Invitations to training and technical assistance events are mailed to agencies who, in turn, are encouraged to promote parent participation. Occasionally technical assistance is provided through statewide conferences, model demonstration sites, and mentoring. Interactive video teleconferencing is occasionally used as a means of providing training and technical assistance. The lead agency has recently initiated a lending library which, at present, is centrally located, managed by the Part C Monitoring Team, and is accessed, primarily, by the TEIS District Offices. TA system operations Needs assessment for training and technical assistance is conducted primarily through three methods.
Continuous assessment is conducted throughout the year.
During each workshop, participants are asked to identify further needs for training and technical assistance. In addition, each spring a comprehensive assessment of need is compiled from a statewide mailing to early childhood and early intervention providers to determine informational and instructional needs. Finally, findings from monitoring activities are also taken into consideration in developing the annual calendar of training and technical assistance events. Staff from the Technical Assistance Project and the Lead Agency meets each spring to review and prioritize training needs and develop the training schedule for the coming year. A master calendar of ongoing training and technical assistance activities is maintained and is available on the TEIS web site.