what do assessment practices look like for service

What do Assessment Practices look like for Service Coordinators?

Worksheet aligned with the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (RPs). See Worksheet Introduction (pdf) to learn more.

Developed by the Early Intervention Training Program at the University in part for the Educational & Developmental Intervention Services (EDIS) Understanding Service Coordination Essentials KIT Series (March 2019, updated September 2021)

Assessment Practices:

Assessment is the process of gathering information to make decisions. Service coordinators engage in assessment practices for the purposes of screening and conducting a family assessment to inform decisions on referrals needed for EI and non EI services and the determination of the multidisciplinary team. Service coordinators in a blended model, fulfilling the role of another discipline on the team, may also engage in assessment activities for the purposes of determining eligibility for services, individualized planning, monitoring child progress, and measuring child outcomes. Below we illustrate some ways that service coordinators, regardless of model, engage in and support Assessment Practices. Reflect on your own experiences. What direct or indirect ways do you engage in DEC RPs around Assessment? What are your strengths? What challenges do you face?

Assessment Practices Example My Examples, Strengths, or

Challenges with this RP:

A1 Practitioners work with the family to identify family preferences for assessment processes.

A service coordinator and a family jointly plan an upcoming assessment, the disciplines needed on the multidisciplinary team, date, time, and location according to the family’s preferences. In a blended model of service coordination, the SC may also represent one of the disciplines performing a multidisciplinary assessment.

A2 Practitioners work as a team with the family and other professionals to gather assessment information.

The service coordinator completes a family assessment, gathers birth and medical information, and shares this information with the family and the rest of the IFSP team.

https://www.dec-sped.org/dec-recommended-practices

https://eitp.education.illinois.edu/Files/Resources/DECRPSC/WorksheetsIntro.pdf






A3 Practitioners use assessment materials and strategies that are appropriate for the child’s age and level of development and accommodate the child’s sensory, physical, communication, cultural, linguistic, social, and emotional characteristics.

The service coordinator gathers information from the family about the child’s interests and preferences and jointly plans with the family next steps in an assessment. Service coordinators also ensure practitioners are using appropriate materials and that an interpreter/ translator is provided if a practitioner who speaks/writes in the family’s native language is not available.

A4 Practitioners conduct assessments that include all areas of development and behavior to learn about the child’s strengths, needs, preferences, and interests.

A service coordinator ensures the multidisciplinary evaluation/assessment team captures information across all developmental domains and that this information is consolidated and documented in the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).

A5 Practitioners conduct assessments in the child’s dominant language and in additional languages if the child is learning more than one language.

A service coordinator makes every effort to connect families with practitioners who communicate in their native language and when necessary, ensures an interpreter/ translator is provided.








A6 Practitioners use a variety of methods, including observation and interviews, to gather assessment information from multiple sources, including the child’s family and other significant individuals in the child’s life.

A service coordinator gathers information from primary caregivers, the primary care physician, and any other caregivers. Parents give consent to communicate with on their behalf as they get to know the child and family through the intake process. They also gather information from other disciplines to see what they may have learned through their assessments which will help develop the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).

A7 Practitioners obtain information about the child’s skills in daily activities, routines, and environments such as home, center, and community.

A service coordinator gathers information regarding family routines, formal and informal supports, and child and family strengths, areas of need and supports they seek within early intervention and the community as they conduct a family assessment.

A8 Practitioners use clinical reasoning in addition to assessment results to identify the child’s current levels of functioning and to determine the child’s eligibility and plan for instruction.

A service coordinator listens, ask questions, and documents information pertaining to present levels of development, child outcomes, eligibility, and development of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). A service coordinator ensures informed clinical opinion is supported and documented for the purposes of eligibility determination.








A9 Practitioners implement systematic ongoing assessment to identify learning targets, plan activities, and monitor the child’s progress to revise instruction as needed

A service coordinator reviews outcomes and contacts the families they serve monthly to assess and monitor progress. A service coordinator coordinates periodic meetings to modify the IFSP as needed.

A10 Practitioners use assessment tools with sufficient sensitivity to detect child progress, especially for the child with significant support needs.

A service coordinator facilitates the Child Outcome Summary Process (COS) and uses a variety of approaches and tools to assess and document progress.

A11 Practitioners report assessment results so that they are understandable and useful to families.

A service coordinator reviews written reports when they receive them to ensure they are understandable to the family (free of jargon). Then they provide the report(s) to the family in their native language in a timely manner.

Reference: Division for Early Childhood. (2014). DEC recommended practices in early intervention/early childhood special education 2014. http://www.dec-sped.org/recommendedpractices



http://www.dec-sped.org/recommendedpractices


What do Environment Practices look like for Service Coordinators? Worksheet aligned with the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (RPs). See Worksheet Introduction (pdf) to learn more.


Environment Practices:

Environment Practices refer to the space, activities, and routines that practitioners engage in with children and families they serve. Through implementation of the environmental practices, practitioners and families can promote nurturing and responsive caregiving and learning environments that can foster each child’s overall health and development. Service coordinators in a blended model engage in these practices when they are fulfilling their role on the team as a practitioner. However, when it comes to the duties of a service coordinator, especially those in a dedicated model, these practices tend to be indirect and supportive rather than a direct practice they engage in with the child and family. Here are a few key examples of what these practices may look like for service coordinators. What direct or indirect ways do you engage in DEC RPs around Environment Practices? What are your strengths? What challenges do you face?

Environment Practices Example My Examples, Strengths, or


E1 Practitioners provide services and supports in natural and inclusive environments during daily routines and activities to promote the child’s access to and participation in learning experiences.

A service coordinator completes a Routines-Based Interview with a family to establish what the family is doing and what the family wants to do within the home and community life.

E2 Practitioners consider Universal Design for Learning principles to create accessible environments.

A service coordinator informs families that teaching and learning opportunities are embedded in the family’s daily life regardless of where they spend their time. They support the team in thinking about strategies that support daily routines and activities (e.g., as mealtimes, dressing, going out, playtime, etc.).







E3 Practitioners work with the Family and other adults to modify and adapt the physical environment, and temporal environments to promote each child’s access to and participation in learning experiences.

A service coordinator asks the family and other team members if they have considered providing intervention services in a community-based setting such as a park, restaurant, or local grocery store where the family may express the need for supports and strategies.

E4 Practitioners work with families and other adults to identify each child’s needs for assistive technology to promote access to and participation in learning experiences.

A service coordinator works with the team to identify the need for assistive technology or other adaptive equipment such as an adapted seat so the child can sit at the table with their family during mealtime.

E5 Practitioners work with families and other adults to acquire or create appropriate assistive technology to promote each child’s access to and participation in learning experiences.

A service coordinator works with the IFSP team to identify assistive technology lending libraries so they can evaluate these devices before purchasing them.







E6 Practitioners create environments that provide opportunities for movement and regular physical activity to maintain or improve fitness, wellness, and development across domains.

A service coordinator works with families and IFSP teams to think about strategies in the environment to encourage children to move in any way they can.






What do Family Practices look like for Service Coordinators? Worksheet aligned with the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (RPs). See Worksheet Introduction (pdf) to learn more.


Family Practices:

Family practices encompasses three themes: family-centered practices, family capacity building practices and family and professional collaboration. All the family practices are closely aligned with activities service coordinators engage in daily, regardless of the model of service coordination. Therefore, this table includes examples that align with every family practice identified in the DEC Recommended Practices. Reflect on your own experiences. What direct or indirect ways do you engage in DEC RPs around Family Practices? What are your strengths? What challenges do you face?

Family Practices Example My Examples, Strengths, or


F1 Practitioners build trusting and respectful partnerships with the family through interactions that are sensitive and responsive to cultural, linguistic, and socio-economic diversity.

A service coordinator shares information about the family’s rights in the format and language with which the family is most comfortable.

F2 Practitioners provide the family with up-to-date, comprehensive and unbiased information in a way that the family can understand and use to make informed choices and decisions.

A service coordinator supports the family’s interests in exploring EI and non EI services by helping the family gather and evaluate information about the effectiveness of each option.







F3 Practitioners are responsive to the family’s concerns, priorities, and changing life circumstances.

A service coordinator uses open-ended questions to gather information from the family to understand their concerns and priorities.

F4 Practitioners and the family work together to create outcomes or goals, develop individualized plans, and implement practices that address the family’s priorities and concerns and the child’s strengths and needs.

A service coordinator helps the family to understand the importance of developing IFSP outcomes that will address their concerns and help them facilitate their child’s development (Retrieved from: DEC RPs with Examples)

F5 Practitioners support family functioning, promote family confidence and competence, and strengthen family-child relationships by acting in ways that recognize and build on family strengths and capacities.

A service coordinator partners with families as they navigate the EI system and teaches them how to advocate for themselves, so they are confident and capable of navigating other systems of support when they leave EI.



https://divisionearlychildhood.egnyte.com/dl/NRAghl7roM/





F6 Practitioners engage the family in opportunities that support and strengthen parenting knowledge and skills and parenting competence and confidence in ways that are flexible, individualized, and tailored to the family’s preferences.

A service coordinator gathers information about available parent education and training activities in their community and helps the family access desired activities. (Retrieved from: DEC RPs with Examples) Note that service coordinators do not make choices for the family but rather coach them to make decisions according to their strengths, needs and preferences.

F7 Practitioners work with the family to identify, access, and use formal and informal resources and supports to achieve family-identified outcomes or goals.

A service coordinator helps a family to identify childcare options in their community that meet their needs so that the child’s mother can return to work. (Retrieved from: DEC RPs with Examples)

F8 Practitioners provide the family of a young child who has or is at risk for developmental delay/disability, and who is a dual language learner, with information about the benefits of learning in multiple languages for the child’s growth and development.

A service coordinator asks questions to better understand a family’s culture and when possible, identifies providers who can communicate in English and the family’s native language if primary language is something other than English.











F9 Practitioners help families know and understand their rights.

A service coordinator gives concrete examples of how and when the family might need to exercise their rights at various points in time, so they know when they are being violated. For example, if a family informs the service coordinator that a provider just stopped showing up for appointments or that the visits have been cut short because of the provider’s schedule then it is within their rights to request a new provider.

A service coordinator provides the family with information about state regulations in written form prior to the eligibility evaluation and discusses the implications with the family. (Retrieved from: DEC RPs with Examples)

F10 Practitioners inform families about leadership and advocacy skill-building opportunities and encourage those who are interested to participate.

The service coordinator provides the family with information about how to get involved in the local interagency council or state interagency council and lets them know the benefits of participating in them.







What do Instruction Practices look like for Service Coordinators? Worksheet aligned with the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (RPs). See Worksheet Introduction (pdf) to learn more.


Instruction Practices:

Instruction Practices may be implemented by families or others who interact with the child, often with support of the practitioner. These practices inform what to teach, when to teach, how to evaluate the impact of instruction, and how to support and evaluate the quality of instructional practices implemented by others. Service coordinators in a blended model will use these as they directly interact with and support the family and other caregivers. Dedicated service coordinators will more often use these practices in an indirect manner as they support the family and other interventionists carrying out instructional practices with children and families to reach outcomes on the IFSP. What direct or indirect ways do you engage in DEC RPs around Instruction Practices? What are your strengths? What challenges do you face?

Instruction Practices Example My Examples, Strengths, or


INS1 Practitioners, with the family, identify each child's strengths, preferences, and interests to engage the child in active learning.

A service coordinator conducts a family assessment to gather information about what they know and recognize as their child’s interests as observed within everyday routines and activities.

INS2 Practitioners, with the family, identify skills to target for instruction that help a child become adaptive, competent, socially connected, and engaged and that promote learning in natural and inclusive environments.

A service coordinator uses a routines-based interview to gather information from a family about routines that are difficult for the child and family and ensures the IFSP includes services and supports to adequately address these challenges in natural environments.







INS3 Practitioners gather and use data to inform decisions about individualized instruction.

A service coordinator checks in with the family and other team members on a routine basis to learn about progress towards outcomes within the IFSP.

INS4 Practitioners plan for and provide the level of support, accommodations, and adaptations needed for the child to access, participate, and learn within and across activities and routines.

A service coordinator prompts the IFSP team to consider providing intervention during mealtime or within the community at a restaurant if the family frequently dines out and finds it to be a challenge to do so with their child.

INS5 Practitioners embed instruction within and across routines, activities, and environments to provide contextually relevant learning opportunities

A service coordinator suggests the interventionists provide instruction at both the home and the childcare settings so family members and other caregivers can gain support within the context they seek it.







INS6 Practitioners use systematic instructional strategies with fidelity to teach skills and to promote child engagement and learning.

A service coordinator informs the family and IFSP team members of the Instruction practice guides for practitioners (http://ectacenter.org/decrp/type-pgpractitioner.asp) and the practice guides for families (http://ectacenter.org/decrp/type-pgfamily.asp) that can be used to promote fidelity within instruction.

INS7 Practitioners use explicit feedback and consequences to increase child engagement, play, and skills.

A service coordinator asks questions at the IFSP meeting to learn about child engagement and how their strengths are being utilized to motivate them in play.

INS8 Practitioners use peer-mediated intervention to teach skills and to promote child engagement and learning.

A service coordinator asks about how a child’s siblings are incorporated into intervention visits and researches community- based play groups that might provide age appropriate peer models for the child and family to explore.



http://ectacenter.org/decrp/type-pgpractitioner.asp

http://ectacenter.org/decrp/type-pgpractitioner.asp

http://ectacenter.org/decrp/type-pgfamily.asp

http://ectacenter.org/decrp/type-pgfamily.asp





INS9 Practitioners use functional assessment and related prevention, promotion, and intervention strategies across environments to prevent and address challenging behavior.

Within an IFSP meeting the service coordinator learns about challenging behaviors that seem to occur at the childcare center but not at the home. As the outcomes are modified and the service plan is revisited the service coordinator suggests intervention periodically take place at the child care center to help address challenging behaviors in that setting.

INS10 Practitioners implement the frequency, intensity, and duration of instruction needed to address the child’s phase and pace of learning or the level of support needed by the family to achieve the child’s outcomes or goals.

A service coordinator facilitates a discussion with the IFSP team to discuss existing resources in place and any additional services or supports a family may need to achieve IFSP outcomes.

INS11 Practitioners provide instructional support for young children with disabilities who are dual language learners to assist them in learning English and in continuing to develop skills through the use of their home language.

A service coordinator learns about the family’s culture and preferred language and works with them to identify a practitioner, and when necessary an interpreter, to support the child and family utilizing English and their native language to reach outcomes on the IFSP.







INS12 Practitioners use and adapt specific instructional strategies that are effective for dual language learners when teaching English to children with disabilities.

Within an IFSP meeting, a speech-language pathologists recommends the family utilize a Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and knowing that the child is a dual language learner the service coordinator asks about which language this system will be in and if it is necessary to explore options that are in English and the family’s native language.

INS13 Practitioners use coaching or consultation strategies with primary caregivers or other adults to facilitate positive adult-child interactions and instruction intentionally designed to promote child learning and development.

At an IFSP review the family reports they are overwhelmed by all the appointments they have and wonder about reducing their early intervention services. The service coordinator revisits the outcomes with the IFSP team and asks about consultative and coaching strategies that could be implemented so the number of family visits with interventionists can be reduced.






What do Interaction Practices look like for Service Coordinators? Worksheet aligned with the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (RPs). See Worksheet Introduction (pdf) to learn more.


Interaction Practices:

Interaction Practices are those that support a child’s language, cognitive and emotional competence. Practitioners will plan specific ways to engage in these practices across environments, routines, and activities and will assist others in the child’s life (family members, other caregivers, siblings, and peers) in learning sensitive and responsive ways to interact with the child and promote the child’s development. Service coordinators in a blended model will use these as they directly interact with and support the family and other caregivers. Dedicated service coordinators will more often use these practices in an indirect manner as they support the family and other interventionists carrying out strategies and activities with children and families to reach outcomes on the IFSP. What direct or indirect ways do you engage in DEC RPs around Interaction Practices? What are your strengths? What challenges do you face?

Interaction Practices Example My Examples, Strengths, or


INT1 Practitioners promote the child’s social-emotional development by observing, interpreting, and responding contingently to the range of the child’s emotional expressions.

During a family assessment the caregivers report their child’s social skills are a strength for them so the service coordinator brings this up at the IFSP meeting and asks about identifying specific strategies that will utilize and reinforce this strength within the outcomes.

INT2 Practitioners promote the child’s social development by encouraging the child to initiate or sustain positive interactions with other children and adults during routines and activities through modeling, teaching, feedback, or other types of guided support.

A service coordinator asks questions about how the child interacts with their peers and siblings and suggests intervention take place in a setting where the practitioner can support the child and family within a routine that includes siblings or peers.







INT3 Practitioners promote the child’s communication development by observing, interpreting, responding contingently, and providing natural consequences for the child's verbal and non-verbal communication and by using language to label and expand on the child’s requests, needs, preferences, or interests.

Within an IFSP meeting the team brainstorms a long list of strategies the family can be working on to promote their child’s language development. The service coordinator captures them on the IFSP and asks follow-up questions if a strategy such as “language expansion techniques” is suggested to ensure that everyone on the team, especially the family, understands what that might include.

INT4 Practitioners promote the child’s cognitive development by observing, interpreting, and responding intentionally to the child's exploration, play, and social activity by joining in and expanding on the child's focus, actions, and intent.

A practitioner contacts the service coordinator to let them know the family doesn’t have any age-appropriate toys in the home that can promote the child’s cognitive development. The service coordinator spends some time brainstorming basic household items, such as a box, milk or egg carton, that could be used in lieu of toys. The service coordinator also offers to help the provider and family explore community-based resources such as a lending library that may provide books, toys and adaptive toys and equipment if necessary.







INT5 Practitioners promote the child’s problem-solving behavior by observing, interpreting, and scaffolding in response to the child’s growing level of autonomy and self-regulation

During the IFSP meeting the service coordinator reminds the team that the outcomes need to be meaningful and measurable and that they are written for a 6-12 month period since that is typically how often the plan is reviewed. While there may be specific strategies and activities identified as short term goals and objectives the service coordinator asks about activities and strategies that should be considered as the child’s knowledge and skills develop during the course of the plan.






What do Leadership Practices look like for Service Coordinators? Worksheet aligned with the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (RPs). See Worksheet Introduction (pdf) to learn more.


Leadership Practices:

Leaders in early intervention and early childhood special education can be program directors and other administrators, practitioners, service coordinators, family members, students, higher education faculty, and others. The set of practices in this section address the responsibilities of those in positions of program authority and leadership related to providing services to young children who have or are at risk for developmental delays/disabilities and their families. However, if we look closely at these Leadership Practices, we can see there are several things that a service coordinator may engage in that would demonstrate these practices. Below you will find some examples in which service coordinators (blended or dedicated) might showcase their ability to be leaders in early intervention. Reflect on your own experiences. What direct or indirect ways do you engage in DEC RPs around Leadership? What are your strengths? What challenges do you face?

Leadership Practices Example My Examples, Strengths, or


L1 Leaders create a culture and a climate in which practitioners feel a sense of belonging and want to support the organization’s mission and goals.

A service coordinator sets the tone and lays the foundation for what early intervention is (and what it isn’t) by sharing the philosophy of early intervention and supporting the team in understanding what it looks like as well as what it doesn’t look like if recommendations are made that don’t align with the mission and purpose of early intervention.

L2 Leaders promote adherence to and model the DEC Code of Ethics, DEC Position Statements and Papers, and the DEC Recommended Practices.

A service coordinator carries themselves in a professional manner when they are with families and other team members and if they notice someone else on the team who does not adhere to ethical or evidence-based practices they discuss their concerns with him or her.







L3 Leaders develop and implement policies, structures, and practices that promote shared decision making with practitioners and families.

A service coordinator empowers families to be shared decision makers in their intervention plan.

L4 Leaders belong to professional association(s) and engage in ongoing evidence-based professional development.

A service coordinator joins the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and attends local, statewide, and national conferences, trainings, and networking opportunities such as a Community of Practice.

L5 Leaders advocate for policies and resources that promote the implementation of the DEC Position Statements and Papers and the DEC Recommended Practices.

A service coordinator joins a local, statewide, or national committee to help review, revise and/or implement new policies, procedures, or resources to support the field.



https://www.dec-sped.org/

https://www.dec-sped.org/

https://www.dec-sped.org/servicecoordinationcop

https://www.dec-sped.org/servicecoordinationcop





L6 Leaders establish partnerships across levels (state to local) and with their counterparts in other systems and agencies to create coordinated and inclusive systems of services and supports.

A service coordinator develops relationships with local education agencies so when it is time for transition, they can help facilitate the process and minimize interruption of services and supports for children in a least restrictive environment.

L7 Leaders develop, refine, and implement policies and procedures that create the conditions for practitioners to implement the DEC Recommended Practices.

As the team member who brings expertise on the early intervention system, a service coordinator follows policies and procedures, informs practitioners and families of policies and procedures, and answers questions about them as needed.

L8 Leaders work across levels and sectors to secure fiscal and human resources and maximize the use of these resources to successfully implement the DEC Recommended Practices

A service coordinator learns of community-based resources and supports the family is accessing privately and works with the team to identify gaps and services that support the family rather than duplicate or replace what is already in place.







L9 Leaders develop and implement an evidence-based professional development system or approach that provides practitioners a variety of supports to ensure they have the knowledge and skills needed to implement the DEC Recommended Practices

A service coordinator keeps a portfolio to document and track their completed trainings, identifies areas where they need to gain knowledge and skills, reports those needs to individuals or entities when opportunities permit (e.g needs assessment), and seeks out additional professional learning opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills.

L10 Leaders ensure practitioners know and follow professional standards and all applicable laws and regulations governing service provision.

A service coordinator informs families and practitioners of policies, procedures and laws within the early intervention system and ensures that they are always followed.

L11 Leaders collaborate with higher education, state licensing and certification agencies, practitioners, professional associations, and other stakeholders to develop or revise state competencies that align with DEC, Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), and other national professional standards.

A service coordinator participates in a stakeholder group to help evaluate and revise state competencies.







L12 Leaders collaborate with stakeholders to collect and use data for program management and continuous program improvement and to examine the effectiveness of services and supports in improving child and family outcomes.

A service coordinator facilitates team discussions around child outcomes, helps to determine ratings at the initial, annual, and exit meetings, and documents ratings that are used to help understand the impact of early intervention and any potential modifications that may be needed within the service plan.

L13 Leaders promote efficient and coordinated service delivery for children and families by creating the conditions for practitioners from multiple disciplines and the family to work together as a team.

A service coordinator ensures the team members have each other’s contact information and encourages them to make time to connect with one another in between visits and Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) meetings.

L14 Leaders collaborate with other agencies and programs to develop and implement ongoing community-wide screening procedures to identify and refer children who may need additional evaluation and services.

A service coordinator shares information with families about dates, times, and locations for future screening opportunities when they have been found ineligible for early intervention or early childhood special education services.






What does Teaming & Collaboration look like for Service Coordinators? Worksheet aligned with the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (RPs). See Worksheet Introduction (pdf) to learn more.


Teaming and Collaboration Practices:

Teaming and collaboration practices are those that promote and sustain collaborative adult partnerships, relationships, and ongoing interactions to ensure that programs and services achieve desired child and family outcomes and goals. All teams include the family, a service coordinator and practitioners from multiple disciplines as needed. Service coordinators have an essential role in pulling teams together and keeping them together. In a blended model, the service coordinator may fulfill a dual role on the team in that they are both the service coordinator and a practitioner representing another discipline. Reflect on your own experiences. What direct or indirect ways do you engage in DEC RPs around Teaming and Collaboration Practices? What are your strengths? What challenges do you face?

Teaming & Collaboration Practices Example My Examples, Strengths, or


TC1 Practitioners representing multiple disciplines and families work together as a team to plan and implement supports and services to meet the unique needs of each child and family.

A service coordinator coordinates team meetings to develop and review the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and ensures that outcomes are unique to the individualized needs of the family.

TC2 Practitioners and families work together as a team to systematically and regularly exchange expertise, knowledge, and information to build team capacity and jointly solve problems, plan, and implement interventions.

A service coordinator contacts the family monthly to check in on how intervention is going and to gain an understanding of any progress that has been made towards family and child outcomes.



What does Teaming & Collaboration look like for Service Coordinators? Worksheet aligned with the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (RPs). See Worksheet Introduction (pdf) to learn more.


Teaming & Collaboration Practices Example My Examples, Strengths, or


TC3 Practitioners use communication and group facilitation strategies to enhance team functioning and interpersonal relationships with and among team members.

A service coordinator routinely checks in with the family and other team members and shares a team contact list with everyone on the team, so all team members know each other and how to reach each other.

TC4 Team members assist each other to discover and access community-based services and other informal and formal resources to meet family-identified child or family needs.

A service coordinator learns about reimbursement policies and helps families, as needed, to understand the impact of using non-public funds to pay for services. (Retrieved from: DEC RPs with Examples)

TC5 Practitioners and families may collaborate with each other to identify one practitioner from the team who serves as the primary liaison between the family and other team members based on child and family priorities and needs.

A service coordinator may be the primary liaison between the family and other team members, and if it isn’t them, they may help the family identify the person on the team who is the best fit for this role.







What do Transition Practices look like for Service Coordinators? Worksheet aligned with the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (RPs). See Worksheet Introduction (pdf) to learn more.

Developed by the Early Intervention Training Program at the University in part for the Educational & Developmental Intervention Services (EDIS) Understanding Service Coordination Essentials KIT Series (created March 2019, updated September 2021)

Transition Practices:

Transition can occur at many points in time for a family including but not limited to a transition from the hospital to home, from early intervention to community-based supports or from early intervention to early childhood special education services. Service coordinators have many responsibilities with regards to transition, including specific activities identified in Part C of IDEA. One of their primary roles within transition is to prepare and support the family throughout the transition process minimizing any disruptions to the family system. There are two Transition Practices identified in the DEC RPs and here are examples of what they might look like in service coordination. Reflect on your own experiences. What direct or indirect ways do you engage in DEC RPs around Transition Practices? What are your strengths? What challenges do you face?

Transition Practices Example My Examples, Strengths, or


TR1 Practitioners in sending and receiving programs exchange information before, during, and after transition about practices most likely to support the child’s successful adjustment and positive outcomes.

A service coordinator calls the family and the preschool a week after the child’s transition to preschool and again a month after transition, to make sure that all paperwork and other aspects of the transition are proceeding as planned. (Retrieved from: DEC RPs with Examples)

TR2 Practitioners use a variety of planned and timely strategies with the child and family before, during, and after the transition to support successful adjustment and positive outcomes for both the child and family.

A service coordinator provides families with lists of preschools and visiting schedules. She offers to accompany families on their visits to the preschools. (Retrieved from: DEC RPs with Examples)








what do assessment practices look like for service

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