IELCCP 2019-20 - Legislative Report
Report to the Legislature, Legislative Analyst's Office, and the Governor: Inclusive Early Learning and Care Coordination Program for Fiscal Year 2019-20.California Department of Education
Report to the Governor, Legislature, and the Legislative Analyst's Office:
Inclusive Early Learning and Care Coordination Program 2019-20 Annual Report
Executive Summary
The Inclusive Early Learning and Care Coordination Program (IELCCP) grant authorized by Assembly Bill (AB) 1808 (Chapter 32, Statutes of 2018) provided $10 million to promote inclusion of children with disabilities and other exceptional needs in regular programs alongside typically developing peers. It set the stage for subsequent efforts to expand inclusive early learning and care, such as the Inclusive Early Education Expansion Program (IEEEP).
This evaluation report is submitted in compliance with requirements of AB 1808 (Chapter 32, Statutes of 2018), Education Finance: Education Omnibus Trailer Bill. It updates the Legislature on grant activities and includes a review of grant outcomes.
The IELCCP grant program was awarded to county office of education (COE) agencies to support the inclusion of children with exceptional needs, including children with severe disabilities, in early learning and care settings. The grant operated from March 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020.
This report summarizes the results from the IELCCP evaluation completed in June 2020 by grantees through a Final Report Survey.
The IELCCP funding created expanded opportunities for inclusion training and coaching for early learning and care professionals, increasing the competence and confidence of the workforce. Trainer certification trainings (training of trainer events) increased the number of instructors who are certified in critical training systems so that ongoing teacher training can be sustained in their local areas, using certified instructors. Enrollment of children with disabilities increased over the period of the grant.
Online web platforms, resource web pages, and adaptive equipment libraries were created to give support to early learning and care professionals and families of young children with disabilities.
Inclusion collaboratives and interagency groups were established that contributed to a more unified vision for inclusion and helped to launch efforts to increase inclusion for COEs and their programs.
Most grantees expressed that barriers to inclusion that existed before the grant started had been eliminated or reduced by the end of the grant period. New, unexpected barriers such as the COVID-19 pandemic forced COEs to reformat in-person events to virtual formats, and in some cases, to cancel those events.
The work accomplished by the IELCCP grant successfully set the stage for continued expansion in capacity of local education agencies (LEAs) to offer inclusive early learning and care settings to young children with disabilities. It also set the stage for the IEEEP grant that started in July 2020.
Inclusive Early Learning and Care Coordination Program 2019-20 Legislative Report (DOCX)
For questions regarding this report or to request a copy, please contact the Early Learning and Care Division, at IELCCP@cde.ca.gov.