The Hilton/Head Start Training Program Final Report: 5 Year Visual Executive Summary (2002 through 2007)
Including Children with Disabilities
As part of the registration process for SpecialQuest, each team was asked to provide the number of infants and toddlers enrolled, as well as the number of enrolled children with Part C Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs).
A bar graph is displayed that summarizes the percent enrollment of infants/toddlers with disabilities in participating EHS/MSHS programs. For the programs that attended SpecialQuest I, 27 percent or 67 programs were below 5 percent enrollment, 11 percent or 27 programs were between 5 and 7 percent enrollment, 13 percent or 32 programs were between 7 and 10 percent enrollment, 34 percent or 85 programs were between 10 and 20 percent enrollment, and 15 percent or 38 programs were over 20 percent enrollment of infants and toddlers with disabilities.
For the programs that attended SpecialQuest II, 19 percent or 49 programs were below 5 percent enrollment, 10 percent or 26 programs were between 5 and 7 percent enrollment, 14 percent or 35 programs were between 7 and 10 percent enrollment, 38 percent or 98 programs were between 10 and 20 percent enrollment, and 20 percent or 51 programs were over 20 percent enrollment of infants and toddlers with disabilities.
For the programs that attended SpecialQuest III, 12 percent or 28 programs were below 5 percent enrollment, 6 percent or 15 programs were between 5 and 7 percent enrollment, 13 percent or 31 programs were between 7 and 10 percent enrollment, 48 percent or 118 programs were between 10 and 20 percent enrollment, and 21 percent or 51 programs were over 20 percent enrollment of infants and toddlers with disabilities.
Lastly, for the programs that graduated from SpecialQuest IV, 9 percent or 21 programs were below 5 percent enrollment, 7 percent or 17 programs were between 5 and 7 percent enrollment, 9 percent or 21 programs were between 7 and 10 percent enrollment, 49 percent or 114 programs were between 10 and 20 percent enrollment, and 26 percent or 62 programs were over 20 percent enrollment of infants and toddlers with disabilities.
Overall, across Regions I-XII, the percent of the EHS/MSHS programs reporting the enrollment of infants and toddlers with disabilities in at least ten percent of their slots, increased from 49 percent in Year 1 to 75 percent in Year 4. This is a 26 percentage point increase over the four years.
The mean percentage of children with Part C IFSPs enrolled in programs that attended SpecialQuest IV is 17 percent, up from 11.3 percent in Year 1.
“I think we maybe had five percent [enrollment of children with Part C IFSP’s], and then it was seven percent, and this year it is eleven percent. So, it is definitely because of SpecialQuest. We kept using the strategies and resources that we learned here.” Disability Services Coordinator
In an effort to understand the types of developmental delays and functional abilities of infants and toddlers with Part C IFSPs who are enrolled in EHS programs across the country, programs were randomly selected to complete the Significance of Disability Matrix for each child with an IFSP enrolled in their EHS program.
A pie chart displays the summary of the data returned on the Significance of Disability Matrices. 22 percent or 80 children were reported to have a severe developmental delay, 3 percent or 9 children a moderate delay in three or more domains, 6 percent or 21 children a moderate delay in two or more domains, 20 percent or 72 children a moderate delay in one domain, 33 percent or 118 children a mild delay in one or more domains, 14 percent or 51 children a suspected delay in one or more domains, and 2 percent or 8 children reported to be at risk or normal functioning.
Between 2003 and 2007, 39 programs completed the matrix. In 2007, over half of the 359 children with Part C IFSPs who were jointly served by Early Head Start and Early Intervention were reported to have at least a moderate developmental delay.
Overall, 22 percent of the infants and toddlers with IFSPs served by EHS programs were reported to have a severe delay in at least one area of development. Given the national incidence of children with severe disabilities is approximately 2 percent, this figure demonstrates a strong commitment by EHS programs to serve children with more significant disabilities.