Creating learning environments that support all children is important for your program’s coordinated approach to serving children with disabilities and their families. Research shows that everyone benefits when education and care settings include children with and without disabilities. Such settings promote empathy, collaboration, and stronger learning outcomes. 

Federal laws, including the Head Start Program Performance Standards, call for programs to work together across systems to meet the needs of all children. This chapter introduces the concept of a coordinated approach, explains why it matters, and outlines the federal laws that guide your work. You’ll also learn how these laws shape your role as a disability services coordinator (DSC) and how your program can build strong systems that support every child’s learning and development.

Key Ideas

• A coordinated approach helps Head Start programs create strong, supportive learning environments for all children, including those with disabilities.
• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that ensures children with disabilities, from birth through age 21, receive free, appropriate education and the services they need to learn and grow.
• Other federal laws, like Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), protect the rights of people with disabilities and ensure they are treated fairly.
• Planning a coordinated approach means:
  • Using data to improve program quality.
  • Listening to families and respecting their cultures and languages.
  • Working together across different teams and services.
  • Making sure the whole program supports children with disabilities. 

Understanding Laws That Guide Your Work 

IDEA

IDEA is the foundation of your coordinated approach. First passed in 1975, this federal law makes sure that eligible children receive early intervention, special education, and related services. 

• Part C covers infants and toddlers (birth to age 2) and their families.
• Part B covers children ages 3 to 21.

IDEA applies to all Head Start program options, including center-based, home-based, family child care, and locally designed options. It also applies to child care partners who serve Head Start children.

DSCs must be aware of the differences between Parts C and B of IDEA. There are different eligibility criteria, evaluation procedures, types of services, service settings and recipients, and systems of payment. Each state may have different procedures, so it’s important to learn how your area implements IDEA. As a DSC, you work closely with the local Part C and Part B agencies. Once your program makes a referral, these agencies determine eligibility and provide services. Later chapters cover these topics in more detail.

Understanding IFSPs and IEPs

As part of this work, you’ll often hear about two important tools used to support children with disabilities:

• The Part C agency creates an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) for infants and toddlers (birth to age 2). It outlines goals and services for both the child and their family.
• The Part B agency creates an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for children ages 3 and older. It describes the child’s learning goals and the supports they need to succeed.

These plans guide how agencies and programs deliver and coordinate services.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

Section 504 protects individuals with disabilities ages 3 to 22 by ensuring they receive fair treatment. It applies to all programs receiving federal funds, including Head Start programs.

To be protected under Section 504, a child must:

• Have a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activities,
• Have a record of such an impairment, or
• Be regarded as having such an impairment.

Section 504 requires programs to provide preschool children with disabilities equal access to the program, with reasonable accommodations and modifications.

Americans with Disabilities Act

The ADA uses the same definition of disability as Section 504 and applies to:

• Public schools
• Community pre-K programs
• Private child care and preschools (except those operated by religious organizations)

The ADA requires programs to:

• Modify policies and practices to include children with disabilities (unless it causes undue hardship)
• Ensure facilities are accessible
• Make updates to existing buildings when it is “readily achievable”

Other Laws and Local Regulations

State and local laws also affect your program. For example:

• Health departments may set requirements for children’s health services
• Local building codes may affect accessibility

Learn more about the laws related to disability services in the Services for Children Who Do Not Qualify for IDEA brief and fact sheet.

How does the legislation affect your role?

As a DSC, you don’t need to be a legal expert — but you do need to:

• Understand the purpose of each law.
• Know the timelines, processes, and eligibility requirements.
• Be familiar with the Performance Standards that guide your work.

Your program will have memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with local agencies. These agreements outline roles and responsibilities for referrals, evaluations, and services. See Building Partnerships, for more information.

If you have questions:

• Talk to your program director
• Consult board members with legal knowledge
• Reach out to early intervention and special education partners
• Use online resources and professional networks

What does the law say about learning environments for children with disabilities?

Children with disabilities have the right to learn and grow in early childhood programs alongside their peers.

Federal laws like IDEA, ADA, and Section 504 protect this right.

• IDEA Part C requires services in natural environments like the home or community settings.
• IDEA Part B requires services in the least restrictive environment (LRE), such as Head Start classrooms or family child care homes.
• ADA and Section 504 help ensure that children with disabilities can take part in learning environments and makes sure they are treated fairly.

Additional Services for Children with Disabilities, 45 CFR §1302 Subpart F of the Performance Standards emphasize the importance of the LRE — where children with disabilities learn alongside their peers. High-quality learning spaces help all children take part in activities, build relationships, and reach their goals. When staff use the right supports and focus on each child’s strengths, everyone benefits.

Why Program-wide Coordination Matters

No single service or system works alone. Program-wide coordination means your whole program works together. This helps make sure no child, family, or important task is left out.

Your program must have a coordinated approach in place at the start of each year — and update it as children’s needs change. As the DSC, it’s your job to check the plan often and make it better when needed.

A Coordinated Approach Works Best as a Whole

A strong plan works best when all parts of your program work together. This gives children and families better support than any one part could give on its own. Your child care partners must follow the Performance Standards, just like your program does. To do that, they may need help from you and your leadership team.

What does a coordinated approach include? 

As a DSC, you help keep many parts of the program working together. Based on Management system, 45 CFR §1302.101(b)(2)(iii), your coordinated approach must include:

• Classrooms and other facilities
• Learning materials
• The curriculum you use
• How teachers instruct children
• Staffing and team roles
• Supervision and support for staff
• Partnerships with families and community services

Other parts of the Performance Standards also apply to children with disabilities and their families. These include guidance about recruitment, health, and transportation. When you put all of these pieces together, you create a strong, program-wide coordinated approach.

Who receives coordinated disability services?

The Performance Standards state that programs must support all children ages birth to 5, not just those with a formal diagnosis. Your program must also support children who: 

• Are waiting to find out if they qualify for IDEA services
• Have special health care needs
• Have significant delays but don’t qualify for IDEA 

These children may qualify for services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or through your program's Child Action Plan.

You’ll learn more about referrals, evaluations, and service plans in later chapters.

Strong Management Supports a Coordinated Approach

To support children with disabilities, your program needs strong leadership. That means you must be an active part of the management team. Speak up and make sure your ideas are included in decisions.

What DSCs Can Do

• Help set goals that support children with disabilities and their families.
• Use your program’s community assessment to understand how many children have disabilities in your area.
• Review data on children’s progress and attendance to spot trends.
• Adjust goals based on what the data show.
• Use the many data sources available to inform planning.

Communicate and Collaborate

• Tell leadership what’s working and what’s not in disability services.
• Stay in touch with families. Learn if and how the program meets their needs.
• Work with family services staff, they know the families well.
• Talk regularly with coworkers who support the coordinated approach.
• Schedule regular meetings and plan agendas together.
• Ask staff from education, health, transportation, and other areas for input.
• Listen to special educators, early intervention providers, and community partners.

Be a Champion for Improving Services 

• Build on what’s working well.
• Identify and fix what’s not working.
• Partner with staff, families, and community members to close service gaps.

For more on improving your program, see Improving Your Program’s Coordinated Approach.

Tips for DSCs

• Stay informed. Keep up with federal and state laws about disability services. Watch for updates or new rules.
• Connect with IDEA partners. Reach out to your local Part C and Part B agencies. Ask questions — early intervention specialists and special educators are great resources. Also connect with health, mental health, and other community services.
• Talk with families. Make sure parents know about any changes that affect their child’s services or eligibility.
• Review your program’s strategic plan. Check that it supports all children with disabilities, those with and without IDEA services, and those waiting for evaluation.
• Keep communication open with staff. Ask how services and systems are working for children with disabilities.
• Meet with program leaders. Share updates on how the coordinated approach is going. Ask for support when needed.
• Work with your partners. Make sure child care programs and other partners understand what a coordinated approach means and how to help carry it out.

People Who Can Help You

Everyone plays a role in supporting children with disabilities. Reach out to:

• Program administrators
• Managers and staff in education, health, mental health, nutrition, family services, and transportation
• Staff working in data, budgeting, facilities, and quality improvement
• Staff who recruit and enroll families
• Special educators and early intervention providers
• Governing bodies, policy councils, and advisory committees
• Community partners who serve children with disabilities
• Current and former parents and families
• Consultants and regional training and technical assistance (TTA) providers
• State agencies that run IDEA programs
• The Head Start Collaboration Office

Questions to Ask Your Team

• How do we plan services for children with disabilities and those who need temporary support?
• Do our school readiness goals include children with disabilities?
• How do we involve families of children with disabilities in planning?
• What support do staff and systems need to carry out a coordinated approach?
• How do we include staff in planning services and training for children with disabilities?
• Does our annual self-assessment look closely at disability services? Do we act based on the results?
• How do we stay updated on new or changing laws that affect our disability services?

Scenario: Working Together to Improve Services

During its yearly self-assessment, Riverview Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start found that some families of children with disabilities were not happy with the services. 

Families shared concerns like:

• “My child needs quiet time away from the group, but that doesn’t always happen.”
• “I didn’t feel comfortable speaking up after my child’s assessment.”
• “The teachers try, but I don’t think they know how to deal with my toddler with Down Syndrome when he’s very active.”
• “I speak Spanish, and it's hard to communicate.”
• “There are so many children who need my attention, I can't do it all.”
• “I'm not sure how to adjust the curriculum for children with IEP goals.”
• “The early intervention specialists connect well with the children, but I struggle. Who can help me?”
• “I’m a new home visitor, and I need training to help a family with a child with significant disabilities.”
• “Children with walkers have a hard time getting on and off the bus. How can we help?”
• “Do I have to learn sign language to communicate with a child with a hearing impairment?”

Staff voiced their concerns, too.

Betsy, the DSC, and the program director felt overwhelmed and discouraged. Other parts of the program were working well, but services for children with disabilities and their families clearly needed improvement. 

The program director called a meeting with Betsy and the management team. They reviewed the self-assessment and made children’s health and safety their top priority. They asked the Health and Mental Health Services Advisory Committee (HMHSAC) and the governing board for help. At the next planning meeting, they invited partners from the local early intervention agency (Part C) and the school district (Part B). Riverview had good relationships with these groups, especially during referrals and evaluations. But they saw that they needed to do more to create responsive classrooms and support families.

Together, the team created an action plan with a timeline. They listed what resources they had and what they needed.

The program welcomed the chance to improve. The school district and early intervention providers offered joint training for Head Start staff and coaches. District specialists visited classrooms to show how to teach in ways that include all children. Family advocates got more training and started asking families for regular feedback. Betsy found a mentor from another Head Start program and joined a professional network. The finance and HR teams helped, too. The program got assistive devices from the school district and hired bilingual family service staff.

All these efforts made the program's coordinated approach stronger.

By the next year’s self-assessment, feedback about services for children with disabilities was more positive. Still, Betsy and the team knew there was more work to do. They called their coordinated approach “a work in progress.” But now, everyone — staff, families, leaders, and community partners — was working together to make sure children with disabilities and their families fully participate in the program.