Kansas Inservice Training System (KITS): Infant/Toddler Expansion

This project will continue support for the KITS project to include training and technical assistance for staff and programs providing early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. The continued growth and development of a comprehensive statewide in-service system, addressing the training and technical assistance needs of infant/toddler and early intervention professionals, paraprofessionals, related services personnel and families in the State of Kansas, is essential to assure quality services. Therefore, this project will continue to support a variety of collaborative training and technical assistance activities on a comprehensive statewide basis. The project will provide training and technical assistance to the early intervention programs (infant/toddler local lead agency for Part C of IDEA) in the state. Additionally, parents and staff of agency networks collaborating with those programs will be afforded opportunities to be involved with training and technical assistance activities. Professional and support personnel development needs will be addressed at three levels of training - state, regional, and individual. This will be accomplished through collaborative needs assessment with the state lead agency (Kansas Department of Health and Environment) for the identification of the statewide priorities, regional needs, and for implementation of technical assistance services developed in concert with Individual Development Plans of professionals as appropriate. The project's goals will be completed through activities such as a summer institute, dissemination of information, provision of in-service training and provision of agency and individual technical assistance. Finally, this program will continue to support and utilize existing structures and opportunities for staff development currently occurring throughout the state through collaborative linkages with other agencies, programs, organizations, and projects in the field of early intervention and early childhood.