Resources, Tools, Notices, and Professional Development Shared with School Administrative Units to Offer Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in Early Childhood Settings
| Date | Topic | Recording Link | Agenda/Notes/Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-15-2024 | Updates to Public Law 643; Readiness Self-Assessment; Approaches to Communication | YouTube | |
| 5-29-2024 | Preschool Special Education Program Fund, Business Manager Focused Q&A | YouTube | |
| 6/12/2024 | FAPE Obligation, Summer Referrals, Transition Notifications, Funding Codes | YouTube | |
| 7/17/2024 | Pathways program, Certification, Fiscal Update | YouTube | |
| 7/31/2024 | Child Find Process, Revolving Renovation Fund | YouTube | |
| 8/7/2024 | C to B Transition, MOU’s, High-Cost Child, Maine Care | YouTube | |
| 8/14/2024 | MOU updates, BDI/Day-C Training info, Child Outcomes Summary Process | YouTube | |
| 8/15/2024 | School Renovation Fund Meeting | YouTube | |
| 8/28/2024 | Maine Roads to Quality, Maine Early Learning Standards, Special Purpose Preschools | YouTube | |
| 9/4/2024 | Head Start Requirements, BDI/DAY-C Training Updates, Mixed Delivery System | YouTube | |
| 9/11/2024 | LRE Scenarios, Superintendent’s Agreement, Updated Funding Counts, High-Cost Child | YouTube | |
| 9/18/2024 | Transportation Overview, Scenarios continued, Pathways to Partnerships | YouTube | |
| 9/25/2024 | Early Childhood Special Education Website Launch, LRE Examples | YouTube | |
| 9/26/2024 | Child Outcomes Summary Process Training for Educators | YouTube | |
| 10/2/2024 | Discipline/Behavior, Finance/Enrollment Data | YouTube | |
| 10/9/2024 | Toileting, Data FAQs | YouTube | |
|
10/23/2024 |
282B Certification, Breakout Discussion |
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| 11/6/2024 | Breakout Session Discussion on Mixed Delivery System | YouTube | |
| 11/7/2024 | Cohort 2 Informational Meeting: Early Childhood Special Education Services | YouTube | |
| 11/20/2024 | Head Start | YouTube | |
| 11/21/2024 | Developmental Delay Presentation | YouTube | |
| 12/4/2024 | Child Count, High-Cost Data, In by Three and Child Outcomes Data Collection Tool | YouTube | |
| 12/18/2024 | Early Childhood Special Education Data: Results from Services Provided | YouTube | |
| 1/15/2025 | Office of Child Family Services, Data Collection, Grants4ME Update | YouTube | |
| 1/29/2025 | 282B Certification Update, Child Outcomes Training Announcement | YouTube | |
| 2/12/2025 | Cohort 1 Spreadsheet Training for Indicators 7 and 12 | YouTube | |
| 2/25/2025 | Cohort 1 Informational Meeting, state funds used for the FAPE transition, Part C Early Intervention for ME | YouTube | |
| 3/5/2025 | Cohort 2 First Informational Session and Welcome: Includes updates, guidance, planned activities, communications, policies, and a website tour. | YouTube | |
| 3/12/2025 | Cohort 1 Informational Meeting: Cohort 2 schools list; Early Learning Grant PreK Partnerships start-up funding to expand public PreK; Transportation Purchases; CDS Summer Child Find; Catchment Area Guidance. | YouTube | |
| 3/19/25025 | Cohort 2 Informational Meeting: Introduction of CDS Directors and staff to Cohort 2 SAUs; Transportation guidance and application for vehicle purchases; Overview of Early Childhood Special Education supports for Cohort 2 schools. | YouTube | |
| 3/26/2025 | Cohort 1 Informational Meeting: PreK Partnership Grant; Child Count due April 1st. Information on P.L. 2001, c. 676, promotion and retention; Preschool transition to kindergarten; Least Restrictive Environment IEP team discussions leading to placements and program selection in the mixed delivery system. | YouTube | |
| 4/2/2025 | Cohort 2 Informational Meeting: Collaborations possible between public schools and the early childhood mixed delivery system; CDS Part C to Part B Transition Meeting Participation prior to the FAPE obligation. | YouTube | |
| 4/9/2025 | Cohort 1 Informational Meeting: Collaborations possible between public schools and the early childhood mixed delivery system (repeated from prior week) | YouTube | |
| 4/16/2025 | Cohort 1 and 2 Informational Meeting: Partnership agreements - Tips and tools to build agreements between schools and private childcare when providing a FAPE. | YouTube | |
| 4/30/2025 | Cohort 2 Informational Meeting: Enrollment Process by Data Team and the Partnership Agreements presentation was re-presented. | YouTube | |
| 5/7/2025 | Cohort 1 Informational Meeting: Child Outcome Summary Process End of Year Activities | YouTube | |
| 5/14/2025 | Cohort 2 Informational Meeting: Child registration processes that support family involvement; Due process and compensatory services owed--and who provides them; Developmental Delay eligibility in preschool. | YouTube | |
| 6/4/2025 | Cohort 1 Informational Meeting: End of Year Celebration- Commissioner and State Director Recognition, data collections due, DAY-C and BDI training, Early Learning team Fellowship PD opportunity, future Cohort meetings, specific SAU accomplishments that offered FAPE to families and their preschool-aged children with disabilities. | YouTube | |
| 6/11/2025 | Cohort 2 Informational Meeting: This informational session included reminders for the Fall Meeting Survey and BDI/DAY-C Sign-up; Description of the Google resource folder; Mixed delivery supports available; MOU clarification and availability of the ECSE Fiscal Application. | YouTube | |
| 7/16/2025 | Cohort 2 Topics for this informational meeting included registration and parent engagement, MOU meetings, preschool readiness, mixed delivery support, Regional ECSE Coordinator, letter from Commissioner, and Cohort 2 meeting schedule | YouTube | |
| 8/13/2025 | Cohort 2 Informational Meeting: This session included information from CDS regarding regional realignments, support and service hubs, and rate sheets/billing. Additionally, it provided an overview of the mixed delivery system, quality preschool environments, and an introduction to measuring child outcomes. | YouTube | |
| 8/14/2025 | Cohort 3 & 4 Informational Meeting: This informational meeting included information for future Cohort SAUs regarding the provision of FAPE in public schools. Topics included legislation, funding, responsibilities, and SEA supports provided. | YouTube | |
| 9/10/2025 | Cohort 2 Informational Meeting: This session presents information about Child Find and CDS Referrals and Support and Service Hubs | YouTube | |
| 9/24/2025 | Cohort 2 Informational Meeting: This session presents information about submitting child count data for funding, the enrollment process for preschool children with disabilities, and the Child Outcomes Summary Process. | YouTube | |
| 10/8/2025 | Cohort 2 Informational Meeting: This informational session provided an overview of fiscal reporting, covering topics such as submission of enrollment child counts, collection dates, funding streams, payment calculation, reconciliation reports, and contact information for assistance. A second presentation followed up on the Child Outcomes Summary process data submission. | YouTube | |
| 10/15/2025 | This presentation provided an overview of the ongoing transition of Child Find and Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) responsibilities from Child Development Services (CDS) to School Administrative Units (SAUs). Presenters from the Maine Department of Education shared updates on state-level efforts to strengthen collaborative partnerships between childcare programs and SAUs, ensuring seamless coordination and continued support for children with disabilities across early learning settings. | YouTube | |
| 10/22/2025 | This Cohort 2 presentation provided information on Developmental Delay as an eligibility category for preschool aged children, including identification and assessment processes, reminders about adverse impact statements, reevaluations based on age, and, with regard to the IEP process, developmental needs, goals, and services. | YouTube | |
| 11/12/2025 | This Cohort 2 presentation provided information on Early Intervention (EI-Part C of IDEA) and the transition to Preschool Special Education (ECSE) by the 3rd birthday. Includes information on differences between EI and ECSE, timelines, eligibility and IEP meetings. | YouTube | |
| 11/18/2025 | This Cohort 2 presentation provided information about Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) in the mixed delivery system and included information about the continuum of placement options, and LRE codes. | YouTube | |
| 11/20/2025 | This presentation was developed to share information about steps and practices involved in participating in future Cohort 3 and 4 Transitions to FAPE in SAUs. | YouTube | |
| 12/3/2025 | This Cohort 2 meeting included a review of previous presentations on Partnerships and an opportunity for attendees to discuss progress on working within the mixed delivery system. Strategies were presented as well as tips and tools. | YouTube | |
| 12/17/2025 | Cohort 2 Meeting and the Offer of a FAPE in Public Schools. This meeting covered the requirements for public education offerings, children's access, services, and the IEP/ISP. | YouTube |
Contact
Jennifer Hopkins
Assistant Transition Coordinator of FAPE Services for Early Childhood
Email: Jennifer.l.Hopkins@maine.gov