Interagency Coordinating Council
October 27, 2014
9:00 AM – 12:00 p.m.
Value Options/CT Behavioral Health Partnership
500 Enterprise Drive, Rocky Hill
Minutes
Mark A. Greenstein, M.D.
ICC Chair/Pediatrician
Sharri Lungarini
Vice Chair/Parent
Carol Peltier
American School for the Deaf
Jennifer Miner
Dept. of Insurance
Nancy DiMauro
Dept. for Children and Families
Erin Lamb
Parent
Elisabeth Teller
SARAH-Kidsteps.
Corrine Griffin
Parent
Gerri Hanna, alternate
Center for Excellence
Wade Chartier
Parent
Cynthia Jackson
Children’s Therapy Services
Lynn Johnson
Dept. of Developmental Services
Vacant
State Senator
Dr Carol Weitzman, M.D.
American Academy of Pediatrics
Ginny Mahoney
Dept. of Social Services
Anne Giordano
Education Connection
Lorna Quiros-Dilan
Office of Protection and Advocacy
John Reilly
Board of Education and Services
For the Blind
Maria Synodi
State Dept. of Education
Louis Tallarita
SDE-Homeless Children
Alice Torres
Early Head Start
Janet Brancifort
Dept. of Public Health
Myra Watnick
Rehabilitation Associates, Inc.
Vacant
House of Representatives
ICC Members Present: Janet Brancifort, Dr. Mark Greenstein,
Corrine Griffin, Gerri Hanna, Cindy Jackson, Lynn Johnson, Erin
Lamb, Sharri Lungarini, Ginny Mahoney, Jennifer Miner, Carol
Peltier, John Reilly, Maria Synodi, Louis Tallarita, Elisabeth Teller,
Myra Watnick, Dr. Carol Weitzman
ICC Members Absent:, Wade Chartier, Nancy DiMauro, Anne
Giordano, Lorna Quiros-Dilan, Alice Torres,
The meeting began at 9:20 AM.
Introductions:
Dr. Mark Greenstein, ICC Chair, welcomed everyone to the State ICC
meeting. January 26th was added as an ICC meeting date in 2015.
Council members and seventeen members of the public introduced
themselves. Mark gave a warm welcome to new ICC members-Jennifer
Miner, Dr. Carol Weitzman and Carol Peltier.
Public Comment
Cindy Jackson read public testimony from a Birth to Three parent who
was unable to attend meeting in April and noted their delay to a
resumption of services due to timing and the parent fees. Cindy made a
motion to send a thank you letter to the parent who submitted the
testimony Sharri seconded the motion. The Motion passed
unanimously. Steve Hunt read his letter that was also submitted about
the same situation.
Approval of June Minutes
Cindy Jackson made a motion to approve the June minutes as
written. Myra Watnick seconded the motion. The Motion passed
unanimously.
New Business/ Announcements:
Mark drafted letters of thanks to State Senator Musto and legislative aide Rob Kelly for their support
and service to the ICC. Mark presented proclamations to Joseph McLaughlin and Laurel Ross from
Governor Dannel Malloy for their years of service and recognition to children and families. Each
also received a Birth to Three mug with Hershey’s Hugs and Kisses inside.
Cindy announced a parent group meeting at Children’s Therapy Services on first Wednesday of the
month in Waterbury. Please contact Cindy for more information about topics/meetings.
The Lower Fairfield LICC is hosting a meeting on Wednesday, November 12, at Harry Bennet
Library in Stamford and the topic will be “Potty training “. This will be in the evening to help parents
attend.
Lynn announced Council on Developmental Disabilities is seeking a Birth to Three parent who is
receiving services or may have just finished services as a parent representative on the Council. If
any parents are interested they should contact Lynn at (860) 418-6141
Erin Lamb graduated from the Partners in Policymaking program. Congratulations Erin.
See the two above notices: Erin Lamb, given her recent training, has agreed to apply for this
position on the Council for Developmental Disabilities.
Mark requested volunteer ICC members for an ad-hoc committee to plan a retreat in May including
dates, agendas, locations, facilitators-Lynn, Alice, Cindy, Sharri, Elisabeth, Carol P and Mark will do
this. Given that there are many new members on the SICC and more changes are possible,
including alterations in the lead agency, it is felt this would be an appropriate time to look at what we
do, how we do it, our subcommittee system and anything else that might be needed at the time.
Sharon RIngwalt, from OSEP, has been proposed as a facilitator and the timing makes travel
easier. A date and site will be needed fairly soon.
Louis discussed local legislation that was passed in Pennsylvania making homeless children eligible
for Birth to three services. After a child receives an initial evaluation and if they qualify for services
they would be tracked while receiving services. Dr. Carol Weitzman offered to look up research
about homeless children being at greater risk for developmentally delays. There was discussion
about how one might be listed as “homeless” and that while some children are in shelters, others
live with their parents in the homes of other family members. Maria noted existing federal legislation
that covers some of these questions. Lynn noted that this question has arisen before and Nancy
Prescott shared her concerns that many families are leery of this information about them in a
database. Sharri noted the major concerns about such children and noted that difficulties in getting
in touch with them or their getting in touch with others might be a large barrier. Mark noted that he
thought there were medical need phone systems that families could get for this sort of issue and
Elisabeth thought that she had flyers/information about this. She thought they were provided by the
phone companies. She will look into this and if such programs exist, Lynn is interested in making
sure that our system/providers/service coordinators are aware.
OSEP-SICC Meeting-New Orleans, LA
The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTACenter), DaSY (the Center for IDEA
Early Childhood Data Systems) and IDC (IDEA Data Center) held the annual meeting of SICC
Chairs, Members, and Staff on Sunday, September 7. Cindy, Erin and Elisabeth attended the
meeting as CT ICC representatives and learned about national topics and trends. They noted
that this was not part of a larger conference as it had been in the past, and would be in the
future, but noted that there were opportunities to share and discuss issues. Elisabeth noted how
advanced Connecticut was in each issue and how much more impact / influence our SICC
seems to have compared to some others.
Office of Early Childhood
Maggie Adair, Director of Government and Community Relations for the Office of Early
Childhood (OEC) presented the office’s plans for moving Birth to Three System into the Office
of Early Childhood. Maggie can be contacted directly: Maggie.adair@ct.gov (860)713-6413.
She noted the timeline for such a proposal that needs to come from the Governor’s office and
the need for public commentary and then legislation what would reassign responsibilities and
funding. She also wanted to hear about questions/concerns the SICC may have.
Some of these included:
Concerns about fiscal flexibility: The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) currently
has a larger budget than the OEC will have and is able to shift funds to cover late shortfalls to
insure payment for services for children and families in Birth to Three She noted that they
(OEC) are aware of these issues and are working on plans to cover these issues.
Concerns about monitoring and oversight: The SICC has long felt that one part of the success
of our system is the strong oversight and ongoing monitoring that can be provided in cases of
concerns or questions. Maggie noted that personnel will remain the same in the case of a shift
in lead agency and that no change in oversight is planned.
There were concerns about policy flexibilility since the original plan was that OEC would have to
contract out to get legal opinions about any changes (Unlike DDS, which has internal legal
counsel) and that this would take more time and limit flexibility. Maggie noted that the OEC will
now have in house counsel to be able to address this.
There were questions about the data system, since it is “owned” by DDS. There are many data
systems involved and the plan is to to allow each group to keep their own formats but that they
will all be melded so that they can interchange information.
Sharri asked about parent involvement. Maggie noted that the OEC is involved with the Early
Childhood Cabinet . Parent involvement is by statue but the requirement is not for a “Birth to
Three” parent. They welcome parent input.
Maggie can be reached or sent questions/comments via Maggie.adair@ct.gov or 860-7136413.
Mark and Sharri invited Maggie or another representative from the OEC who would
possibly be strongly involved with Birth to Three to attend the retreat in May (see above)
Lead Agency Update/Fiscal Update
Lynn Johnson, Acting Director of Birth to Three System gave the lead agency update and the fiscal update.
IDEA Part C
Office of Special Education Programs’ (OSEP) Technical Assistance Centers: WestEd
(http://www.wested.org) was awarded the competitive grant for the National Center for Systematic
Improvement (NCSI). This center will replace the previous network of Regional Resource Centers. For
more information as available go to http://www.wested.org/wp-content/uploads/NCSI_project-2pager20141013.pdf .
State Performance Plan (SPP); Annual Performance Report (APR); State Systematic Improvement Plan
(SSIP) and GRADS 360: The format for the APR due Feb. 1, 2015 has been totally reconfigured and will be
finalized in mid-December. The ICC will review the final report when complete though this is now basically
a fill-in-the-data report with little writing to review. In fact, the SPP/APR is one document. The APR will be
submitted via the GRADS 360 stakeholder meeting will be held after the ICC today on the SSIP which is
part of the SSP.
IDEA Dispute Resolution-FY14
Written complaints: No complaints have been received since our June meeting. There were 2 written
complaints during FY 14.
Requests for mediation or hearings: There have been no requests since our June meeting. There were no
mediations during FY 14 and one request for a hearing that was withdrawn.
Birth to Three System Update
Staff Changes: Mary Coyle joined the CT Birth to Three System Administration on September 19th as the
new Associate Accountant. Mary will directly oversee the work of the Birth to Three Fiscal office working
with Kathy Granata and Joyce Boutin. Mary comes to us with experience working in the private sector and
at the Department of Social Services. She has observed a home visit and attended the provider meetings
this month. Mary can be reached at 860-418-8714 or mary.coyle@ct.gov
Koleen Kerski, an Occupational Therapist with the training team has left Birth to Three to work in another
division of DDS. She was a valuable member of the team and her knowledge and expertise will be greatly
missed and she was publicly thanked
Public Awareness and Child Find: the FY14 annual data report update was again manged by Eileen
McMurrer. She thanked the SICC reviewers of the draft FY14 annual data report: Mark, Corinne, Erin,
Elisabeth, Cindy and Lorna. Additional thanks go to Joe McLaughlin who put the Lead Agency in contact
with the featured family. The printed booklets will be distributed to SICC members at the December
meeting and to the Governor and General Assembly thereafter. Web posting will follow delivery to the
Governor.
Two FY14 data highlights: (1) referrals increased from 8,336 to 8,720. (2) The percentage of evaluated
children who met CT eligibility criteria increased from 60% to 63%. (Mark noted that this amounts to 492
children) This may be partially due to (A) more effective developmental screening by primary health care
and child care providers using valid tools and (B) B23 procedural updates and training initiatives designed
to improve authentic identification of developmental delay at the earliest opportunity. A large focus this past
year was on the required completion of domain-specific tools used by professionals licensed in the
discipline most closely aligned with the referral concern before finding a child not eligible, and B23 trainings
for providers in the use of domain specific tools to enhanced early identification.
Family Liaison: The State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) has been providing funding and support
to look at the areas of literacy and behavior. Last year this grant supported a project which focused on
using the Pyramid framework to address challenging behaviors. In September Aileen McKenna and staff
from the Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center put on a two-day training entitled Working with Families in
Challenging Situations. Thirty-six Birth to Three providers attended. As a follow-up there will be six learning
community sessions held over the course of the coming year, each will focus on one of the following
challenging situations: parents with intellectual disabilities; substance abuse; domestic violence; mental
health issues; poverty and severe socio-economic stressors and families with medically fragile and
terminally ill children. There will be expert presentations, journal articles and group discussion. It is hoped
that information from these two projects will be shared other staff members and encourage mental health
clinicians to be seen as an integral member of the teams.
DCF referrals have increased sharply in the last six months. We are closely following these numbers and
will report back to the ICC when we submit our semi-annual report to the Dept. of Children and Families
(DCF) as part of our MOU with DCF. (Mark noted this to Maggie Adair for the attention of the OEC. She
noted that this is already on their radar and also that this relates to the Governor’s acceptance of and
implementation of child mental health planning.)
Personnel & Practice Office: A major initiative began this past Summer on "Implementing Evidence-based
Practices in Early Childhood Intervention" with Dathan Rush and M’Lisa Shelden. The focused is on
operationalizing an evidence-based practice model in early intervention using natural learning environment
practices, coaching as an interaction style for working with families and colleagues, and a primary service
provider approach to teaming. Birth to Three programs were selected based on their application and
willingness to commit to the completion of the initiative
Linda Bamonte, Bob Kiernan and Koleen Kerski completed an 8 month Train the Trainer certificate program
sponsored by the Connecticut Training and Development Network. Topics included adult learning, needs
assessment, curriculum design, methods of instruction, and presentation and facilitation skills. The course
ended with presentations created using techniques learned during the course. The Birth to Three topics
included: Evidence based practice in early intervention, embedding communication in daily routines and
activities, addressing sensory issues using daily routines and activities. Each will be further developed to be
presented to Birth to Three providers.
Early Childhood Cabinet
The Early Childhood Cabinet, originally created in 2005 as the Early Childhood Education Cabinet,
was renamed the Early Childhood Cabinet in the 2014 legislative session to reflect the cabinet's renewed
interest in all areas that impact young children and their families.
Previously, the Early Childhood Education Cabinet was reformed in January 2010 and designated to be the
State Advisory Council specified in the Head Start Act of 2007. The purpose of the Early Childhood
Education Cabinet was to develop a high-quality, comprehensive system of early childhood education
among the wide array of early childhood programs in the state (including Head Start, child care and School
Readiness). The Early Childhood Education Cabinet played a key role in advancing the integration of
services to young children and families.
The first meeting of the Cabinet was held on October 15th with Myra Jones Taylor, Commissioner of the
Office of Early Childhood as chair. More information on this meeting can be found at
http://www.ctearlychildhood.org/meetings.html
Parent Support Grant Update
Nancy Prescott, CPAC Director gave an update on contract activities with the Birth to Three system.
These include supports and facilitation of the parent members of the SICC. Nancy was also invited to the
retreat planned for May.
State Performance Plan (SPP)
Alice Ridgway, Manager to Accountability & Monitoring in Birth to Three System presented
compliance indicators and results indicators to set targets. Myra, Mark & Steve volunteered to
edit the SPP.
Committee Reports (no subcommittee meetings were held because of lack of time).
Legislative/Fiscal Committee: (Chair: Myra Watnick) There was no committee work at this
meeting.
Communications Committee (Chair: Sharri Lungarini):
There was no committee work at this meeting.
Quality Services Committee (Co-Chairs: Cindy Jackson and Corrine Griffin): There was no
committee work at this meeting.
The meeting ended at 11:55AM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Anna Hollister
NEXT State ICC MEETING
Monday, December 8, 2014 at Value Options, 500 Enterprise Drive-Suite 3D (Hartford Room),
Rocky Hill, CT. Please RSVP to Anna Hollister at 860-418-8716 or via e-mail at:
anna.hollister@ct.gov
FUTURE MEETING DATE:
February 23, 2015 at Value Options, 500 Enterprise Drive, Rocky Hill Suite 3-D *
April 13, 2015
June 8, 2015