Nebraska State Performance Plans - APR 2008-2009

APR 2008-2009

Effective General Supervision Part C / Child Find

Indicator 5: Birth to age 1 children served

Percent of infants and toddlers birth to 1 with IFSPs compared to national data.

20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(B) and 1442

Measurement:

Percent = [(# of infants and toddlers birth to 1 with IFSPs) divided by the (population of infants and toddlers birth to 1)] times 100 compared to national data.

FFY	Measurable and Rigorous Target
2008 ('08-'09)	At least 0.76% of children aged birth to one with IFSPs will be identified.

Actual Target Data for 2008-2009: 0.66%--target not met.

Based on the October 1, 2008 child count data, 181 infants birth to age one were served by the Early Development Network (EDN). Calculation for percentage using narrow eligibility criteria was provided by Westat.

Year of Data Collection	2008	Percentage served using narrow eligibility criteria
Number served of Infants and Toddlers, Birth to age 1	181	0.66%

Percent of infants and toddlers birth to 1 with IFSPs compared to national data:

2008 Comparison of percentage served infants birth to age 1 (excluding children at risk), with national baseline.
Infants & Toddlers, Birth to age 1	Number Served	Percentage of Population
Nebraska	181	.66%
National (50 states and D.C.)	45,166	1.04%
Source: Received from U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Data Analysis System (DANS )in accordance with Part C 2008; U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population data for 2008 accessed August 2009 from http://www.census.gov/popest/.

Discussion of Improvement Activities Completed and Explanation of Progress or Slippage that occurred for 2008-2009:

Data for 2008-2009 shows that Nebraska did not meet its proposed target of 0.76%. The 0.66% reported in FFY 2008 (2008-2009) shows a decrease from the 0.78% reported in FFY 2007. The CoLeads have identified several factors that may have contributed to the decrease. Nebraska is intensifying efforts to expand Child Find activities to targeted audiences via ARRA funding as well as continuing to build on other successful initiatives.

The improvement activities outlined for 2008-2009 were implemented as follows

Completed (2005-2006)

Conduct Child Find activities*, review Planning Region Teams for progress or slippage, and build on successful initiatives.

All Child Find activities were completed and are continuing. *Child Find activities are listed in the State Performance Plan (SPP).
The Munroe-Meyer Institute expanded Project DOCC (Delivery of Chronic Care) to include Allied Health students, in addition to medical residents, for training on early identification and family-center long-term care issues.
In a statewide conference conducted in November 2008, the Co-Leads provided regional referral and verification data to each Planning Region Team to analyze slippage or progress on a local level. Successful strategies were discussed and shared. Use of the Developmental Delay category continues to be recommended as an appropriate category to verify infants for Part C who are identified as affected by illegal substance abuse or withdrawal symptoms resulting from prenatal drug exposure, or infants/toddlers having a diagnosis of Failure To Thrive.

4.	Discontinued 2007-2008–encompassed in revised Activity 3.

Continue to build on CAPTA collaboration between Child Protection and Safety workers and the Early Development Network.

In partnership with University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Center for Children, Families, and the Law, the State Part C Coordinators made presentations to raise awareness about the Early Intervention process in conjunction with Helping Babies from the Bench. This statewide training targets judges, medical and mental health personnel, Child Protection Services personnel, attorneys, special education staff and Services Coordinators.
State Part C Coordinators met with Services Coordinators and Protection and Safety Workers in Planning Region #7-Columbus to promote networking, increase CAPTA referrals to Part C, and to discuss verification rates and new state ward policies.
In April 2009, in partnership with UNL Center for Children Families and the Law, the CoLeads invited Dr. Joy Osofsky, national expert on childhood trauma, to conduct a forum on the impact of abuse and neglect to infants and toddlers to support identification of infants and toddlers who are referred to early intervention through CAPTA. The targeted audience was school district MDT/IFSP teams, mental health practitioners, Child Protection Services personnel, Early Head Start providers, and Services Coordinators.
In June 2009, the Annual Early Development Network Conference focused on the impact of abuse and neglect to infants’ and toddlers’ brain development and how to use formal and informal data to support identification for early intervention services. The targeted audience was school district MDT/IFSP teams, mental health practitioners, Child Protection Services personnel, Early Head Start providers, and Services Coordinators.

Discontinued 2007-2008–encompassed in revised Activity 3.

Completed in 2007-2008.

Improve CONNECT data collection and data entry.

Completed and continuing
CONNECT training was provided to Services Coordinators and school district personnel regionally to support local needs and to ensure correct data entry.

Collaborate with Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program (EHDIP–previously Newborn Hearing Screening) on an enhanced referral process for identified newborns with a hearing loss.