Ninety participants attended the TATS PRE-K ESE Coordinators' Meeting on Thursday and Friday, January 26 and 27th in Orlando. The two days were filled with activities and judging from the evaluations, it was successful in meeting people's needs!
The theme of the meeting was Inclusion. Districts were encouraged invite community partners in Head Start, Child Care settings, etc. to attend with them to facilitate discussions about addressing inclusion in their areas.
 Thursday featured opportunities to hear an update from DOE/BEESS presented by Cathy Bishop. This was followed by networking to discuss and share around the topic of inclusion in size-alike district groups.
On Friday, Dr. Susan Sandall, coauthor of Building Blocks and the DEC Recommended Practices, presented the keynote, followed in the afternoon by a presentation on embedding learning opportunities. The Building Blocks model uses curriculum modifications and adaptations, embedded learning opportunities, and child-focused instructional strategies to support the inclusion of young children with special needs in early childhood classrooms and settings.
Break-out sessions in the morning and afternoon featured districts sharing their experiences with several components of inclusion. These included:
- Funding for Inclusion
- Blending Early Childhood Programs in the Public Schools
- Community Partners in Inclusion
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Documents from the meeting are available below:
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