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Infants-and-toddlers team and CCAC report focus on early intervention, family coaching and referral outreach
Summary
The district’s infants-and-toddlers program outlined family-centered early intervention services, referral pathways (projected 350–375 referrals this year), community events and caregiver coaching; CCAC leaders urged parent engagement and completion of the Maryland parent survey (deadline June 5).
Staff presented a comprehensive look at the district’s Part C infants-and-toddlers early intervention services, family supports and CCAC (Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee) activities.
Katrina Mercer (infants-and-toddlers coordinator) described the program as a family-centered system that provides early intervention for children with developmental delays and medical diagnoses that may lead to delays. Mercer said the team engages families in home and community settings, conducts immediate outreach after a referral and provides a range of services through 16 direct staff and several therapists and service coordinators.
Mercer reviewed referral sources (pediatricians, local DSS, hospitals, child care) and said the office projects processing about 350–375 referrals this year. She noted some declines in eligibility counts that mirror state trends and attributed those declines to improved referral accuracy and families pursuing other community supports — and flagged documentation hurdles (for example, required birth certificates and residency proofs) that delay evaluations.
The presentation described demonstration classrooms (pre-K–prep and caregiver-and-me sessions), Mother Goose early literacy programming, monthly community playgroups and parent training events designed to coach caregivers and increase family engagement. Staff also noted practical accommodations used for outreach (Spanish and Haitian Creole interpreters, LanguageLine, and translated talking points delivered by text).
Separately, CCAC representatives reported meeting scheduling and outreach plans (hybrid meetings in Sept., Oct., Feb., Mar.), distributed family-support brochures and highlighted the Maryland parent survey as a critical data source (survey open through June 5) to inform special-education planning.
What’s next: Staff will continue pediatric outreach, community events and parent coaching, and the board will receive CCAC meeting materials and family-support resources for distribution.
