Resources for Supporting Young Children with Disabilities
STAR NET Region II and VI Resource List
Our Resource List is organized into categories and cross-categorized to serve both families and professionals.
Categories include:
Early CHOICES, an Inclusion Initiative of the Illinois State Board of Education, provides Family Resources and information for understanding the Least Restrictive Environment rule of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA, and its importance for children. The website includes several useful tools and guidance for families navigating inclusion in early childhood education, including an LRE Guide, Understanding Inclusion Modules, and videos featuring families sharing their stories and examples of high quality inclusive practices.
Early CHOICES is an Inclusion Initiative of the Illinois State Board of Education, promoting high quality inclusive early care and education for every child birth to age 5. Their goal is to increase the number of children with disabilities receiving specialized services in regular early care and education settings. The website includes information, training modules and planning tools around early childhood inclusion/Least Restrictive Environment and Early Childhood Outcomes for families and professionals.
The ECTA Center is a national technical assistance center focused on building state and local system capacity to improve outcomes for children with disabilities and their families. ECTA Center is funded by a cooperative agreement with the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).supports state Part C and Section 619 programs in developing high-quality early intervention and preschool special education service systems, increasing local implementation of evidence-based practices, and enhancing outcomes for young children with disabilities and their families.
Through the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), Early childhood special education services for children, three through five years of age and their families, are provided through local school districts and special education cooperatives. Professionals with training and expertise in special education services implement the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B, by supporting the educational needs of young children and families. Early childhood special education professionals and related services personnel provide specialized educational services to children with disabilities in a variety of settings such as early childhood, preschool, child care, prekindergarten/Preschool for All, Head Start and other early childhood settings to meet the developmental learning needs of these children. In addition, families and early childhood providers may request information about appropriate expectations for children’s development.
ECPL supports best practice in Early Childhood education with free professional development workshops and webinars, resources, and information that promotes high quality outcomes for young children and their families.
The Early Childhood department of the Illinois State Board of Education provides leadership and technical assistance to support state programs serving children prenatal to age 8, and their families. Services provided include state Prevention Initiative, Preschool For All, and Expansion Grants, as well as the Federal Expansion Grant, and a variety of resources for parents, teachers and administrators.
The Chicagoland Buddy Walk is run by parents and families of individuals with Down syndrome. Once a year we have a 1-mile walk to support local individuals and groups involved with making a better life in the Down syndrome world. Not only do we have a beautiful walk, we also have many other family activities to enjoy throughout the day. Please check the Walk Schedule for a list of this year’s events.
A division of UIC, DSCC assists Illinois families and children with special healthcare needs, providing care coordination, cost-support, diagnosis and treatment for children with chronic health impairments, from birth to age 21, who are determined eligible for program support.
The DEC Recommended Practices bridge the gap between research and practice, to provide guidance to practitioners and families about the most effective ways to improve learning outcomes and promote the development of young children, birth through age 5, who have or are at-risk for developmental delays or disabilities. These practices consist of eight domains: leadership, assessment, environment, family, instruction, interaction, teaming and collaboration, and transition and have been shown to result in better outcomes for young children with disabilities, their families, and the personnel who serve them.
A non-profit organization of parent advocates and attorneys working to protect and enforce the legal and civil rights of students with disabilities and their families.
Looking for Pre-Recorded Videos?
STAR NET Region II and VI recorded webinar library.
Both Parents and Professionals will find videos on useful topics, such as Inclusion, Transitioning from EI to ECSE and more!
PLEASE NOTE: STAR NET Region II and VI is unable to award CEs for watching these recordings.