FACTS/LRE Welcome

Dear Colleagues,

The FACTS/ILRE Project was initiated in January 1993 and ends September 1999. It has been funded by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education.

During our years of federal funding, our staff wrote five manuals. Two address the importance and mechanics of writing interagency agreements to support the transition of young children and their families from early intervention to preschool (#1, #5). Two focus on the successful entry and adjustment of young children in inclusive preschool programs (#2, #3). One manual provides guidance for early intervention staffs and families in identifying and selecting appropriate special education and related services for their child upon entry to preschool. Over 12,000 copies of these manuals have been distributed since their publication.

These manuals have been influenced by the many interactions among staff and the communities in which we provided technical assistance. We conducted in service training to communities throughout the States of Illinois and Washington and to a number of communities in Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Kansas. We thank our colleagues in these states for their valuable insights into the process of planning early school transitions, providing quality preschool services and forming partnerships across agencies and families to meet the needs of young children with disabilities.

As the project draws to an end, we are making the manuals available on our web site. The complete texts may be printed and used. We ask that authorship be credited when quoting from the texts and that copyright be respected. Permission is granted to copy and reproduce any and all sections of the manuals. We hope that you will find these helpful in providing or advocating for services for young children.

Best wishes,

Susan A. Fowler, Project Director, 1993-1999
Dale B. Fink, Coordinator, 1993-1997
Michael Wischnowski, Co-Coordinator, 1995-96
D. Sarah Hadden, Project Co-Coordinator, 1996-1997; Project Coordinator, 1997-1998

For further information about the project, contact:

Susan Fowler
safowler@uiuc.edu

April 12, 1999
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