January 2018 FIRST STEPS

1 1 FIRST STEPS January 2018 In this issue: State Update & ICC Update pg. 1 Conference Info pg. 2 Profile Data pg. 3 QR Update & Credit Card Payment pg. 4 Trainings, HV Series Info & ISHA Conf. pgs. 5 & 6 National Webinar Series On My Way PreK pg. 8 Infancy Onward pg. 9 Learn the Signs, Act Early pgs. 10 & 11 ECTA & Newsletter Quiz links Quarterly Newsletter New Year, New Look!

2 Happy New Year! http As we welcome 2018 , I d like to take some time to reflect on 2017. I am pleased to report that 2017 was a great year for Indiana FIRST STEPS . Early last year we set out to pilot a new Family Assessment. Through professional development support from IU, ICC workgroup discussions, SPOE personnel input and commitment to its success, we made necessary adjustments to forms, developed a training for all Service Coordinators, and implemented a statewide rollout of the assessment in October. The Family Assessment is currently offered to all families prior to writing their IFSPs and is used to assist the team in discussions around family strengths and needs, child and family outcomes, as well as community and service supports that may benefit families outside of the early intervention system.

3 This tool should help ensure all IFSPs are individualized for children and their families. The FIRST STEPS system saw an improvement in its Comprehensive System of Professional Development as professional development opportunities were offered to all personnel at little to no cost and in a variety of formats. There is commitment to building a strong foundation and infrastructure for the program to ensure highly qualified personnel are providing the best early intervention services possible to the roughly 25,000 children and families we serve annually. The Home Visiting Series of regional face to face trainings and webinars is one example of this commitment.

4 Our FIRST STEPS Conference will be another. Please save the dates for June 14th and 15th for this event. The State FIRST STEPS office grew to a team of 5 individuals dedicated to the early intervention system. Maggie McCall oversees Data Management and Quality Improvement, Meghan Smith manages review, rewrite, and development of policy and procedures, Connie Young is working with higher education institutions on recruiting qualified personnel and ensuring preservice training personnel receive is preparing individuals to be strong early interventionists, and Brenda Webster provides support for training, quality improvement, and program personnel needs.

5 We will continue our work for all the children, families, and personnel in FIRST STEPS to guarantee we have a strong sustainable system for years to come. We have also worked to bring our system into the 21st Century through small modernizations and efficiencies. If you haven t heard, our families that have co-payments for services are now able to make payments online at with their credit, debit, HSA, and FSA cards. Although this was just implemented November 14th, over 165 payments have been received. Please assist us in sharing this exciting information. These are just a few of our accomplishments this year. We anticipate even more in 2018 . Thank you for your commitment to FIRST STEPS and the children and families with whom you work.

6 Best, Christina ICC UPDATE The Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) members are FIRST STEPS stakeholders appoint-ed by the Governor of the State of Indiana. The role of the Interagency Coordinating Council and it s subcommittees is to advise the State FIRST STEPS office on the state s early interven-tion system. We believe that adopting a shared vision and shared goals is essential to work-ing together to improve services and outcomes for the children and families we serve. We would like to thank all outgoing members for their hard work and dedication to the FIRST STEPS program. To see the list of new appointments by Governor Holcomb click the follow-ing link: All ICC meeting dates and minutes are posted on our website: #Interagency Coordinating Council.

7 The next meeting of the ICC is May 9, 2018 from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm at: Choices Coordinated Care Solutions 7941 Castleway Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46250. Christina Commons FIRST STEPS Director FIRST STEPS State Team Christina Commons Director Maggie McCall Quality Assurance/Data Meghan Smith Policy Manager Brenda Webster Program Services Constance Young Outreach Manager 2 CONFERENCE REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! To register or to become a conference sponsor use the following link: or Download the eventmobi app and enter the code FS2018 for more details! Click the link to submit a proposal: Call for Presentations Conference Objective: Did you know Indiana FIRST STEPS served 20,775 children and families last year alone?

8 For the FIRST time, FIRST STEPS will be holding a statewide conference for its personnel, service providers, and families. The objective is to provide a common space for our stakeholders to share, learn, and network. The conference will include two national keynote speakers. Dr. Rosemarie Allen will speak about implicit bias in early interven-tion, and Dr. Dipesh Navsaria will present on how trauma in early childhood impacts brain development with implications across the life course. Please help us make this inaugural FIRST STEPS conference amazing by submitting a proposal to give one of 32 break-out session presentations. If you have questions about this process, please email Katie Herron at Deadline for submission is February 15, 2018 Members of the FIRST STEPS Conference Committee will review all submissions.

9 We will contact you with updates. 3 PROFILE DATA REPORT 10/1/2016 - 9/30/2017 Number of Children Percentage of Children CHILD ENROLLMENT & REFERRAL One-day Count w/ IFSP 0 to 1 year old 1,330 One-day Count w/ IFSP All Children 10,200 Annual Count of Children w/ IFSP 19,985 Annual Count of Children Served (regardless of IFSP) 23,913 Average Age at Referral (months) 14 New IFSP 07/01/2016 09/30/2016 2,574 Children with Referral to IFSP 45+ Days 07/01/2016-09/30/2016 44 EXITS Children Moving to Preschool Special Education 4,224 44% Children Under 3, Services No Longer Needed 206 2% Eligible Children who Declined Services 1,059 11% PAID SERVICES Children w/IFSP Served Primarily in the Natural Envi-ronment 19,841 99% Total Amount Paid on Behalf of Children Served $38,244, Average Paid on Behalf of Each Child Served $1, Race InformationWhite 17,261 Black or African American 2,519 Hispanic/Latino 2,3062 or More Races Selected 1.

10 314 Asian 453 American Indian or Alaskan Native 29 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 141921,08311,388038735713,10412,48514849 17,3390200040006000800010000120001400016 0001800020000 AssistiveTechnologyAudiologyDevelopmenta lTherapyHealthServices,Nursing andVisionInterpreterServicesNutritionOcc upationalTherapyPhysicalTherapyPsycholog ySocial WorkSpeechTherapyNumbers of Children Receiving Each Service Type 4 QUALITY REVIEW UPDATE Quality Review Update: The Quality Review/State Team is ready to submit the Annual Performance Re-port (APR) to the Federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). This report is for FFY16 (July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017).