Special Programs & Services

The SP&S department at NWESD provides focused leadership and supplemental supports for diverse learner populations, special projects, early learning programs, school nursing services, and special education administrative services.  

Autism Outreach Project (AOP) is a State Needs Project through the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), in collaboration with the Early Support for Infants and Toddlers  program of the Department of Early Learning (DEL), and NWESD.

Cooperative student programs provide alternative learning experiences for students, as a support to member districts. (Contact Sheila Woods or the site administrator listed on program page.)

• Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program
• Discovery Programs
• Eastside Summit
• Institutional Education Programs and Services under contract with local school districts and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Northwest Regional Learning Center

Early Support for Infants and Toddlers--Birth-to-three (ESIT)
Formerly known as the Infant and Toddler Early Intervention Program (ITEIP), ESIT provides services to children birth to age three who have identified disabilities or demonstrate developmental delays. The NWESD assists in this effort by working with school districts, health and child care providers, case workers, and specialized staff, to help families access services for eligible children.  Professional development and technical assistance is provided, consistent with Federal and State regulations, regarding timely evaluation and assessment of needs, determination of a child’s eligibility for community and early intervention services through the resident school district, and coordinating services and resources for the family.

Early Learning programs at the NWESD provide collaboration, consultation and leadership aimed to identify, partner, coordinate, and fund services which support the goal of all children entering kindergarten with the skills they need to succeed in school and in life.  Local, regional and state-wide Early Learning programs include:

• Pre-Kindergarten to 3rd grade alignment
• Northwest Early Learning, and
• Regional Early Learning Administrative Services

Institutional Education Programs for Skagit and Whatcom Juvenile Detention Centers
The NWESD has operated educational programs for incarcerated youth in Skagit and Whatcom county juvenile detention centers for over 20 years.  These programs are operated 220 days annually, through agreement between the NWESD and the Mount Vernon and Bellingham School Districts, and in coordination with the respective juvenile court systems. Supplemental supports are provided for transition services through partnership with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

School Nurse Corps program provides administrative and nursing services, as a statewide program funded by the legislature, to enhance school nursing services for school districts with minimal resources.

Special Education Administrative Services
Advancing educational outcomes for all children with disabilities, the NWESD provides training, technical assistance, and consultative services to districts, in support of OSPI’s State Performance Plan (SPP) for Special Education.  Administrative services concentrate on performance indicators and legislative requirements for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004). Quality focused support services include:

• Training and promoting educational leadership,
• Determining district and building-level needs and providing opportunities for continuous improvement,
• Providing professional development for effective program design and instructional services,
• Communicating legislated requirements, trends, issues, and other relevant information,
• Facilitating community partnerships to improve services to infants, children and youth, and
• Improving educational outcomes for students identified with special needs.

Consultation, leadership, and professional development services are provided in support of infants and toddlers (Part C), as well as children and youth, ages three to twenty-one (Part B), identified with special needs.

Resources:

A Parent & Educator Guide to Free Appropriate Public Education (under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973)