Below you will find resources related to natural learning environments from various national resources, Illinois-specific resources, and online training modules. Please remember that the Early Intervention Provider Handbook also includes information on the Natural Environment Requirement in the Illinois Early Intervention System.
This page contains the following sections:
Articles on Natural Environments
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Federal Regulations on Natural Environments
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Illinois Resources around Natural Environments
Trainings from EITP
- Natural Environments & the Developmental Justification of Need Requirement is an online module available to view as a resource from the EITP online training of the same name. This module provides information about the federal requirement for services in the child's natural environment as well as further examines Illinois' processes and procedures to make changes to the frequency, intensity, or location of services on the Individualized Family Service Plan. Please visit our "EITP Online Training Events" page to register for this training to receive EI credit.
- Natural Environments module from the Foundational Pillars online training from the Universal Online Part C EI Curriculum Workgroup. The module provides a definition, overview, and examples of Natural Environments in early education. Please visit our "EITP Online Training Events" page to register for this training to receive EI credit.
- From Outcomes to Strategies to Service Plan is an online module from the archived Illinois Early Intervention "Online System Overview" training available as a resource. This module examines the concept of natural learning environments and requirements for IFSP planning.
Natural Environment Justification Worksheet
Resources from the Illinois EI Clearinghouse
Resources from EITP
- EI and Child Care: Natural Partners in Natural Environments (video) This video highlights the many benefits of collaborating to support children in their child care setting and discusses how Early Intervention and child care can partner to support children and families. Early Interventionists, childcare providers, and families share their experiences of how this partnership benefits everyone involved.
- Natural Partners in Natural Environments: Childcare and EI - A Guide to Early Intervention Services in Illinois (pdf) This booklet has a wealth of information for childcare providers about early intervention (EI)! It describes how the EI system works within Illinois and how you can best support young children and their families considering EI services or involved with an EI team already.
- Working with Early Intervention as a Child Care Provider (pdf) Childcare providers are an important part of a child's life and can be a valuable resource during an EI visit and as part of the EI team. This brief handout provides an overview of EI services in Illinois, what to expect during an EI visit, how CCPs work to support EI and additional resources.
- Working in Child Care as an EI Provider (pdf) Childcare settings are ideal for EI services! This 2-page handout describes ways in which EI providers can involve child care providers (CCPs) in services, and considerations to make during visits to child care settings and while working with CCPs, as well as additional resources to support this essential teamwork.
- "What is Early Intervention?" (pdf) This 2-page handout defines Early Intervention (EI) and explains what happens during an EI visit. It also stresses the importance of parents in EI, identifies possible EI team members, and highlights resources that can provide additional information about EI. Spanish version: ¿Qué es la intervención temprana? (pdf)
Created by Early CHOICES (October 2024), this Guide is designed to support families in navigating inclusion in the early childhood system. Each resource in this document is accompanied with links and guidance to help families and providers understand and use the tools effectively. It is also available in English, Español (Spanish) , العربية (Arabic) , 中文 (Chinese), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Polski (Polish), and اردو (Urdu).
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Organizations with Natural Environments Resources
ECTA is supported by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Please visit the ECTA website for more information.
Related Resources You May Like:
Family Guided Approaches to Collaborative Early-intervention Training and Services (FACETS)
FACETS was a collaborative Outreach Program for Young Children with Disabilities (ages birth through three years) that has now ended, but the research and materials were used nationally. This joint project from University of Kansas and Florida State University provided training for family-guided, activity-based intervention strategies.
PDFs You May Like from FACETS:
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FIPP provides evidence-based practices to support professionals in partnering with families. Below you will find some of the many resources from the CASE website. Please visit their website for more information.
PDFs You May Like from CASE:
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Information, resources, and other related materials on the Routines-Based Interview (RBI) can be found at this resource.
ECLKC provides resources around environmental practices centered around the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) and the DEC Recommended Practices. Resources for each topic area are organized based on their level of impact on learning.
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