Family Resources

You are part of your child’s team and a large contributor when it comes to building the right supports for inclusion.

Planning for Inclusion

Planning for implementing inclusion is best done as a team with your child’s educational team. In order to prepare for that planning we have some useful tools.

Person Centered Planning is key to create a vision and clear picture of dreams for your child’s future. To learn more about Person Centered Planning visit the PACER Center or Inclusion Press.

Gathering basic information to share with the team can be helpful. Student profiles such as Stemie’s All About Me or this Student Profile allows for the parent to share their child’s strengths and needs with the team.

Families often ask what program elements should they look for when visiting programs to know if the program will be a good place for their child. There is no one answer to this as families need to look for high quality early childhood programs. A few tips for inclusive early programs are in this checklist.

For our youngest children natural environments are the best place to learn and grow. You can find other resources by visiting the Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse.

The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process is challenging and often confusing. The Family Resource Center on Disabilities: Dissecting the IEP 6 Part Webinar Series on Demand is a series of webinars that delves into the process, step-by-step to help families understand the components of the IEP process.

From Parents to Partners, Second Edition: Building a Family-Centered Early Childhood Program, Janis Keyser

Learn More About Inclusion

Developed for families with family input, the Understanding Inclusion Modules are packed full of information to help you reflect and apply what you have learned. There are topic guides that contain additional resources so you can explore each topic further.

Family Play List

Check out the Early CHOICES Playlist for Families on our YouTube channel. This playlist was created for families with children birth to five, with and without disabilities. Videos feature families sharing their stories, examples of high quality inclusive practices and learning opportunities designed with families in mind.

Transitions

Families experience many transitions in the early years. Transitioning from early intervention into early childhood services is one transition.

Resources: There are many resources to help you with transitions.

ISBE and DHS have created this tool to help families plan for this transition. Also available in Spanish.

Early Intervention to Early Childhood Special Education Transition Frequently Asked Questions.

Visit Illinois Child Find. Additional resources for the transition into early childhood are available at the ISBE website.

Early CHOICES has compiled a Livebinder of resources to help plan for the transition from early childhood to kindergarten.

Tools For Transitions in Early Childhood, Beth S. Rous Ed.D., Rena A. Hallam Ph.D.

Transition Planning Conference Videos