Share Share Share-alike

One of the reasons we like to Web 2.0 is how easy it is to share, repackage, and re-share content.  Sometimes the content we find is too complicated or uses legalese, sometimes it is too vague for our purposes. But thanks to the advances available to us we can rework content to suit our needs.  

Don't Forget to Hit the Share Button

We also like to hit that share button on Facebook or the retweet button on twitter. It's the 2013 version of that Breck's commercial, I told someone and she told someone, and so on! With only a few minutes, a quick blurb and we can quickly share information with our followers that they might not have seen from the original poster.  We can even add our own spin, by writing our own blogpost that explores our thoughts on the topic, link to the original site and share the whole thing via Facebook and Twitter!

Won't Our Followers Be Overwhelmed?

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your viewpoint, there is so much content floating around on the web that sharing, re-packaging and re-sharing is necessary. In addition, it does take visitors time to view, absorb and act on content.  Thus re-sharing is often a necessary activity on the web.

Using YouTube to Support and Inform

YouTube is a treasure trove of videos. While most of the videos on YouTube are there for entertainment value, there are many educational videos out there.

Finding Videos

The US Department of Education has a YouTube channel with hundreds of videos. Many of the technical assistance centers funded by the US Dept of Ed also have their own YouTube channels with hundreds of uploaded videos. Channels funded with education dollars include: The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (now known as the ECTA Center the name may change for their YouTube channel). has many wonderful training videos. The Technical Assistance Center on Social and Emotional Intervention for Young Children or TACSEI channel has wonderful videos about supporting young children's social and emotional development (again this center has become part of the ECTA Center, but for now they still maintain separate video channels. There are also YouTube channels featuring the work of many of the Parent and Training and Information Centers, which are funded with funds from Part D of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  

Creating Playlists

One way to make it easier for families, and the professionals who support them, to find high quality videos that address their informational needs. Playlists can be grouped by topic area, for instance, Family Survey, Training Modules or Family to Family. Another great option with is to use the YouTube channel to feature a video.  An organization might choose to showcase a different video each month.  

How are Families Using Their Own Videos to Inform and Support?

Creating, and even editing, videos is getting so easy these days. Many phones take high quality video. Families of young children with disabilities use their phones to take and share videos. These videos may be used to show their children's strengths or to illustrate specific challenges. Families use video to celebrate hard won achievements, like those first steps, or the first time a child figures out how to propel their wheelchair. Families often share videos with one another, this can be particularly helpful when a child is resistant to using new equipment, or when a parent might want to see how someone else coaches their child to try something new.  It is important that the professionals who support families be aware of these practices and provide guidance to families on how they can protect their privacy.   Using video can definitely help families to feel supported, however families need to be aware that once videos are out on the web, they have little control over who sees or shares them.

Are you using YouTube to share information with families?  How is it working?  Please share your YouTube channel with us so we can subscribe to it.  We might even feature one of your videos on our site!

Dear EIFA Members,

Happy New Year to you! As we look forward to this new year, we are happy to have with us several new Board members. Our newly elected Board members include Maureen Casey from Arizona, Paula Connolly from Iowa, and Dan Dinnell from Nevada. We are excited about the breadth of early intervention experience and leadership they bring to our organization.   

 

At the same time, we would like to take a moment to recognize Darla Gundler from Massachusetts, Leah Esther Lax from New York, and Mark Smith from Nebraska as they transition off the EIFA Board.  All three are founding members of the EIFA, and have committed significant time and energy to not only establishing EIFA, but helping it to stay true to its mission of supporting family leaders as they seek to improve outcomes for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. We will miss them on the Board, but know that they will continue their important leadership work in their communities, their states, and in national activities, including with EIFA. 

 

Later this month, the new Board will convene to elect officers, review accomplishments in the last year, and define priorities for the upcoming year. On January 25, 2013 we invite you to join us for our Annual Membership Webinar--we'll send out a link and call-in number. We look forward to continuing EIFA's work, and to your participation in these important efforts. Thank you for everything you do for young children with disabilities and their families in your own communities and states!

Sincerely,

Nancy
Nancy Peeler
2012 President
Early Intervention Family Alliance

P.S. - Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook, "follow" us on twitter, and subscribe to ourblog.

Upcoming ECO Center Webinars

The ECO Center will be hosting two back-to-back national webinars related to child outcomes data:

•  January 24th from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern time – Using Child Outcomes Data at the Local Level

The ECO TA Cadre Learning Community will be hosting a webinar that focuses on helping local programs use their child outcomes data.  Join the discussion about a new ECO center resource (drill down questions related to child outcomes data, indicators C3 and B7) and informal state sharing about experiences in supporting programs in using their child outcomes data at the local level.  Be sure to view the short voice over presentation and the draft tool online and make comments prior to the webinar. 

•  January 24th from 4:00-5:00 p.m. Eastern time – Implementation Science and Outcomes Integration:  The Exploration Stage

The ECO Outcomes Integration Learning Community will be hosting a webinar that focuses on the exploration stage of implementation science andhow that stage is relevant to states wanting to integrate the IFSP/IEP process with the outcomes measurement process.   Join the discussion of the five key activities of exploration and hear state presentations on their exploration activities while considering integrating outcomes into their IFSP/IEP process. 
Details about how to join the webinars will be posted on the Upcoming Events page of the ECO web site prior to the webinars!

Congress and the President Agree to Pull Back from the "Cliff"

Congress and the President Agree to Pull Back from the “Cliff”
Update from ITCA  – January 2, 2013

Late New Years Day, close to midnight, the House passed a compromise plan and sent a bill to the President for signature.  The bill passed the House by a vote of 257-167.  The Senate had passed the bill, "American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012" by a vote of 89-8, after midnight on December 31, 2012.  Five Republicans voted “no” on the Senate bill. Three Democrats also voted “no” (Bennet (CO), Carper (DE) and Harkin (IA)) on the bill.

The final deal was crafted by Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.  If the plan had not passed the House last night, the Senate bill likely would have expired when the 112th Congress adjourned tomorrow.  This would have left resolution of the fiscal crisis to the new 113th Congress, convening on January 3rd.

White House Summary of the budget agreement can be found here.

Early information on the deal includes:

• All income for families up to $450,000 and for individuals up to $400,000 was protected at Bush-era levels. All income above that went back to higher levels.
• Sequestration cuts were delayed for 2 months. Half of the delay is offset by discretionary cuts, split between defense and non-defense.
• Unemployment insurance was extended for one year.
• Taxes on capitol gains and dividends are permanently set at 20% for those with income above the $450,000/$400,000 threshold and remain at 15% for everyone else.
• Nine month Farm bill extension prevents a spike in milk prices. 
• The estate tax is set at 40% for those at the $450,000/$400,000 threshold, with a $5 million exemption, indexed to inflation.
• The 2009 ARRA tax breaks for low-income Americans: the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and the American Opportunity Tax Credit are extended for five years.
• Alternative Minimum Tax is permanently patched.
• The payroll tax holiday expires.
• Scheduled cuts to physicians under Medicare are postponed for a year.

Some House Republicans stated they did not vote to approve the compromise because of the lack of spending cuts in the bill.  Earlier in the day, House passage was in doubt, with many discussing a possible amendment containing spending cuts. By last night when the vote was held in the House, the Senate had already adjourned. It was unlikely they would have considered the House bill, as revised. 

The President is expected to sign the bill into law shortly.  Significant debate and disagreement is expected in the coming weeks given the new sequester deadline, the approaching debt ceiling and the upcoming expiration of the FFY 2013 Continuing Resolution currently keeping the government funded.

Resources: 

AMCHP’s resources on sequestration go to: http://www.amchp.org/Policy-Advocacy/Sequestration/Pages/default.aspx

To view a comprehensive fact sheet about the legislation go to: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/01/01/fact-sheet-tax-agreement-victory-middle-class-families-and-economy

Fiscal Cliff

We've been closely watching the fiscal cliff activities, and know you have as well.  As 2012 drew to a close things appeared to gain momentum, thanks to the approaching deadline. It is important that family members stay informed, and since things move quickly, following the news is probably the easiest way to stay updated. 

It is also important that family members stay in touch with their Congressional Delegation and urge them to continue to provide adequate funding for early intervention and related early childhood programs.