What is the AHEAD (At Home & At Day Care) program?

AHEAD is a comprehensive program that provides services to families and child care providers of young children, ages birth to 3 years, with non-categorical disabilities (that is, any child who has a diagnosed disability or meets the state's eligibility criteria for early intervention services). Services are delivered in the child's natural environment including the home and child care setting.

What is unique about the AHEAD program?

It focuses on the delivery of services in the natural environment.
It promotes partnerships through family-centered services.
It enables families to be effective advocates for their child.
It bridges intervention between the home and the child care setting.
The AHEAD Resource Manual (1997) is written in a user-friendly format for early intervention personnel to use with families and child care providers. It contains background information in working effectively with families and child care providers. It also contains topics which include sample discussions, activities, visuals, activity sheets, and handouts in the following areas: communication, language, motor, play/social, feeding, toilet training, dressing, and grooming. The AHEAD Resource Manual is available in Spanish through HOPE, Inc.

How can states/early intervention agencies receive AHEAD?

The AHEAD project is offered through AHEAD Trainers' Training Institutes.

What does AHEAD Trainers' Training involve?

Five days of interactive, informative training prepares trainers to train early interventionists in their own state/early intervention agencies in the following areas:

How to Plan Training
Adult Learning Principles
Training Tips
Introduction to AHEAD Training
Understanding the Family and Involving Fathers, Siblings, and Grandparents
Roles and Characteristics of Service Providers
Families as Partners
Cultural Awareness: Increasing Sensitivity in Working with Culturally Diverse Families
Gathering Information to Identify Family Concerns and Resources
Meeting the Family's Immediate Needs
Understanding Grief and Loss and Providing Support
Creating Effective Home Visits
Bridging the Gap: Delivering Services to Child Care Providers Who Care for Children with Special Needs
Evaluation and Assessment of Young Children with Special Needs
Understanding the Value and Use of the Natural Environment
Transition: A New Path to Travel
AHEAD Topics on:
- Communication
- Language
- Motor
- Play/Social
- Self Help

Participants learn how to use a 3-volume AHEAD Trainer's Manual (2001) which includes training packages that are designed in a step-by-step format that trainers can easily follow in training early interventionists. Master transparencies, handouts, and activity sheets are included. Participants receive certification as AHEAD trainers and receive two semester hours from Utah State University.

Who can attend AHEAD Trainers' Training?

AHEAD staff works with state Part C and CSPD (Comprehensive System of Personnel Development) coordinators and early intervention agencies to identify participants.

Where are the AHEAD Trainers' Training Institutes held?

Training is conducted at the SKI-HI Institute located on the beautiful campus of Utah State University. If it is more economical for a state to have the training conducted on-site, arrangements are made accordingly.

What support is given to Trainers after training?

On-site visits, consultation (e.g., telephone), an e-group, loaning of resources, and dissemination of the Trainer's Tidings Newsletter and new training activities are provided to newly trained AHEAD trainers.

Which states have AHEAD Trainers?

There are AHEAD Trainers across the states of Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Washington. See Map.

TRAINING TIP OF THE MONTH

As a trainer, you may want to set ground rules at the beginning of the training session. Suggest some of these and then encourage the group to identify others. Some ground rules include:

Be punctual. Start training on time.
Turn off cell phones and pagers.
Participate. Share ideas.
No hogging the show. Everyone gets a chance to speak.
There are no stupid questions.
Don't talk while someone else is speaking.

Ideas from Creative Training Newsletter, December 2002, Volume 15, Number 12, page 1. Reprinted with permission from On-line Communications, 50 South Ninth St., Minneapolis, MN 55402.

For More Information

For comments from users, select Testimonials.

For more information about AHEAD Trainers' Training contact Lori Rowan at the SKI-HI Institute: (435) 797-5600 or e-mail lori@pcu.net

For more information about the products developed by Project AHEAD including the AHEAD Resource Manual (1997), a videotape which gives tips for service providers in providing effective services in the home and child care setting, and a monograph which provides valuable information on working with families of diverse cultures, contact HOPE, Inc., Logan, UT at (435) 245-2888 or e-mail hope@hopepubl.com.

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