Key Findings

Results from all of the sources of data suggest that at the end of SpecialQuest IV, the program had a significant effect on EHS/MSHS teams, family members, and their community partners. Key findings from the evaluation of the Hilton/Early Head Start Training Program in the fourth year include:

Retaining 85% of Phase II Teams
In Year 1, 279 EHS/MSHS teams attended SpecialQuest. At the end of four years of training and on site follow-up, 238 of these teams were still participating in SpecialQuest, representing a 85% retention rate.

Enrolling More Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities
EHS/MSHS programs reported enrolling more infants and toddlers with Part C Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) in their programs, including children with significant disabilities.

Implementing Targeted Practices That Support Inclusion
Overall, SpecialQuest teams reported that EHS/MSHS programs have moved from partially implementing towards fully implementing promising practices that support inclusion, integrated services, and family leadership.

Increasing Participants' Skills and Comfort
EHS/MSHS staff, families, and community partners reported an increase in their skills and comfort in serving infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families in natural environments such as EHS and Child Care.

Supporting Families as Partners and Leaders
As a result of SpecialQuest, participants indicated an increase in their skills related to supporting families to be informed decision-makers and leaders:

• Families noted feeling supported, informed, and valued by the EHS/MSHS programs.
• The individualized access to information, resources, and support provided by EHS/MSHS and other community partners appears to support family members to be leaders and make informed decisions, particularly for their own family.
  

Increasing Reciprocal Referrals
SpecialQuest has positively influenced the coordination between community agencies. SpecialQuest teams have reported a significant increase in referrals occurring from EHS/MSHS to Early Intervention and Early Intervention to EHS/ MSHS, 27% and 52% respectively over the past four years.

Implementing Team Action Plans
Teams developed over 3,000 Action Plans over four years and 73 percent of all Action Plans were completed or in progress at the time of this report.

Sharing of SpecialQuest Training Materials
Participants and Learning Coaches report sharing the SpecialQuest training materials with over 100,000 individuals over the past four years.

Continuing the Quest
The growth of the SpecialQuest network is evident, with thousands of individuals and roughly 500 programs completing all 4 years of SpecialQuest in both Phase I and Phase II. Ambassadors, along with Learning Coaches, SpecialQuest trainers, and graduate teams from both phases provide a network connecting communities across the entire country.

It is clear that at the end of Phase II, the Hilton/Early Head Start Training Program had a significant effect on EHS/MSHS teams, family members, and their community partners. SpecialQuest teams reported a great deal of success towards developing and implementing action plans and fully implementing strategies that create a foundation for inclusive practices in their community for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families.