Being a disability services coordinator is a big job. If you are new, there is a lot to learn. If you’ve been doing this for a while, this guide can help you stay up to date.

The main message of this guide is simple: work together to make sure children with disabilities and their families can fully take part in the Head Start program. This idea connects to everything:

• Laws
• Partnerships
• Enrollment
• Screening
• Teaching and home visiting practices
• Health and safety
• Transitions
• Staff training

It all comes back to teamwork and your coordinated approach.

As you keep doing this important work, remember:

• You’re not alone. Work with your team and your early intervention and special education partners. Use this guide and other tools to help you.
• You can be creative. If something isn’t working, try a new idea. Talk with others and come up with solutions together. You can even write your own stories, like the ones in this guide!
• Families are your partners. They care deeply about their children — just like you do. When you work together, you’re stronger.
• You can be an advocate for serving children with and without disabilities together in the same settings. You have seen firsthand the benefits for children and families. Help others understand the guiding laws and the child and family outcomes in these learning environments.
• You can keep learning. Everyone — families, staff, and specialists — brings something valuable, and the field keeps changing as we learn more.

So, what’s your goal as a DSC? It’s to make sure your program works as a team to support every child. But it’s also something more, like hearing a parent say: This program changed our lives. My child is learning, growing, and happy — and so am I.