AC21 - G3 - National Resources to Support Service Coordination in Early Intervention

Cori Hill, Virginia Early Intervention Professional Development Specialist, works at the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is the Principal Investigator and Project Director for the Integrated Training Collaborative that provides coordination and oversight for Virginia's Comprehensive System of Personnel Development for early interventionists. Cori received her B.A. from the University of Virginia and her M.Ed. from James Madison University. She has worked in the field of early intervention for over twenty years as an infant program director, special instructor and service coordinator. As the EI Professional Development Specialist, Cori develops curriculum and provides personnel training both in-person and virtually. She is the co-author of the chapter entitled "The Individualized Family Service Plan Process" in the textbook, Family-Centered Early Intervention: Supporting Infants and Toddlers in Natural Environments. Additionally, she has published multiple manuscripts. Cori is also an adjunct faculty member at James Madison University where she teaches and supervises graduate early childhood special education and inclusive early childhood education students.

Sarah Nichols is a Professional Development (PD) Specialist with the Early Intervention Training Program (EITP) at the University of Illinois who has worked in Early Intervention (EI) for 20 years as a service coordinator (SC), statewide trainer, Community of Practice (CoP) leader, author, and consultant. Over the last decade, Sarah's time and interests have focused on curriculum development and evidence-informed PD for adult learners seeking community and distance learning opportunities. In her role, she leads the design and development of online trainings, webinars, and blended learning formats. Sarah also facilitates statewide and national CoPs for administrators, supervisors, trainers, professional development providers, service coordinators and practitioners and is the co-author of the book Growing Together: Developing and Sustaining a Community of Practice in Early Childhood. As a former SC, Sarah continues to share interests and a passion for service coordination and is committed to finding ways to better prepare, support and empower SCs so they can successfully partner with families and be recognized as professionals in EI. She also has an interest in research and a desire to further the evidence base as it relates to service coordination, CoPs, leadership development and evidence-informed PD. Sarah is a member of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), an active member of the Division of Early Childhood (DEC), the PD Strand Leader of the DEC Personnel Preparation Committee and a member of the DEC CoP Development Committee. Sarah is a lifelong learner dedicated to her own professional development who routinely collaborates with professionals across the nation, consults with states and programs who share her interests, and participates in and presents at state, national and international conferences.

Christina Commons currently serves as Indiana's Part C Coordinator and Past President of the Infant Toddler Coordinator's Association (ITCA). She has her Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education and Early Intervention from Purdue University and has completed Master's courses in Early Childhood Special Education at Ball State University. Before becoming the Part C Coordinator, she practiced as a Developmental Therapist in Indiana's Part C system for 16 years. She provided ongoing therapy, evaluation, and assessment to hundreds of children and their families. Starting in 2014, Christina spent two years with Indiana's Division of Mental Health and Addiction as Bureau Chief of Youth and Adolescent Services where she served as an advocate for children's mental wellness. She has worked with professionals from a variety of state and local agencies and the public sector on issues such as infant brain development, suspension and expulsion, mental health consultation, home visiting practices, screening and assessment, access to high quality early childhood early learning experiences, and prenatal substance use exposure. She continues to build partnerships with agency leaders on these issues ensuring that best practices and policies are developed and implemented.

Kristen Greene is the Associate Director for ZERO TO THREE's Products and Innovations Division (PID). A key member of the Leadership Team, Kristen works to conceptualize, develop, implement, enhance, and expand ZERO TO THREE's competency-based professional development products and services. A co-author of the ZERO TO THREE Critical Competencies for Infant-Toddler EducatorsTM Course curriculum, Kristen leads pilot offerings from conception through delivery, including: in-person and online courses, training-of-trainer events, and ZERO TO THREE Trainer Certification and directs the implementation of all PID professional development products and services. She is a trusted expert, leading presentations at state, regional, national, and occasional international conferences, and meetings. Kristen also serves as a technical assistance provider, liaison, and program representative for division activities with internal and external partners and stakeholders, including in notable national/international workgroups and advisory committees. Kristen joined ZERO TO THREE in May 2016, after serving as an Early Childhood Education Specialist, under a federal Race to the Top - EC grant, at the RI Department of Education. Kristen holds a doctorate in early childhood, family and literacy studies and brings a wide range of additional professional experience focused on young children's development; with expertise on social-emotional development and disabilities, early care and education, and effective ECE professional development and systems that supports practice change. These experiences include positions as an early childhood special education teacher, child care center administrator, higher education faculty member, infant and early childhood consultant, and Early Head Start Infant Toddler training and technical assistance specialist.

Melissa Schnurr, Ph.D., CD(DONA), Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) for IDEA Part C Consultant, works at the Iowa Department of Education. She received her B.S. in Psychology, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Human Development & Family Studies from Iowa State University. She was an Assistant Professor in Human Development at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay for three years prior to joining the Iowa Department of Education in 2012. As the CSPD consultant for Iowa, Melissa leads and coordinates all work related to the CSPD plan including working with higher education, in-service professional development (Distance Mentoring Model to implement Family Guided Routines Based Intervention statewide), standards and competencies, and recruitment and retention of early interventionists and early childhood special education providers. In addition to this work, she co-facilitates the DEC Service Coordination Community of Practice, co-led the writing team for the DEC/ITCA Joint Position Statement on Service Coordination, and is the secretary of the Iowa Chapter of DEC. She also is the co-chair of the Early Childhood Iowa Professional Development Component Group. With her minor in statistics and expertise in research methodology and evaluation, Melissa has been involved in writing federal grants and peer reviewed research articles and presenting at national conferences for 15 years.