About The Guest(s): Lori Miranda is an advocate for inclusive education and the Director of Pre-K Exceptional Student Education (ESE) in Palm Beach County, Florida. She has been instrumental in implementing inclusive practices for young children with disabilities in the county's school district, Head Start programs, and community centers.

Summary: Lori Miranda discusses the importance of inclusive placements for students with disabilities in Palm Beach County. She explains that the traditional model of removing students from their natural environments and sending them to separate special education programs was disruptive and limited their opportunities for socialization and learning. To address this issue, Palm Beach County implemented a collaborative approach, partnering with community centers and Head Start programs to provide inclusive education for young learners with disabilities.

Miranda highlights the challenges they faced in implementing this model, including concerns about behavior management, funding, and teacher buy-in. However, through extensive training, relationship-building, and a commitment to putting children and families first, they were able to overcome these barriers and create a successful inclusive program.

She also discusses the positive impact of inclusive placements on students' transitions to kindergarten. By providing support and services in their natural environments, students are better prepared for the general education setting and have a higher likelihood of continuing in inclusive classrooms.

Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/2jWLSDDkk-cKV2lPhwr9WbfF1qQ

Key Takeaways:

1. Inclusive placements allow students with disabilities to remain in their natural environments and receive support and services in community centers and Head Start programs.
2. Building relationships and trust with community partners and teachers is crucial for the success of inclusive programs.
3. Palm Beach County's inclusive model has resulted in 100% of students transitioning to general education kindergarten.

Editorial Note: 1. Regarding large waiting lists for evaluation: Recent verification data from Palm Beach County indicate diagnostic teams make every effort to connect with families prior to closing files. This effort takes time and can appear as if families are waiting while diagnostic teams work diligently to make contact and meet with families that can be hard to reach. 2. Regarding there being no cap on class size for FL early childhood special education classrooms: Per Section 1003.03, Florida Statute – Maximum class size (1)  CLASS SIZE MAXIMUMS. – Each year, on or before the October student membership survey, the following class size maximum shall be satisfied: (a) The maximum number of students assigned to each teacher who is teaching core-curricula courses to public school classrooms for prekindergarten through grade 3 may not exceed 18 students. The School District of Palm Beach County has a PreK ESE allocation formula that is below Florida's class size requirements. Comments in this podcast episode reference the district allocation formula.

Resources:

Partners in Education Video (Palm Beach County School District): https://youtu.be/VEpX6EqCV50

Palm Beach County School District: https://www.palmbeachschools.org/domain/456

MCIE: https://www.mcie.org/

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