About SpecialQuest Birth–Five
SpecialQuest Birth–Five: Head Start/Hilton Foundation Training Program to Support Inclusive Early Childhood Services (funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start) is operated through the Napa County Office of Education, Special Projects Division (California), in collaboration with the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Chapel Hill. The grant builds on the past ten years of work by the Hilton/Early Head Start Training Program.
The focus of SpecialQuest Birth–Five is on inclusion for children with disabilities ages birth through five (pre-kindergarten) and their families, particularly those in Head Start* along with Child Care, Early Intervention/Part C, Early Childhood Special Education/619, family support, and other related programs. SpecialQuest Birth–Five activities include:
- Supporting and expanding the SpecialQuest community, including
- Over 500 SpecialQuest graduate teams across the nation
- Ten SpecialQuest State Leadership Teams, implementing cross-systems early childhood professional development for inclusion
- Disseminating the SpecialQuest approach, materials, and resources, through
- The SpecialQuest Multimedia Training Library (English and Spanish)
- The Web-Based SpecialQuest Multimedia Training Library
- The activities of the SpecialQuest Community of Practice
SpecialQuest Birth–Five Vision
States and local communities, including Early Head Start and Head Start programs and their community partners, collaborate to provide high quality inclusive services for young children with disabilities and their families. This work is supported by embedding the SpecialQuest approach, materials, and resources into professional development and service systems.
SpecialQuest Birth–Five, builds upon the relationship-based SpecialQuest approach which is designed to touch the “head, heart, and hands” of families and professionals working together to create inclusive communities for young children with disabilities. The grant also utilizes the Continuous Improvement Process to guide practices and activities. For more about the SpecialQuest approach, refer to the Facilitator’s Guide in the SpecialQuest Multimedia Training Library or the SpecialQuest Approach page.
*Head Start includes Early Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, and American Indian/Alaska Native Head Start.
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