Early Intervention in Nebraska
IDEA, Part H, and Nebraska's Early Intervention Act
Effective July 1, 1979, Nebraska implemented a state mandate making local school districts responsible for providing special education and related services to all children with verified disabilities, birth to twenty-one.
These special education and related services must be provided in accordance with federal and state statutes and regulations (Nebraska Department of Education Rule 51). Thus, local districts provide diagnostic services to children via a multidisciplinary team evaluation to determine eligibility. Some districts utilize their own multidisciplinary teams; others contract with one of a number of Nebraska Department of Education approved agencies.
When a child is verified as eligible for special education and related services, the resident school district is responsible for the provision of these services. If not providing services directly, the district may contract with approved service providers such as another school district, ESU, Head Start, day care center, private preschool, other service agencies or private practitioners. Services are provided in both center-based and home-based settings, either separately or in combination. Programs include both integrated and self-contained models.
Educational and support services include: evaluation and assessment of the child; early childhood special education programs; speech, language and audiology services; physical and occupational therapy; and transportation.
P.L. 99-457 / NEBRASKA EARLY INTERVENTION ACT
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Early Childhood Planning Regions
IDEA, Part H (P.L. 99-457) & Nebraska's Early Intervention Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. Sections 43-2501 to 43-2516)
Planning for services for children birth to five with disabilities is done by regions. Nebraska is divided into 29 such planning regions .
Planning for the implementation of federal legislation, IDEA, Part H (P.L. 99-457) and Nebraska's Early Intervention Act, (Neb. Rev. Stat. Sections 43-2501 to 43-2516) is the focus of the Nebraska Interagency Coordinating Council working in conjunction with the interagency planning region network through the Nebraska Department of Education and the Nebraska Department of Social Services as co-lead agencies for IDEA Part H.
There are 14 basic elements of IDEA Part H, P.L. 99-457, as well as specific early intervention services, which must be provided. These 14 elements and services are delineated later in this section.
With the creation of Nebraska's Early Intervention Act, the Nebraska Health and Human Services (NHHS) School Nurse Coordinator recruited School Nurses from across Nebraska to work with the 29 planning regions in developing early intervention services for their regions. (A map of these regions follows later in this section.)
1. Wakefield | 2. Rural Fremont | 3. Rural Omaha |
4. Auburn | 5. Beatrice | 6. Milford |
7. Columbus | 8. Neligh | 9. Hastings |
10. Kearney | 11. Holdrege | 12. Chadron-Alliance |
13. Scottsbluff | 14. Sidney | 15. McCook |
16. Ogallala | 17. Ainsworth | 18. Lincoln P.S. |
19. Omaha P.S. | 20. Bellevue P.S. | 21. Millard P.S. |
22. Westside C.S. | 23. Papillion-LaVista P.S. | 24. Ralston P.S. |
25. Fremont P.S. | 26. Gr. Island Area Schools | 27. North Platte P.S. |
28. Sandhills Co-op | 29. Norfolk P.S. | Nebraska ChildFind |