The Early Intervention Workbook: Essential Practices for Quality Services Spiral - 2013

Lynda Cook Pletcher is a Technical Assistance Specialist with The Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) center formerly NECTAC Funded by the US Department of Education where she has worked for 10 years. Her work has included providing technical assistance to states (TM) 0-5 early childhood special education systems, leading state strategic planning, addressing service delivery approaches for Part C agencies, review and revision of federal and state policies, change and implementation of evidence based practices at the provider level. Lynda (TM)s previous experiences, spaning 35 years in the field of early childhood and early childhood special education have included teaching in Head Start and child care centers, teaching in the public school systems (kindergarten and 3rd grade), early intervention home visitor, grant administration, training coordinator, agency director, teaching at the university level and a state director of IDEA Part C Program. She has been a frequent national presenter on a wide range of topics pertinent to early childhood and the systems to support evidence based practices.

Lynda has served on many local and state level advisory boards and state initiatives and was a federal appointee to the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council for IDEA Part C. She is currently a member of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and in the past a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. (NAEYC).

Dr. Naomi Younggren is currently the Part C/Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) Coordinator for the Department of Defense Army Educational and Developmental Intervention Services (EDIS) Early Intervention Programs. She is also an independent consultant focusing on early intervention and preschool processes and best practices and has served as a consultant with the Early Childhood Technical Assistant Center (ECTA). She is a developer on the Universal Online Part C Early Intervention Curriculum workgroup, a longstanding member of the Division for Early Childhood, a member of the RAM Group Early Intervention Consultants, an adjunct early childhood faculty member with Central Texas College - Europe Campus and has recently joined the Lead Inclusion team. Naomi's 30 years of experience in early childhood special education include being a direct provider working with children with disabilities and their families in early intervention and preschool programs, providing technical assistance, developing early intervention guidance and training materials, and serving in a program development and leadership capacity.