the TA system makes use of distance-learning TA delivery strategies, including use of the Internet and Web based services. Finally, the way in which local programs are funded allows programs, at their discretion, to bring in topical experts and to explore innovations with their own resources.

TA system operations

Information pertaining to the needs of the clients is gathered from several sources. Requests for information and assistance that come to Early Learning Services staff over time are documented and analyzed. The results of the monitoring of local programs are reviewed. Also each year one third of the cities and towns, through their Community Partnership Councils, engage in an extensive information gathering process involving the distribution and collection of surveys from various facets of each county’s early childhood programs, including the schools, center-based and Head Start child care programs, family child care providers, and parents. The survey responses are sent to Early Learning Services where data are entered, analyzed and synthesized. The result is the development of a detailed community profile of the early childhood programs and services in the Partnership. These community profiles assist both the cities and towns and the state TA system in determining needs and priorities for technical assistance.

Early Learning Services staff holds a retreat annually for long-range planning and a second meeting six months later to review and adjust the long range plan as needed. All planned TA events are included in a calendar of events maintained on the Department of Education’s web-site. Oversight of all technical assistance activities is currently provided by Alice Barton of the Policy, Evaluation, and Accountability section of Early Learning Services.

Evaluation of the TA system

Discrete TA services are documented and evaluated. Documentation includes a listing of TA events, the number of clients participating and the amount of time involved (hours). Beyond the evaluation of discrete events the evaluation of the TA system is incorporated into the examination of overall program improvement. Presently, a key element of evaluating program improvement is noting when programs have been successful in obtaining accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Currently 33% of the early childhood programs in Massachusetts are accredited. Some special evaluation studies have also been conducted. An evaluation of the cost and quality of the various services in Massachusetts is currently being implemented. The executive summary of the first report on the quality of full-day, full-year service is available at:
www.wcwonline.org/pdf/executivenm.pdf. (PDF: 47kb)

Relationship of the TA system to the monitoring/supervision of local programs

The results of local monitoring are shared with the TA system staff. While these findings are taken into account other information is also used to determine TA needs, priorities and plans.

Relationship of TA system to the state’s Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD)

The work of the TA system is closely related to personnel development plans and activities. The state’s CSPD has been further enhanced by activities carried out under a SIG grant from OSEP. The SIG contains a section on early childhood personnel development. Technical assistance activities and events often allow participants to earn credit for university courses or continuing education credits, and can contribute to individuals’ obtaining certifications. There is a special program, Advancing the Field: Developing Career Ladders in Early Care and Education that supports career ladder programs to help the childcare workforce obtain associate or bachelor degrees with an emphasis on early childhood.

Relationship with Part C

Early Learning Services interacts with the state’s Part C program in several ways. They collaborate in providing technical assistance on transition from Part C to the early childhood programs in the schools. They work together on the SIG grant activities, and on a steering committee for serving children with autism. Also, Part C programs are required members of the Community Partnerships for Children Council. In 2001-2002 the Department of Education & the Department of Public Health applied for a federal grant for a joint initiative to support services to children receiving Early Intervention services. The initiative, Project Playgroup was funded in the fall of 2001.

For further information, contact:

• Patricia Cameron, 619 Coordinator
• Preschool Special Education
• Department of Early Education and Care
• 51 Sleeper Street, 4th Floor
• Boston, MA 02210
• Phone: (617) 988-7812
• Fax: (617) 988-2451
• E-mail: patricia.cameron@state.ma.us
• Web site: www.doe.mass.edu/