Medicaid Forums Open

Hello friends,

I want to alert you to public forums Medicaid is hosting beginning this week!  Medicaid is seeking public input around updating the Medicaid MCO quality measures.  Developmental screening is one of the proposed quality measures! This is so important because without robust developmental screening programs, children at risk for delay miss the opportunity for timely referral to early intervention therapies.

The Child Core Developmental Screening Measure, Percentage of Medicaid and/or CHIP Enrollees Screened for Risk of Developmental, Behavioral, and Social Delays Using a Standardized Screening Tool in the First 3 Years of Life, reported in 2016 estimated that less than 15% of Louisiana’s children insured by Medicaid received such screenings.  Quality work around developmental screening is a win-win for Louisiana’s children!  Please consider attending these public forums and advocating for the developmental screening measure.

For NOLA partners, the New Orleans Medicaid Quality Forum at Children’s Hospital State Street Conference Center is Wednesday February 20th from 6 – 8 pm.

Please make every effort to attend one of these events and advocate for the developmental screening quality measure.  Share this alert with all partners, everyone’s opinion counts!

Kindest regards.  Patti Barovechio

Quality Public Forums (PDF)

Chairman Scott, Senator Casey, and Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Workers with Disabilities Transition to Competitive, Integrated Employment

Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor; Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA); and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) have introduced a bipartisan bill that would allow a series of competitive grants that would ease the transition as Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which allows subminimum wage, is phased out. Read the full press release on the Transition to Competitive Employment Act here.

Taming the Data Monster

I know teachers get tired of hearing about data, but showing progress of students with ASD is important for everyone who works with them.  In this webinar, we will share many different practical data collections strategies and tips for keeping the data monster tame and organized!

The Matrix and Beyond: Embedding Individualized Instruction

What do you know about embedded instruction?   It’s a way to teach individualized skills during routines and activities across school settings, including the general education classroom.  Sounds complicated, but it’s not!  We’ll break down the steps to planning and implementing embedded instruction to support learning and generalization of skills.  Join us on this journey!

Collaborative Planning for Inclusion: The Louisiana Connectors

Can students with significant disabilities be included in general
education classrooms?  Of course they can!  Join us to learn how
general and special educators can collaborate to address the Louisiana
Connectors.  Webinar participants will explore how to utilize strategies
for collaborative lesson planning and apply the online resources available on
the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) website.

LASARD January Newsletter

LASARD January Newsletter

HKNC Summer Programs

Take a look at the programs offered by the Helen Keller National Center (HKNC) in 2019!

FREE Training for Parents with Students with Disabilities from COPAA

If
you are a parent in the New Orleans or Lafayette area and know or suspect that
you have a child with a disability, the Council of Parent Attorneys and
Advocates is holding FREE training in New Orleans on January 18 and Lafayette
on January 19. Attendees have the opportunity to receive a waiver for
discounted admission to the COPAA conference at the Sheraton New Orleans, March
8-11. For full details, please see the flyer for your region by clicking one of
the links below.

Louisiana Ranked Eighth for Early Education System

The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) has ranked Louisiana No. 8 in the nation for creating a coordinated and integrated early care and education (ECE) program. In Louisiana, the Early Childhood Education Act of 2012 subsumes five early education programs under one agency and mandates a quality rating system for all public ECE providers. Despite the ranking, Louisiana continues to rank poorly in the number of children who can access these resources.

• Full Report
• Louisiana Fact Sheet (PDF)
• Press Release

Sonjia Joseph on WBOK-AM

Sonjia Joseph, the director of Clara’s Little Lambs in Algiers and a trainee in HDC’s LEND program in fiscal year 2018 (academic year 2017-18), was the guest star of the episode of On The Move with Kyundra Joi that aired on December 10. Ms. Joseph talked about being the second-generation director of Clara’s Little Lambs and the advantages and disadvantages of being located on the West Bank.