wi ll be tracked and,
when necessary, proper
follow-up will be offered.
This screening helps
determine if the child is
falling behind in one or
more of those areas. If
the child needs further
services, Tina Trivers,
Specialist, can help the
parents by providing
referrals to local agencies
to get further evaluations
and services.
Children younger than
three who are in need
of additional screening
services may be referred
to the Gulf Central Early
Steps Program. Children
above the age of three
are referred to the School
Center. Children with social-emotional
needs may be referred to Centerstone or
to a local developmental pediatrician for
additional screenings.
The ELC also makes services available
knowledge and competence in serving
children with disabilities or behavioral
challenges. Tina provides trainings for
child care providers that include topics
such as social and emotional learning,
brain development, sensory processing,
and biting behaviors, among others.
Through the knowledge gained during
being a part of a quality program.
One of the newer child care provider
training programs the ELC administers is
the “Pyramid Model for Supporting Social
Emotional Competence in Infants and
Young Children” which promotes young
development. The Pyramid Model builds
upon a tiered public health approach to
providing universal support to all children
to promote wellness, as well as targeted
services to those who need more support.
Additionally, Tina provides in-class
services to child care centers in Manatee
County. Her “Tuesdays with Tucker”
program teaches social and emotional
learning skills to VPK children based
on the Pyramid Model with the use of
a “Tucker the Turtle” puppet. Tina is
also available to provide classroom
observations and to help teachers with
strategies and coaching. She will provide
encouragement for positive aspects of
classroom skills and offer suggestions for
improvement in any inclusion areas that
might be lacking.
Also focusing on child care center
inclusion development is the BPIECE
or “Best Practices for Inclusion in Early
Childhood Education” tool and training
for childcare practitioners and directors.
Supporting early childhood education
practitioners and caregivers is an
important part of the job for directors.
This is especially true when practitioners
are working wi th young chi ldren
with disabilities.
The BPIECE self-assessment tool has
been developed to give practitioners
and directors a framework that builds a
bridge between research on inclusion and
practices in early childhood education
settings. The results of the assessment
tool will assist early education centers
in self-identifying areas of strength and
priorities regarding inclusive practices
and assist in developing a plan to improve
the quality of services, instruction, and
support to all young children and their
families. Tina was among those who
contributed to developing the tool with the
Inclusion supports the rights of all children
to participate in a natural child care setting
or learning environment, regardless of
Services team helps promote community
awareness and support for equal access to
early learning opportunities for all children.
A toll-free number is available throughout
the state of Florida to provide assistance
and consultation regarding the inclusion
of children with disabilities and special
health care needs. This number is known
as the “Warm Line” and is available to
families and child care centers to request
information relating to the special needs
of children.
Parents and providers in search of
may contact Inclusion Services at the
ELC via the contact information below
for screening assistance or if they are
maintaining an inclusive child care
or preschool placement due to their
developmental and behavioral needs.
Early Learning Coalition of Manatee
County Warm Line:
(941) 757-2900 ext. 243
State of Florida Warm Line (toll-free):
(866) 357-3239
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