New Staff in the ESSO

Ms. Hannah Norcini and Mr. Luc Toussaint have joined the Policy and Professional Development Unit in ESSO.

Ms. Norcini was most recently employed as a health educator in the Department of Health Division of Disease Control and Health Protection, Bureau of Communicable Diseases. She was responsible for the program strategic plan, revision and maintenance of the Hepatitis Resource Guide, updating and delivering educational training, and planning and facilitating the Viral Hepatitis Planning Group. Ms. Norcini was previously employed as an AmeriCorps VISTA leader, providing technical assistance and professional development, developing and facilitating webinars, and evaluating training. As a community health educator for the Peace Corps, Ms. Norcini managed projects to promote healthy living among secondary school students, collected and analyzed data for progress in meeting goals and outcomes related to nutrition, mental health and HIV prevention. Ms. Norcini brings experience in developing and conducting web-based and group training, data analysis, and tracking program outcomes, as well as a background in program management and technical assistance.

Early Steps State Office Public Participation Process for Florida’s FFY 2018 Renewal Application for Funds Under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

The Early Steps State Office (ESSO) has published the annual renewal application for funds under IDEA, Part C beginning February 19, 2018 through April 19, 2018 for public review at http://www.floridahealth.gov/AlternateSites/CMS-Kids/home/resources/es_policy/es_Policy.html. The opportunity for public comment on the Part C application began March 1, 2018 and will continue through March 30, 2018. Comments will be accepted from the general public, including parents of infants and toddlers with disabilities, providers of services, advocacy groups and organizations and other stakeholders in the state. The purpose of the public participation period is to gather comments regarding the annual Part C application for funds. The ESSO is interested in information that would assist in maintaining a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency system of early intervention services for infants and toddlers and their families. Instructions for submitting comments are provided on the website.

Bi-annual LES Directors’ Meeting

The Early Steps State Office is planning bi-annual Early Steps Directors’ face-to-face meetings. The first meeting will be in July 2018. The meetings will be scheduled in July and December of each year. One meeting per year will be in Tallahassee and one in another city. Staff responsible for organizing and coordinating the meeting will be gathering input to determine dates, locations and set agendas. Look to hear more details soon about scheduling for the July meeting.

Early Steps Stakeholder Workgroups

The Early Steps State Office is convening workgroups to solicit input on the state plan required in section 391.308, Florida Statutes, and assist with strategic planning for program priorities. Each workgroup has a targeted focus and will be supported by implementation science, designed to identify and sustain effective system elements, ensure alignment of the system to the community level, and improve outcomes for all recipients of Early Steps services. There are five workgroups with the following goals:

1. Increase and expand the population served by Early Steps to include infants and toddlers at risk of developmental delay.
2. Ensure compliance with state and federal requirements.
3. Improve results by increasing the percentage of infants and toddlers demonstrating improved developmental outcomes upon exiting the program.
4. Implement the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) to increase the percentage of infants and toddlers who exit early intervention with an increased rate of growth in positive social emotional skills.
5. Collect programmatic and fiscal data to support effective and efficient management of the Early Steps Program.

One Goal Summer Conference

The 2018 One Goal Summer Conference, “Building the Future Together, Putting Families and Children First,” is requesting presentation proposals. The conference will be in Tampa on July 18-20, 2018. The deadline to submit proposals is April 6, 2018. To view the Presenter Proposal Form and for more information on the conference, visit http://www.onegoalsummerconference.org. For questions, contact the conference coordinator, Frankie Allen, at frankieallen_2000@yahoo.com or 850-893-6270.

State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) Caregiver Coaching Workshops

The second of three rounds of Embedded Practices and Instruction for Caregivers (EPIC) Caregiver Coaching Workshops for direct services providers are being held in March at each of the SSIP Demonstration Sites – Northeastern, North Central, and North Dade. The workshops will be led by the Institutes of Higher Education Team from the University of Florida and Florida State University. Approximately 30 providers will be trained during the two-day workshops. Tools for Early Steps Teams (TEST) Tool validation meetings will be held in conjunction with the workshops.

New (CDC) Milestone Tracker Mobile App for Families

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced a free new mobile application called the Milestone Tracker which is a fun and easy way for families to track developmental milestones. This mobile app developed by the CDC’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” program will be available in Spanish Fall 2018.

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Resource

Source: Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)

The HRSA is promoting its Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program initiatives (January 2018) that support states, territories, families, and providers to establish quality systems of care and early detection of infants and young children affected by deafness. Early intervention is key for helping these children achieve language, social, and other developmental skills. The program initiatives are listed below. With these initiatives in place, approximately 95.5% of all infants in the U.S. are screened prior to one month of age.

• Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) program
• National Technical Resource Center for Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention
• Family Leadership in Language and Learning (FL3) program
• Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) program

Helping Children after a School Shooting (Blog)

Source: Child Trends

In response to the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Child Trends has compiled this useful blog resource (February 2018) to help educators and caregivers with age appropriate strategies for supporting the emotional needs of infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-aged children in the wake of a school shooting.

ESSO Newsletter may reference and contain links to external sources. The opinions expressed in these sources do not reflect the views, positions, or policies of the Florida Department of Health or Early Steps Program nor should their inclusion be considered an endorsement of any private organization.