State Early Childhood Technical Assistance Systems

To support the full implementation of the early childhood programs of IDEA (Part B, Section 619 and Part C) states have developed state technical assistance systems, that is, the capacity to assist their local programs and communities in some or all of the following ways:

• to meet the specific needs of local agencies or individuals
• to help assure that public policies are implemented appropriately and effectively
• to assist others in adopting or adapting specific innovations or practices
• to provide information and resources on selected topics or issues

These state TA systems are a vital part of the national effort to improve outcomes for young children with disabilities and their families, and by sharing descriptive and comparative information about them, NECTAC hopes to:

• increase national awareness of state early childhood TA systems
• create ways for state early childhood TA systems personnel to communicate effectively with each other and use each other as resources
• promote increased understanding of state TA system design features and current practices

A Descriptive Analysis of State Early Childhood Technical Assistance Related to the Implementation of the IDEA (PDF: 157kb) was undertaken by NECTAS in 2002. This paper presents a summary of the findings from individual state descriptions below.

Descriptions of each state early childhood TA system include its TA clients; design and operations; relation to the state CSPD Plan and monitoring; evaluation; and, contact information. Additional state TA system descriptions will be added as they are developed.

Descriptions of Part C State Technical Assistance Systems:

AR,  ID,  IL,  KY,  MA,  NE,  NJ,  NV,  OK,  SC,  TN,  UT,  VA,  and VT

Descriptions of Part B Section 619 State Technical Assistance Systems:

AL,  FL,  GA,  ID,  MA,  MT,  NJ,  NY,  and VA 

IN,  KS,  PA,  and WY 

• Design Considerations for State TA Systems, Pascal (Pat) Trohanis, NECTAC, 2001.
• State Technical Assistance Initiatives for IDEA Part B Programs, Barbara Hanft, Project FORUM, NASDSE, November 2001. (PDF: 516kb)

For information about NECTAC efforts in State Early Childhood TA Systems, contact Tal Black.