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HATTIESBURG
- Project
PREPARE, an enterprise of the Institute for Disability Studies (IDS)
located at The University of Southern Mississippi, is providing
resources and training for child care directors working with children
with special needs.
Project PREPARE
is a one-year grant of $208,000 funded by the Office of Children
and Youth of the Mississippi Department of Human Services. It supports
and expands the efforts of other state agencies and Head Start to
include children with special needs in early childhood programs.
Project PREPARE also assists in strengthening the services provided
by early childhood programs while giving families of children with
disabilities a broader range of options for high quality child care.
"With
the increasing demand for child care for all children, including
children with special needs, center directors have been asking for
more information about how to best meet the needs of children with
special needs and their families," said Dr. Stella Fair, director
of Project PREPARE.
Three statewide
Inclusion Institutes will provide professional development for child
care directors:
o July 18-19
- Madison (central Mississippi) - Ridgecrest Baptist Church
o August 8-9 - Oxford (north Mississippi) - E. F. Yerby Center
o September 12-13 - Hattiesburg (south Mississippi) - Forrest County
Multi Purpose Center
PREPARE is
also providing opportunities to participate in bimonthly interactive
video meetings on children with disabilities, access to a listserv,
a toll-free telephone number and a Web site providing information
on best practices and support. Additionally, PREPARE will provide
a variety of print resources materials, including a manual on inclusion
and a one-day topical conference later this year based on the surveyed
needs and interests of the state's child care directors.
For more information
about Project PREPARE, please contact Shannon Haley at 1-888-671-0051
or (601) 296-0706.
Headquartered
for 25 years at Southern Mississippi, IDS is Mississippi's Center
for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research
and Service. The institute provides university training, community
service activities, research and information that promote the independence,
productivity and community inclusion of individuals with disabilities
and their families. For more information about IDS, visit the Institute's
Web site at www.ids.usm.edu or call 1-888-671-0051.
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