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The Michigan Department of Education, Office of Early Childhood Education and Family Services, supports initiatives to assure that our very young children have access to environments that are nurturing, facilitative and supportive of each child's individual interests and needs.
Environments where responsive, authentic adult-child interactions are the standard sustain the aspiration that all children will become productive members of a democratic society. The Department of Education works collaboratively with other state initiatives including the Early Childhood Investment Corporation. The Office of Early Childhood Education and Family Services also manages the Department of Education's efforts to provide after-school programs for school-age children.
The vision of Early On Michigan is to improve the quality of life for children with special needs, age birth to five, and their families.
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| The Executive Order is issued by the Govenor of the State of Michigan and provides the Michigan Interagency Coordinating Council with operating guidelines. |
| Website: Click here to visit the website. |
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| Michigan Interagency Coordinating Council |
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| The MICC strengthens and supports Michigan families of children ages birth to five with special needs by advising
and assisting the Michigan Department of Education in the evaluation and continuous improvement of the
Early On® System. Current MICC Members are listed at the web address provided below. |
| Website: Click here to visit the website. |
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| Parent Involvement Committee |
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| What is the PIC (Parent Involvement Committee)? Their charge is as follows:
1. Develop a process to support family involvement on the MICC, i.e.
accessibility to information, provide input to MICC documents (especially
those concerning family members of the MICC), support for family
members on subcommittees by mentoring and providing back up when
needed, develop a process to ensure support for families when sharing
personal stories and experiences.
2. The committee will ensure family perspectives are an integral component
of the Early On system, including policy, procedures and practices.
3. Family members have unique needs for full involvement and may require different kinds of support to participate in a meaningful way. This
committee will support family members in being prepared to participate as
equal partners with their professional counterparts. This support may
include leadership mentoring, information, and opportunities for ongoing
learning.
4. Develop and maintain a policy for reimbursement for MICC family members that is consistent with Federal and State policy.
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| Website: Click here to visit the website. |
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| MICC provides a listing of all approved documents including agenda and meeting minutes. The website below provides a comprehensive listing of resources and information about the Early On system.
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| Website: Click here to visit the website. |
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| Local Interagency Coordinating Councils |
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Local Interagency Coordinating Councils (LICCs) are local planning and advisory bodies for the Early On system, established through the sixty-four local service areas in Michigan. They are made up of family members who have children with special needs and of representatives from Education, Community Health, Family Independence Agency (FIA) and other organizations that provide services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. Based on the belief that families and agencies know their community best, Michigan's system was designed to give local councils (LICCs) the role of developing, implementing and evaluating their community's early intervention system.
Family and professional partnerships are at the center of an effective early intervention system. Family representatives bring their knowledge of the strengths and needs of the child and family unit. Representatives from organizations and agencies provide important information about organizational resources. Both family and agency representatives are essential to a successful LICC.
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