WELCOME TO THE INAUGURAL EDITION OF "LEADERSHIP NOTES,"
a short update on resources and ideas designed to assist parent leaders in their roles as members of interagency coordinating councils (ICCs) across the country.

As a part of the National ICC Parent Leadership Support project housed at the Federation for Children with Special Needs, "Leadership Notes" will feature materials gathered through the major components of our project:

• Resources from our clearinghouse of materials and information related to topics of interest to ICC parent leaders
• A summary of interesting information gathered through the ICC Parent Leadership listserv
• Ideas related to leadership support or topics of interest to council members ranging from reimbursement strategies for parent members
• Ideas and information related to conference calls being conducted throughout our project.

RESOURCES…
Here are a few resources that highlight supports for children with disabilities, and their families. Look for more resources in future editions! Check out our web site so that you can contribute resources that you find particularly helpful…

• What are some powerful ways to mobilize parent involvement in early intervention? Take a look at "Working Together: Early Intervention Family Participation Resources." Produced in January 1997 by the Family Participation Task Force of the Massachusetts ICC and Dept of Public Health. For more information, contact Darla Gundler, Phone: (413) 586-7525 or darla.gundler@state.ma.us.

• How can I keep current about best practices in EI? www.dec-sped.org, the Division for Early Childhood. This organization provides leadership toward improving services for children birth through age 8 who have developmental delays. Of special interest to council members would be the set of policy papers related to best practice in early intervention. Topics include: inclusion, personnel standards, challenging behaviors. DEC also posts timely alerts related to important policy changes.

• DEC’s Family Consortium is on the lookout for parent leaders interested in participating in policy issues and other DEC affairs. Contact Linda Brault: lbrault@mcc.miracosta.cc.ca.us. DEC’s national conference is a great opportunity for learning about recommended practices for early intervention: Early Childhood in the Millennium: Partnerships & Practices for the Future, December 7-10, 2000, Albuquerque Convention Center, Albuquerque, NM.

• By the way…what about By-Laws? Is your council interested in revising its by-laws? Want to share your by-laws with others? Our project is collecting electronic versions of by-laws from around the country so that we can share them with other councils that are interested. If you can email us your by-laws, we can organize and store them so that they can be shared with other states. If you can share paper copies of your by-laws, mail them to:

• Interested in how councils are constructed across the country? Want to know who does orientations? Who provides parent stipends? Have a look at the "State ICC Overview," edited by Jo Shackelford and published by NECTAS in May 1997. See www.nectas.unc.edu for ordering information, or call 919.962.2001.

• Parents and amigos of children who are blind? The National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) is a national membership organization of parents & friends of blind children. Members reach out to each other for support, information, consult with legislators if their child has been denied of rights, resources & encouragement. They offer: special committee, toll free number, braille pen-pal service for blind youth, parent to parent support, a magazine, programs, activities, seminars, workshops, and networking opportunities. For information contact Barbara Cheadle, National Organization of Parents of Blind Children, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230 (410) 659-9314; the web site address is www.nfb.org.

ICC FACTOID:
How Many Councils Have Parent Training and Information Centers as Members?

A recent inquiry on the ICC Parent listserv was "How many state councils have a seat that is specifically reserved or dedicated to the Parent Training and Information Center in that state?" Out of the 15 states that responded:

• 1 state has a seat dedicated to its PTI
• 1 state is in the process of dedicating a seat
• 1 state has a PTI rep on the council as an appointment (seat is not dedicated)
• 12 states do not have PTIs as standing members or have dedicated seats

A network of federally funded Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) ---at least one in each state --- provide training and information to parents of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and professionals who work with children. If you’re not sure where your PTI is located, go to www.taalliance.org/PTIs.htm.

TIRED OF THOSE CHAT ROOMS AND INTERNET BINGO?
The ICC Parent Leadership listserv is an internet-based opportunity for parents serving on councils to ask questions, suggest possible resources, and explore issues of common interest. The list is co-sponsored with the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance System (NECTAS). Parents who are interested may send subscription requests to ggabbard@fcsn.org.

LOOKIN’ FOR A LEADER IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES?
Interested in connecting with another ICC parent leader around a common issue? We may be able to help. If you have an issue that you’d like to discuss with another parent leader, let us know and we will try to find someone who shares this interest or has expertise in this area. If you’re interested in participating and have issues to explore or expertise to share, complete the leadership network expertise form on our web site (www.iccparent.org) or distributed through our mailing to ICC Chairs…

HOW DOES SERVICE COORDINATION WORK IN YOUR STATE? Service coordination is an issue of concern for many states and jurisdictions. It’s a concern for state systems, for families, and for service coordinators. The Research and Training Center on Service Coordination is conducting 2 national surveys related to service coordination in state systems. The project is seeking 15-20 parent leaders from each state to complete the 45-minute, written survey. If you are interested in sharing information about the experiences of families in your state, please call Glenn Gabbard at 800.493.2338 x153 or by email: ggabbard@fcsn.org.

WHAT’S GOING ON AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL?The Federal Interagency Coordinating Council (FICC) was established under IDEA in 1991 to make sure that federal programs and policies related to early intervention and preschools programs were effectively coordinated. Comprising 17 federal agencies and programs involved in the provision of or payment for EI services, members include 12 parent representatives from across the country as well as representatives from the Office of Special Education Program, the Health Care Financing Administration, Maternal and Child Health, and others. The FICC meets 4 times each year in Washington DC. Contact Glenn Gabbard for membership lists or contacts with parent representatives; 800.493.2338 x153 or ggabbard@fcsn.org.