ABOUT
Overview
The purpose of Nebraska’s Coaching in Early Intervention (CEI) project is to improve outcomes for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families by developing a sustainable early childhood coaching model that promotes the use of evidence-based practices among early intervention personnel.
CEI model developers:
Why is CEI needed?
Birth to age 3 are the most important years in a child’s development. Early intervention includes providing supports and services in these early years, such as occupational, speech or physical therapy, to improve a child’s ability to develop and learn.
Early intervention programs must have an effective and sustainable coaching infrastructure to provide consistent, high-quality services for children and families, as well as to develop and retain early childhood coaches.
The CEI model provides a strong framework to:
Build early childhood program capacity
Guide early intervention coaches
Empower early intervention personnel
How it works
Comprehensive support and professional development — virtual and in-person — is provided to state-level coaches, site-based coaches and early intervention personnel who work directly with infants and toddlers with disabilities, and their families.
Data collected from families, early intervention personnel and coaches inform the coaching approach, as well as development and implementation of the coaching model.
Keys to success
CEI aims to enhance early intervention services by:
- Leveraging the existing coaching infrastructure used by planning region teams and aims to strengthen coaching efforts currently in place.
- Providing coaches with training and ongoing support in evidence-based coaching practices and data-driven activities.
- Preparing site-based coaches to tailor their approach to the needs of early intervention personnel with diverse skills, backgrounds and responsibilities.