Early Childhood Special Education Resources and Tools

The IDEA requires that children with disabilities be identified, located, and evaluated. An effective child find system is an ongoing part of an SAU's responsibility to ensure that a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) is made available to all eligible children with disabilities. In early childhood, because children may not yet be in school, locating preschool-age children with disabilities requires state and local education agencies to develop and support an ongoing system for notifying families and community members about evaluation opportunities when there is a concern about delays in children's development. It also requires that families and community members be familiar with the expected skills and behaviors in early childhood, and what might constitute a delay.

• Child Find in Early Childhood Special Education — Maine Unified Special Education Regulations (MUSER) includes Child Find requirements for the state.
• CDC Developmental Milestones — includes checklists and videos of age expected development from birth through five years old.
• Cohort Meeting Presentation on Child Find — The September 2025 presentation included a review of Child Find Components, clarifying key differences between 3–5-year-olds and K–12. Documentation and timeline requirements were also included as well as a graphic outlining the process.
• One Page Info on Child Find in SAUs — Technical assistance document condensed into one page for Child Find.
• Common Special Education Evaluation Tools (Ages 3–5) — Guide describing common assessment tools, including who they are administered by, and any key training requirements when conducting an evaluation for special education in early childhood.

Children aged 0–3 that receive Early Intervention (EI) services from Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act have the potential to receive Part B Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) services for children ages 3–5. Timely transition activities start while in Early Intervention to describe services available once the child turns three and Early Intervention ends. Coordinated activities to ensure eligible children have an Individualized Education Program prior to age three include:

• Descriptions of available programs and services, differences between EI and ECSE
• Sharing of information about timelines and locations for the Transition Conference, evaluation, and IEP meetings with schools
• Sharing information about the parent's ability to opt-out of the notification to schools that the child is potentially eligible for special education
• Overview of the C to B Transition Process
• Graphic and Description of the C to B Transition Process Timeline

Access, participation, and engagement are important goals for all children to develop the skills and behaviors needed to be prepared to enter into school-age learning environments. Research shows that settings in which preschool-aged children with disabilities learn alongside typically developing peers have been shown to have the most impact on both groups of children (National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance, 2022). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act states, "in determining the placement of a child with a disability, that the child is educated in the school he or she would attend if nondisabled, unless the IEP requires some other arrangement" (34 CFR §300.116(c)).

Presentations

• FAPE in Public Schools — LRE Placement and SAU funding responsibilities within a mixed delivery system
• Considerations for Determining LRE in Early Childhood Special Education with Scenarios
• Least Restrictive Environment Codes — Reference for Each Environment on the Continuum of Placement Options
• B6 Data Tool — Using the Decision Tree to Help Find the Appropriate Category for a Preschool-Aged Child
• Superintendents' Agreements in SAUs — A Superintendents' Agreement is a formal process that allows for the transfer of a student from one SAU to another.

Self-Assessment of Inclusive Practices

• Local Program Indicators and Elements of High-Quality Inclusion
• Early Care and Education Environment Indicators and Elements of High-Quality Inclusion

Environmental and Instructional Supports for Positive Behavior

The practices needed to support children's positive social-emotional development and prevent unwanted behaviors are described in the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations, Positive Behavior Intervention Systems (PBIS), and Universal Design for Learners (UDL). The Pyramid Model practices align with PBIS as a multi-tiered system of supports specific to early childhood and early childhood environments.

• Tier 1 practices — support the learning needs of approximately 80% of young learners in early childhood programs. These practices focus on environmental supports — the physical, social, and academic supports needed for all children to learn. Aspects such as the physical structures of room arrangement and material positioning, to visual supports and predictable, structured school-day schedules, top the literature.
  • Visual Supports for Routines, Schedules, and Transitions
• Tier 2 practices — explicit instruction in social skills, self-regulation, and problem solving, continuing the Tier 1 preventative practices for the next 15% of children.
  • NAEYC — Social skills, self-regulation, and problem solving in early childhood
  • ACF — Promoting self-regulation in the first five years
  • NAEYC — Play that promotes problem-solving skills
• Tier 3 practices — for the 1–5% of children who need support beyond Tiers 1 and 2, information about individualized intensive interventions is included here.
  • Providing Intensive Individualized Intervention
  • Considerations for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma
  • Individualized Interventions for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma
  • Antecedent - Behavior - Consequence (ABC) Observation Cards
  • ABC Data Collection Tool
  • Checklist of Early Childhood Practices that Support Social Emotional Development and Trauma-Informed Care

Professional Development to Support Positive Behaviors

• IRIS Center Modules: Early Childhood Environments: Designing Effective Classrooms, Classroom Reinforcement Systems, Early Childhood Behavior Management: Developing and Teaching Rules, English Learners with Disabilities: Supporting Young Children in the Classroom
• National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Recorded Webinars
• Head Start Learning Management System: Individualized professional development for early childhood educators
• Pyramid Model: Like SW-PBIS, the Pyramid Model is a multi-tiered framework comprising a continuum of evidence-based practices organized into three tiers: promotion, prevention, and intervention. It is uniquely designed to address the needs and contexts of programs serving infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
  • Basics — National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations — describes the basic principles, the tiers of support, published research findings (2016, 2021), and resources including impact stories, implementation roadmaps, videos, and other print resources.
  • Video — 8-minute YouTube video illustrating the framework of evidence-based practices to promote positive social-emotional development.

The Child Outcomes Summary Process is a required assessment process to measure the growth and development of preschool-age children with disabilities who receive special education services. It is a consistent way to rate a child's functioning relative to age-expectant behavior at specific points in time. Children in early childhood special education programs are assessed at the beginning and at the end of their programming time to capture this development using the Child Outcomes Summary (COS) process. The COS process is a federally mandated activity designed to gauge effective programming and achievement of children's age-expected development. COS professional development opportunities to build ECSE provider capacity is available on demand. SAUs will conduct the COS process as children enter and exit the program and report outcomes data to the Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education (OSSIE). Evaluating Implementation of Evidence-based Practices Webinar | DaSy Center can support transitioning to a focus of increasing use of evidence-based practices that can result in improved outcomes.

Professional Development

• Obtaining Child Outcomes Summary Process Training through Maine's Learning Management System (Flyer)
• COS Process Overview Information — Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA)
• COS Process Training Modules (ECTA)
• Cohort 1 Presentation on Child Outcomes Summary Process for:
  • Administrators
  • Educators
• COS Process Fact Sheet and Q & A
• COS Parent Training and Preparation Resources — to support parent participation

Practice Implementation Resources

• COS Process Checklist
• COS Process Quick Reference Guide
• Age Anchoring Tool for Child Development in Three Outcome Areas
• COS Ratings Definitions
• COS Decision Tree for Summary Ratings Discussions
• Questions and Answers when Using the 7 Point Scale for the Child Outcomes Summary Process
• COS Team Note-taking Guide During Age-Anchoring Discussions
• COS Documentation Form for Team Decisions — Sample downloadable file to record COS team documentation for entry or exit data

Delivery of Special Education Services for Preschool Aged Children

• Presentation: Certification Supports for Teachers of Children with Disabilities Birth to School Age 5 (282B)

Licensure of Related Service Providers

• Occupational Therapy — Board of Occupational Therapy Practice
• Physical Therapy — Board of Physical Therapy
• Speech Language Therapy — Board of Speech, Audiology and Hearing
• Educational Technician — Title 20-A, §13019-H: Educational technician certificate
• School Psychologist — 093 Certificate Requirements and Application Materials
• Social Work — State Board of Social Worker Licensure

Certificates in Elementary and Public PreK Settings

The Early Learning Team at the Maine DOE created the Preschool Guidebook, providing comprehensive guidance to establish and expand public PreK in Maine. The following certificates qualify educators to provide early childhood general education.

• Early Childhood Teacher ages 0–5 (081)
• Early Elementary Endorsement (PreK–3) (029)

Provider Qualifications in Private Childcare Programs

Preschool-aged children may attend non-public, private childcare programs and receive their special education services in that location. Schools will determine if the private childcare setting meets the requirements of a Free Appropriate Public Education.

• Licensed Childcare Caregiver and Lead Teacher Requirements

Provider Qualifications in Head Start Programs

Educational programs in Head Start classrooms are also opportune locations for children with disabilities to access high quality early learning environments. Educator qualifications in these settings are represented in the following document:

• Sec. 648A Staff Qualifications and Development (ECLKC)

Standards

• Initial Practice-Based Professional Preparation Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators (2020)

Course Development Resources

• Early Childhood Personnel Center (ECPC) Course Development and Curriculum Resources for EI/ECSE Standards

Practical Application Tools

• Guidance on implementing evidence-based recommended practices — practice improvement tools and self-assessments for practitioners and families in both English and Spanish, from the Division of Early Childhood and the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center.

Recruitment and Retention

• Supportive Practices Research for Recruitment and Retention of Staff
• Special Educator Engagement, Development and Support (SEEDS) Alternative Certificate Program — Maine's Alternative Certification and Mentoring Program
• Early Childhood Professional Development Network's Registry: Maine Roads to Quality
• Department of Health ECE Workforce Salary Monthly Supplement System for Practitioners in Licensed Sites

The P.L. 2023, c.643, part W legislative initiative supporting SAUs to offer preschool programming for children with disabilities designated dedicated funding for SAUs to provide FAPE to preschool-aged children with disabilities. The Preschool Special Education Program Fund provides funding through a quarterly allocation.

Onboarding Overview

The Maine Department of Education pays 100% of the PreK Special Education program costs reported to the department in the Maine Education Finance System, quarterly. Expenditures must be reasonable and necessary.

• One Page Fiscal Overview
• Model Chart of Accounts for Early Childhood Special Education

Accounting Codes for Budget Preparation

Fiscal Presentations for Cohort Schools Adopting FAPE

• September 24, 2025 — Cohort 2 Informational Meeting: Submitting child count data for funding and the enrollment process for preschool children with disabilities. [YouTube] [PreK Enrollment and Child Count Presentation]
• October 8, 2025 — Overview of fiscal reporting: enrollment child counts, collection dates, funding streams, payment calculation, reconciliation reports, and contact information. [YouTube] [CDS FAPE Fiscal Presentation]
• February 4, 2026 — Introduction to the new early childhood special education monitoring tool within the Grants for Maine system, including navigation, expenditure data entry, and high-cost placement documentation. [YouTube] [Grants4ME Presentation]
• February 25, 2026 — School Finance presentation on ECSE funding and building a needs-based budget, reporting requirements, enrollment data, account codes, MaineCare billing, and State Agency Clients. [Budgets and Funding in Early Childhood Special Education]

Allocations

The quarterly allocation is based on the submitted count of the number of children eligible in the SAU. The count is submitted on the first day of each quarter; payments are made within two weeks of the count.

• Sample Funding Allocation Quarterly Calculation Estimator
• Early Allocations

Expenditures and Reporting

Fiscal guidance documents:

• Building an Early Childhood Special Education Budget Based on Student Need
• Administrative Staffing Decision Matrix
• Guidance on Administrative Positions
• Special Purpose Private Schools Daily Rate Sheet

Applications for purchasing transportation or making capital improvements:

• Transportation Purchases Instructions
• Transportation Pre-Approval Application
• Capital improvement project approval application

Section 618 under Part B of the IDEA requires each state to submit data about children with disabilities who receive special education and related services. Each state collects and submits data that describes the activities and performance of its programs serving young children with disabilities. The following data collections include information about descriptions and timelines.

• Indicator 6 (Ongoing) — The number and percent of preschool-aged children with disabilities enrolled in the various placement options by LRE code. Data collected in SAU's NEO data reporting system.
• Indicator 7 (Due July 1) — The Child Outcomes Summary process yields ratings for preschool-aged children on three functional outcomes at entry and exit from the program.
• Indicator 8 (During SAU Monitoring) — Represents the percentage of parents with a child receiving special education services who report that schools facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for children with disabilities.
• Indicator 11, Child Find (Ongoing) — Represents the unduplicated count of children with disabilities with IEPs in the SAU. Includes disability category, age, school site, race/ethnicity, and home language. Data is input through the SAU's NEO data reporting system.
• Indicator 12 (Due July 1) — The number and percent of children referred from Part C Early Intervention who received an IEP prior to turning three years old. Collected during SEA monitoring.
• SAU Child Count for Fiscal Allocations (Quarterly)
• Expense Reporting (Quarterly)

Early Childhood Special Education Results Data

Results data include information on child counts, transition timeliness, disability percentages, preschool environments, and educational outcomes for children in early childhood special education programs, in many cases over multiple years. A presentation on Early Childhood Special Education Results Data for FFY23 and FFY24 was delivered to Cohort 1 schools on December 18, 2024.