CONNECTICUT BIRTH TO THREE SYSTEMBIRTH 5 … · stone for educational services for children ages 0 to 21 ... lo que sea, la cimentación, el funda-mento, es sólo el comienzo. La

he Individuals with Disabilities Education Act(IDEA) is the public law considered to be the corner-

stone for educational services for children ages 0 to 21with disabilities. As a parent who works with other

parents of children with disabilities, I know how important it is to have an understanding of the law and thought that itwould be useful to address the intent, or the spirit of IDEA.And yet, as I began to write, I found myself caught up in thepolitically correct verbiage of the day, using phrases like “leastrestrictive environment,”“equal opportunity to participate”and “increased parental participation.” I realized that I wasaddressing the letter, but not necessarily the spirit, of the law.

The legal mandates of IDEA are crucial.While it is difficult forany of us to imagine a time when such protections were not inplace, only a little more than 25 years ago, public schools wereallowed to and did exclude many children with disabilities.Those children who did receive an education were typicallysegregated into special schools, or, at the very least, separateclassrooms.At that time, parents joined together to helpchange public policy, noting that “separate is not equal”under the U.S. Constitution. In 1975, the federal govern-ment passed Public Law 94-142, the

Education of All Handicapped Children Act, the first legislationto require all states to provide a “free, appropriate, public education” (FAPE) to all children with disabilities. The originallaw has been refined, amended and renamed, and is nowknown as IDEA ’97. It is what supports the Connecticut Birth to Three System and its Special Education Preschool services.The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act benefits oversix million children (ages 0 to 21) nationwide. It is the founda-tion for all special educational services for children with disabilities, ages birth to 5 and beyond.

No matter what you’re building, however, the foundation isonly the beginning and, while IDEA is certainly very impor-tant, it is not nearly enough. What gives life and substance toprograms that serve children with disabilities and their fami-lies are the simple yet powerful beliefs that all children areequal, even if they are not the same, and that all children andtheir families are “worth it.” If the law is to mean anything, wemust value children for who they are. Parents and profession-als must believe that children can and should be able to learnacademic and social skills in ways that meet their specialneeds so they can develop and grow up to be as independent

as possible. They must work together to reach that goal. The

Individuals with Disabilities Actis a good and powerful law, but

it is how we put our beliefs intoaction that shapes its true spirit.

While that spirit can sometimes be over-shadowed by the law’s procedural points

and its rules and regulations, it is thespirit, coupled with the legal man-dates, that will make a difference

in the lives of our children and thefuture not only of public

education, but oursociety in general.

BIRTHthrough NEWS5

Information for Families and Professionals • VOLUME 2, NUMBER 4

CONNECTICUTBIRTH TO THREE SYSTEM

PRESCHOOL SPECIALEDUCATION

WORKING TOGETHER FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

The Spirit of IDEABy Debbie Burke, Consultant

Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center (CPAC)

T

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SYSTEMCollege of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Produced by the State Departmentof Education and the Connecticut

Birth to Three System inCollaboration with the

This article is translated into Spanish on page 2. Ver la versión

española de este artículo en la página 2.

!

Page 2 BIRTH through 5 Summer 2001 • Volume 2 • Number 4

a Ley federal del título, que lla-mamos “IDEA” por sus siglas en

inglés (Individuals with DissabilitiesEducation Act) o “IDEA ’97” porquefue aprobada en 1997, se considerapiedra angular en lo que concierne aservicios pedagógicos para niños decero a 21 años de edad con algunaincapacidad. Como madre que trabajacon otros padres de niños minusváli-dos, sé cuan importante es tener unacomprensión de la Ley y pensé quesería útil referirme a su propósito, asu espíritu. Comenzando a escribirme encontré enredada en la terminología ‘políticamente correcta’ tan en boga, usandofrases como ambiente menosrestrictivo, igual oportunidadde participación y mayorparticipación de los padres.Me di cuenta entonces de queestaba concentrándome en laletra de la ley, no necesaria-mente en su espíritu.

Los mandatos legales de la ‘IDEA’ soncruciales. Parece difícil imaginar unaépoca en que tales protecciones noexistían, pero hace apenas poco más de25 años las escuelas públicas excluían amuchos niños minusválidos porque lesera permitido hacerlo, y los no exclui-dos eran típicamente segregados enescuelas especiales o en aulas sepa-radas. Fue entonces que los padres seunieron para provocar un cambio en lanorma pública, señalando que la con-stitución de Estados Unidos especifica‘igualdad’ y no ‘separación’. En 1975 elGobierno federal aprobó la Ley 94-142Educación de todos los niños con inca-pacidades (Education of All Handi-

capped Children Act), la primera enexigir que todos los Estados proporcio-nen una “educación pública gratuita yapropiada” a los niños con incapaci-dades. La ley original ha sido refinada,enmendada y rebautizada, y hoy se laconoce por la “IDEA ’97.” Es la que sus-

tenta el Sistema para Infantes a TresAños de Connecticut y sus servicios deEducación Especial Preescolar. La‘IDEA’ beneficia a más de seis millonesde niños (edades 0-21) en todo el país.La ‘IDEA’ es el fundamento de todos losservicios pedagógicos para niños conincapacidades, desde los recién nacidoshasta los de cinco y más años.

Cuando se construye algo, no importalo que sea, la cimentación, el funda-mento, es sólo el comienzo. La ‘IDEA’ esmuy importante pero no es todo. Loque da vida y sustancia a los programasde servicio a los niños con incapaci-

dades y sus familias es la convicciónsimple pero poderosa de que todos losniños, tengan o no incapacidades, soniguales, que todos los niños y sus famil-ias “valen la pena.” Si la ley ha de sig-nificar algo, debemos valorar a todoslos niños como tales. Padres y profe-sionales tenemos todos que partir de lapremisa de que todos los niños puedeny han de poder adquirir aptitudesacadémicas y sociales, y que esaadquisición debe ocurrir satisfaciendosus necesidades especiales, de modoque puedan desarrollarse y lograr elmayor grado posible de independencia.Debemos trabajar juntos para alcanzarese objetivo. La “IDEA” es una ley

buena y poderosa, pero lo queconforma su verdaderoespíritu es la manera deponer nuestras creenciasen acción. Ese espíritu

puede algunas veces sereclipsado por puntosprocesales de la Ley ysus reglas y reglamen-tos, pero es lo que

acoplado a los mandatoslegales puede lograr y

logra un efecto positivo enlas vida de nuestros niños y

en el futuro no sólo de la edu-cación pública sino de la

sociedad en general.

El Centro de Connecticut de Apoyo a los Padres (‘CPAC’ por las siglas deConnecticut Parent Advocacy Center))es una organización sin fines de lucroque cubre todo el Estado ofreciendoinformación y apoyo a los padres deniños con incapacidades y a los profe-sionales que trabajan con ellos. Elequipo humano del Centro está inte-grado por padres de niños minusváli-dos que ayudan a otros padres a apren-der cómo participar con más eficaciaen la educación de sus hijos. Ustedpuede comunicarse con el CPACllamando al (800) 445-2722 o al (860) 739-3089.

El espíritu de la Ley de Educación deMinusválidos (la “IDEA”)

Por Debbie Burke, ConsultoraCentro de Connecticut de Apoyo a los Padres (“CPAC”)

L

The Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center (CPAC) is astatewide non-profit organization that offers informationand support to parents of children with disabilities and theprofessionals who work with them. The Center is staffed by

parents of children with disabilities who assist other parentsin understanding how to participate more effectively intheir children’s education.You can reach CPAC at (800)445-2722 or (860) 739-3089 on Monday through Friday.

Page 3BIRTH through 5Summer 2001 • Volume 2 • Number 4

Save-the-Date! The 17th Annual Division for EarlyChildhood (DEC) Conference – Early Childhood in the New Millennium: Recommended Practices for the

Future – will be held December 2-5, 2001 at the BostonMarriott Copley Place. DEC is an international organizationfor professionals and parents interested in and/or workingwith young children with disabilities and their families. Thisconference provides an opportunity to learn about nationaltrends in policy and recommended practices associated withyoung children including those with special needs.

For more information includingregistration, conference regis-tration stipends for volun-teering and early birdregistration by June 15,2001, contact DEC atwww.dec-sped.org orDEC Conferenceand Logistics;703 GiddingsAvenue, Suite U-3;Annapolis, MD21401; phone:(410) 269-6801;fax: (410) [email protected]

WEB DIRECTORY

The web sites listed here are not endorsed or warranted in anyway by the University of Connecticut Cooperative ExtensionSystem or by the advisory board of this newsletter. As with allinformation obtained from any source, web sites should beused with caution. There is no control over the posting ofincorrect material on the Internet. Be aware that not all websites list their information sources and one should not acceptinformation as “fact” just because it appears on a web site.

www.ideapractices.orgLots of articles, calendar of upcoming conferences

www.state.ct.us/sde/The Connecticut State Department of Education;includes calendar of events, lots of easily accessible

education information

www.birth23.orgThe Connecticut Birth to Three System; includes fact sheets,many in both English and Spanish

www.nichcy.orgInformation on special education and related services;English and Spanish

www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA/The latest amendments made to the Individuals withDisabilities Act in 1997

www.ed.govU.S. Department of Education; lots of education-relatedmaterial and curriculums

www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed433668.htmlAn overview of the Individuals with Disabilities EducationAct Amendments of 1997 and other related information

www.ideadata.org/Reported data collected by the U.S. Department of Education;tables and statistics available

www.lrp.com/ed/freelib.htmFederal Education Statutes andRegulations

www.lrp.comLRP is an organization that disseminates information on the legal aspects of the IDEA

www.edlaw.net/Information on the ADA,transporting students with disabilities and more

www.dec-sped.orgThe Division of Early Childhood is an international organiza-tion for professionals and parents interested in and/or work-ing with young children with disabilities and their families.

www.nectas.unc.eduNational Early Childhood Technical Assistance System – provides information about the law

www.cpacinc.orgConnecticut Parent Advocacy Center provides informationon parent advocacy

http://specialed.about.com/education/specialed/msub23.htmInformation on IDEA regulations and Special Education law

Resources and LearningOpportunities� � � �CH✍✆ CH✍✆� � � �

Page 4 BIRTH through 5 Summer 2001 • Volume 2 • Number 4

Birth to Three Special Education

Governing Part C of the Individuals with Part B of the Individuals with DisabilitiesFederal Laws Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Education Act (IDEA).

Ages Served Children with disabilities and significant Children with disabilities, ages 3 through 21 ordevelopmental delays, ages birth through 2. upon graduation from high school.

Goal of the Program The focus is on helping the family meet the The focus is on the child with a delay or disabilitydevelopmental needs of their child with a and his/her educational needs.delay or disability.

Evaluation Two or more professionals from different A team of professionals completes an evaluationdisciplines complete a developmental in the area(s) of suspected disability.evaluation of all 5 areas of development.

Eligibility A child must have a diagnosed physical or To be eligible, a child must fall within one of the mental condition that has a high probability of special education disability categories that include:resulting in a developmental delay; or the child mental retardation, hearing impairments (includingdemonstrates a delay of 2 standard deviations deafness), speech or language impairments, visualbelow average in one area of development or a impairments (including blindness), serious emotional1.5 standard deviation below average in 2 or disturbance, orthopedic impairments, autism,more areas of development. traumatic brain injury, other health impairments or

specific learning disabilities, developmental delay andbecause of the disability needs special education.

Family Involvement Families must be involved in the process to Parents must be members of any group (e.g.,develop and implement the IFSP. planning and placement team) that makes

decisions on the education of their child.

Service Coordination Each eligible infant or toddler is assigned a Under special education law, there is no requirementservice coordinator to work together with the that a service coordinator be assigned to a childfamily on the process of evaluation, IFSP and their family.development and implementation, and coordination of services, including access to other state and community resources.

Type of Plan An Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is used is used to document the desired outcomes for to document the child’s educational goals, objectives,the family and the child, as well as the services services and program, and measure progress.to be provided.

IFSP’s are reviewed at least every six months IEP’s are reviewed periodically but not less thanwith the service coordinator and rewritten annually.annually.

Services All services are termed “early intervention Special education is an educational service or services” which are developmental services program that is instructional in nature. Relatedprovided to support the family’s ability to services (such as OT, PT and Speech) are provided meet their child’s developmental needs and when they are required in order to assist a child inthe family’s desired outcomes. obtaining benefit from the special education program.

Services are provided by any of the state’s Services are provided by local and regionalapproved Birth to Three programs. school districts.

A Comparison of the Connecticut Birth to Three System and Preschool Special Education

Some children and their families areintroduced to a school district afterhaving received services through

the State’s Birth to Three System. Forothers, a child and family’s first contact

with the school can come after con-cerns about a child’s development havebeen identified. The following side-by-

side comparison is intended to assistfamilies and others in understandingthe similarities, as well as some of thedifferences, between the state’s Birth toThree System and special education.

Page 5BIRTH through 5Summer 2001 • Volume 2 • Number 4

Birth to Three Special Education

Service Delivery Enrollment in the Birth to Three System is School districts are required to provide specialModel voluntary. education to children, ages 3 through 21.

The type(s), frequency, location and duration Services are determined by a planning and placement of services, including personnel providing ser- team and documented on an IEP.vices, are determined through the IFSP process.

Location of Services Natural Environments Least Restrictive EnvironmentsEarly intervention services are to be provided In special education, children with disabilities arein natural environments (such as the child’s to be educated with children who are not disabled.home or in other sites in the community where Special classes, schooling or other removal of theinfants and toddlers without disabilities child from the regular education environment occursparticipate) in order to take advantage of only when the nature and severity of the disability isnatural learning opportunities and the child such that education in regular classes with the use ofand family’s normal routines of the day. supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved

satisfactorily.

Transition The child’s service coordinator will convene a A representative of the responsible school districttransition conference for all children at least will participate in the transition conference90 days before their third birthday. convened by the Birth to Three System.

The transition conferences will be convened By the child’s third birthday, an individualized with representatives of the child’s school educational program (IEP) has been developeddistrict and/or with providers of other and is being implemented for the child, if the childappropriate services or programs. has been determined eligible for special education.

BIRTH TO THREE

By Linda Goodman, (860) 418-6147

In the Winter 2000 newsletter, Imentioned that we had requestedproposals from organizations that

wished to help create a FamilyLeadership Initiative for the Birth toThree System. I am pleased toannounce that PATH – ParentsAvailable to Help – was awarded acontract to do that for us. They havehired 5 part-time parent coordinators,one in each region of the state. Thesecoordinators will network with Birthto Three families and identify parentswho are interested in getting moreinvolved with the System. That mightbe serving on a local or stateInteragency Coordinating Council,participating in monitoring programs,serving on committees or task forces,reviewing materials, helping to reviewproposals, or a myriad of other activi-ties. If you are interested please contact Karen Cubellotti at PATH:(800) 399-7284. She will put you intouch with a regional coordinator.

Training and coaching will be provided.

We have 3 new Birth to Three pro-grams this year: one in the Stamfordarea, ARI of Connecticut; one in theNorwalk area, Easter Seal of South-western Connecticut; and one in theNorwich/New London area, Easter Sealof Southeast Connecticut. We hope thatthese additional programs will makeservices more accessible to families.

In April, a group of about 25 (Birth to

Three staff, providers, par-ents and others) met tolook at all of the compet-ing priorities for changethat we have, including:• the recent Self-Assess-

ment,• the 2001 Outcome Study,

• provider priorities and • departmental initiatives.

Out of that informationwill come the next strate-gic plan for the Birth toThree System. It willdetail what we hope to

accomplish over the nextthree years. As soon as it is

completed, it will be posted on our web site.

I hope that you’ll take a look at ournewly redesigned web site(www.birth23.org). Our goal is to makeit faster to navigate and easier for fami-lies to find the information they want.Please send an email from the sitetelling us how you like it and giving anysuggestions because we’re always look-ing for ways to improve it.

Program Updates

Page 6 BIRTH through 5 Summer 2001 • Volume 2 • Number 4

PRESCHOOL SPECIALEDUCATION

By Maria Synodi, (860) 807-2054

There are federal and state laws thataffect young children with disabili-ties and their families. The

Individuals with DisabilitiesEducation Act (IDEA) is the law thatmost professionals and families becomefamiliar with first. IDEA is the law thatprovides Birth to Three services to aninfant or toddler with a disability andto their family. IDEA is the law thatprovides a preschool-age child, who hasa disability, with a pre-academic anddevelopmental opportunity throughspecial education.

Most of us have come to know anddepend on the basic principles of the

IDEA. The law is used to develop,implement and evaluate the best practices for children and their families.However, just 25 years ago, there was no law called IDEA. Judy Heumann,former Assistant Secretary for theDepartment of Education’s Office ofSpecial Education and RehabilitativeServices, herself a person with a disability, often reminds people that the first time that she entered a schoolbuilding, she was 10 years old. Twenty-five years ago many schools did notaccept children with disabilities, andmany children were educated at homeor in institutions. Now, 25 years later,every state in the country providesearly intervention services for childrenwith disabilities, who are aged birth to3, and provides special education forevery eligible child from age 3 to 21.

IDEA has changed to keep pace withthe needs of young children and theirfamilies. The basic principles for specialeducation have changed as well. Theseprinciples now include high expecta-tions for children, access to the generalcurriculum, parental involvement andservices in regular classrooms so thatevery child will meet their developmen-tal goals and, whenever possible, willreach the same level as all children.

IDEA will be reviewed and revised overthe years with a goal towards the con-tinued improvement of the law.IDEA’s 25-year anniversary is areminder that laws are made with good intentions and this law’s intentwas to provide access and equal educa-tional opportunity for children withdisabilities. That’s a good thing.

PARENT CONNECTIONS

By Karen Biernat, President,Connecticut Chapter of the

Alexander Graham Bell Associationfor the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

and member, the InteragencyCoordinating Council (ICC)

You just learned your child has adisability and the news is devas-tating. When my daughter was

diagnosed with a severe-to-profound,permanent hearing loss after surviv-ing bacterial meningitis, I was con-fronted with so many emotions.Initially I was relieved that she hadsurvived a life-threatening illness atthe age of 10 months. Then I was facedwith her permanent disability and thegrieving that often follows. After thediagnosis of permanent hearing loss,I was sent on my way with no materi-als to read, no names of other parentsto contact and no immediate referralto the Birth to Three program.Fortunately, with one phone call, I was

quickly hooked up to the Birth to Threeprogram. The enrollment process wasfast and efficient, but there was stillsomething lacking. I needed to meetother parents of children with perma-nent hearing loss, to see that they hadsurvived the grieving process, and thatthe parents and their children wereOK. I began reading books, doingresearch on the internet and makingphone calls. Most of the books I readrecommended finding a parent sup-port group.

At the time of my daughter’s diagnosis,I was unable to find a parent supportgroup. We had a wonderful early inter-ventionist working with our family, butI still felt a strong need to connect withother parents. Dr. David Luterman andEllen Kurtzer-White of EmersonCollege conducted research into whatparents’ needs were when first learningof their child’s hearing loss. They dis-covered that those parents’ predominantneed was contact with parents of otherhearing impaired children.

I assume that parents of children withother disabilities have this same need.I was eventually able to find other par-ents through the internet, the AG BellAssociation and our Birth to Threeprovider. If you haven’t connected withother parents yet, I urge you to do so.By meeting other parents, I havelearned so much. Parents are oftenwilling and able to share more thanyou could ever learn by reading abook. While the Birth to Three pro-gram gave me the tools to become mydaughter’s first and most importantteacher, fellow parents have given methe emotional strength to do this task.They have taught me to enjoy my childfor who she is, to talk about my fearsand to help me cope with a diagnosisthat will affect the rest of our lives.

G

“SNIPPETS”The ParentPerspective

Page 7BIRTH through 5Summer 2001 • Volume 2 • Number 4

PARENT EMPOWERMENT

By Angela Russell, Parent Leader

Perhaps the most valuable assetanyone can give to a parent orcommunity today is empower-

ment. All too often an assumption ismade that parents do not know what is best for them, their families and theircommunities. But parents who areinformed consumers can advocate forthemselves, their families and theircommunities!

Although there are several challengesfor building parent leadership, onemust embrace the belief that the law is there to help children and their fami-lies. We, as parents, have the ability tointegrate both personal and profession-al skills so that we can fully respond tothe needs, concerns and interests thatparents and families share.

One of the primary benefits of the lawis access to resources, including com-munity services and networking withothers who share similar concerns.Most often, parents need only know thedirection and will work hard to acceler-ate and move forward toward change.

We all have hopes and dreams. Parentalempowerment is difficult to measurebut tremendously valuable in helpingus reach our dreams!

Preschool Special Education:

THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW

By Jane Bisantz of Jane Bisantzand Associates, LLC

The years between birth and 3 aremagical. Magic is hard to legislate,but the federal Birth to Three law

(Public Law 105-17) provides guidanceon how to let the magic happen. It doesthis by recognizing that early interven-tion providers are not the magicians;families are.

The law mandates that our services be

provided in natural environments –homes and community settings. Birthto Three providers don’t arrive at ourtreatment centers in the morning andstay there all day. We pack up our bagsand travel. We feel the weather andexperience the road conditions. Theseare things that we have traditionallyexpected families to do.

The law says that Birth to Three services must be family focused, notprovider focused or even child focused.This means that providers don’t run theshow – families do. Providers are man-dated to ask each family about theirpriorities, needs and concerns, and tobase every Individualized FamilyService Plan (IFSP) on this informa-tion. The law requires that that we, asproviders, open our minds and heartsto cultures, ideas, ideals and goals thatare not our own. We need to be learnersas well as teachers. Again, we have traditionally expected families to dothese things!

The law tells Birth to Three providersthat we must be transdisciplinary in ourservice delivery. We need to drop ourprofessional boundaries, and activelycollaborate and share responsibilitieswith the other members of each earlyintervention team. The law urges us to spread our knowledge across disci-plines, and to learn new things fromour colleagues and from the families we serve while we mentor them.

I used to think of laws as obstacles tothe accomplishment of truly importantthings. But the Birth to Three law actu-ally focuses us on what is important –

families and their dreams and aspira-tions. The values the law embodies –tolerance, flexibility, open heartedness,willingness to learn and willingness toshare what we know – are more thanjust the basis of effective early interven-tion. Many of us recognize them as thefoundation of a vital and rewarding life.

BIRTHthrough NEWS5is published quarterly by the University of Con-necticut Cooperative Extension System in collabo-ration with the Connecticut Birth to Three System,the Connecticut State Department of Educationand the Newsletter Advisory Board.We welcomereaders’ comments and contributions related tothe special needs of infants, toddlers, preschoolersand their families. Please mail correspondence tothe editor at 67 Stony Hill Road, Bethel, CT 06801.

2001 ADVISORY BOARD

Cathy Malley, EditorUConn Cooperative Extension System

Claudia Anderson, Danbury Public Schools

Jane Bisantz, Bisantz & Associates, LLC andHartford Public Schools

Deborah Burke, Parent/CPAC

Marlene Cavagnuolo, Fairfield Public Schools

Grace Coombs, Parent/TVCCA Head Start

Linda Fox, Parent

Ann Gionet, Parent/State ICC/CT Department of Public Health

Linda Goodman, Birth To Three System

Eileen McMurrer, Birth to Three System

Maria Synodi, State Department of EducationYou are encouraged to reproduce articles orexcerpts from Birth through 5 News. Please giveappropriate credit to this newsletter and authors.Birth through 5 News is distributed free of chargeto those interested in issues related to children,ages birth through five, with special needs. Themailing list includes families and providers activein the Birth to Three System, directors andproviders of preschool special education services,special education directors, families in variouspreschool special education programs, local ICCsand others upon request. To add or delete yourname from the mailing list, or to notify us of achange of address, please send your name, addressand phone number to Birth through 5 News, CTBirth to Three System, 460 Capitol Ave., Hartford,CT 06106.Produced in the Office of Communication andInformation Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Connecticut;Karen J. Havens, Graphic Designer/Illustrator.The University of Connecticut Cooperative ExtensionSystem is an equal opportunity program providerand employer. To file a complaint of discrimination,write USDA, Director; Office of Civil Rights, Room326-W; Whitten Building, Stop Code 9410; 1400Independence Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964.

Information for Families and Professionals

GThe ProviderPerspective

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUTCOOPERATIVE EXTENSION SYSTEM1376 Storrs Road, Unit 4036Storrs, CT 06269-4036

BIRTH through 5 • Summer 2001 • Vol. 2 • No. 4The feature article is translated into Spanish on page 2.Ver la versión española del artículo principal en la página 2.

The Birth to Three InteragencyCoordinating Council (ICC) iscomprised of parents of children

with a developmental delay or disability,early intervention providers, membersof the medical community, the legisla-ture, the childcare community andagency representatives who worktogether on behalf of infants, toddlersand their families.

The ICC would like to extend an openinvitation to you, or someone you know,to attend an ICC meeting. An open pub-lic comment period is scheduled at eachmeeting. Share your opinions, thoughtsor feelings regarding what is working orwhat needs improvement in the Birth toThree System. The ICC is interested in

hearing directly from people involved inthe System.

The ICC usually meets on the secondMonday of every other month fromapproximately 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.Most meetings are held at Infoline, 4thfloor, 1344 Silas Dean Highway, RockyHill, CT. Future dates include June 11,August 13, October 15 and December 10.

If you are unable to attend a meeting buthave information to share, please con-tact Eileen McMurrer by phone at (860)418-6134 or by fax at (860) 418-6003.Additional information about the ICC,including directions to meetings, can befound at the newly redesigned Birth toThree web site at www.birth23.org

Mental Health services areavailable for HIV-affectedchildren and youth in

Hartford, New Haven, Fairfield andNew London counties. Services varyacross agencies but may include individual, family or group sessions.For more information call:

• The Village for Children andFamilies, Hartford(860) 527-4224

• Clifford W. Beers Child GuidanceClinic, New Haven(203) 772-1270

• Child Guidance Center of GreaterBridgeport(203) 376-5361 – Bridgeport(203) 255-2631 – Fairfield

• Community Child GuidanceClinic, Manchester(860) 643-2101

• Meriden Child Guidance Clinic,Meriden(203) 235-2815

• Child Guidance Center ofSouthern CT, Stamford(203)324-6127

• Child Guidance Clinic of South-eastern CT, Inc, New London(860) 437-4550

An Open Invitation From theInteragency Coordinating Council

All children’s drawings byShelby of Ashford, CT.

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSTORRS,CT

PERMIT NO.3