Special Education Component

About the Special Education Component of the Building Careers in ECE Grant

The Special Education Component is intended to provide credit-bearing professional development opportunities for preschool teachers and administrators in public schools, Head Start, center-based, and family child care programs serving preschool-age children with disabilities. Topics may include, but are not limited to, inclusion, differentiated instruction, autism, English language learners with disabilities, and curriculum and assessment.

Eligibility for the Special Education Component

To be eligible to participate in the Special Education Component, students must meet criterion listed below. Please note that current Building Careers students may be eligible to participate in addition to other Building Careers and/or ECE Scholarship courses they have registered for. This opportunity is intended for educators in the field who are responsible for professional development and/or are working with preschool-age children with disabilities; this opportunity is not for Building Careers students only.

1. Be a Massachusetts resident and U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen;
2. Work in an EEC-funded, EEC licensed or license-exempt early education and care or out-of-school time program (i.e., group child care, family child care, school age child care, or Head Start program);
3. Agree to complete student data forms and share directory information with Building Careers Coordinator and EEC;
4. Participate in work-site observations and supervision meetings (if applicable);
5. Agree to support other costs associated with course such as books, materials, etc. (if applicable);
6. Agree to not use multiple funding sources to supersede the actual cost of the course.
7. Work with preschool-age children with disabilities in an EEC licensed, license-exempt, or EEC-funded program (i.e. MFN or PCHP program) OR
8. Work as a staff member at a CPC, CCR&R, or family child care system who is responsible for the professional development of staff in the field.
9. Agree to provide data on children in program with disabilities.
10. Individuals participating in Special Education coursework cannot participate in current offerings if they have previously taken the specific course that is being offered.