Completed Projects
An alphabetical listing of completed CCIDS projects and initiatives.
Child Care Plus ME/RELATE
Child Care Plus ME/RELATE is a state–university partnership initiative with the Maine Department of Human Services designed to improve access to and quality of child care for all children in Maine through the development of a comprehensive system to support the provision of and access to high–quality child care for all children, particularly those with challenging medical and behavioral health care needs, and to prevent children from being excluded from mainstream child care programs.
Funding Source: Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Child and Family Services, Early Childhood Division, Children’s Behavioral Health.
Funding Period: October 1, 2011 – February 29, 2012
Early Reading First – Early Literacy for Every Child
The Early Literacy for Every Child project at the University of Southern Maine will collaborate with Androscoggin Head Start, Catholic Charities St. Louis Child Development Center, People’s Regional Opportunity Program Head Start and three LEAs to transform fifteen preschool classrooms into programs of educational excellence. The project will implement activities to improve significantly: (1) Classroom language and literacy environments for 280 children annually; (2) 32 preschool teachers’ capacity to deliver SBRR instruction and assessment (including regular, direct and explicit language and literacy activities that support oral language, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge and print awareness); (3) Preschool children’s transition to kindergarten programs.
Funding Source: Funding for this Early Reading First grant (CFDA No. 84.359B) is provided through the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, and an intercampus agreement with the University of Southern Maine, Muskie School of Public Service.
Funding Period: September 1, 2008 through August 31, 2011
EChOS – Early Childhood Opportunities Scholars
The University of Maine’s Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and the College of Education and Human Development are collaborating in this four-year project to support the preparation of highly qualified early intervention professionals serving children with disabilities in Maine. The EChOS project represents Maine’s only graduate study designed with an emphasis on young children ages birth-5 with disabilities and their families, including children who live in poverty, are homeless, are in foster care, are English language learners, or who reside in rural, remote, and sparsely populated areas with limited access to resources.
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs #H325K100124
Funding Period: October 1, 2010 – September 30, 2015
Educare Follow-up Study
The University of Maine has been contracted as a partner in a multi-site effort to conduct follow-up studies of Educare children as they enter kindergarten and progress through the early elementary years. This project is one of six to participate in the “Educare Follow-up Studies” project at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). The University of Maine will be responsible for gathering Educare data in Maine over three school years and will contribute to the cross-site dataset at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at UNC.
Funding Source: Contract with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, with funding from the Buffett Early Childhood Fund.
Funding Period: March 1, 2015 through February 28, 2018
The Effects of Providing Additional Supports for the Use of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention in Special Purpose Private School and Residential Settings
CCIDS is partnering with the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council on a research project to measure changes in the frequency of incidents of restraint, seclusion, and isolation, resulting from increased support and training related to an agency’s existing crisis management program. This is a controlled study that will be conducted over two years in both residential and educational programs.
Funding Source: Maine Developmental Disabilities Council, Contract Number Contract #MDDC.20.CCIDS.Rest.Secl.2.2.
Funding Period: October 2019 to March 31, 2022
Family-Centered Transition Planning for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
The University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability and the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies are collaborating on a two-year project to demonstrate a family-centered transition planning model for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Young adults with autism spectrum disorders frequently transition from high school to adult life lacking the skills and supports needed to participate as full members of their communities. The resulting social isolation and dependency on families or intensive disability support services has been identified as a serious social problem, compounded by significant increase in incidence of ASD diagnosis in recent years. The three components of the family-centered transition planning model are designed to empower families and transitioning students to take a leading role in the process of transition planning.
Funding Source: A collaboration with the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability (UCED). Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant number R40MC15597.
Funding Period: September 1, 2009 through August 31, 2011
Maine Commission for Community Service Collaboration
This project promotes the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in national and community service.
Funding Source: Maine Commission for Community Service
Funding Period: July 1, 2009 – January 31, 2011
Maine Developmental Disabilities Council Data Evaluation Project
The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS) has been contracted by the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC) to analyze the qualitative and quantitative data from surveys on the healthcare needs and experiences of Maine children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The survey was developed and administered by a researcher contracted by the MDDC and the data was gathered from more than 100 extensive structured interviews with parents or guardians of individuals with ASD and adults with ASD.
Funding Source: Funding provided through a subcontract with the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council.
Funding Period: June 01, 2013 – November 30, 2013
Maine EPSCoR: Increasing Access and Success in the STEM Disciplines
By law, all students, including students with disabilities, should have equal access to and benefit from postsecondary education. Unfortunately, students with disabilities are accessing postsecondary education, especially in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) areas, at a rate far below that of other students. The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, in collaboration with Maine EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research), will develop and evaluate a model for supporting the transition of Maine students with disabilities into STEM-related postsecondary educational opportunities within the University of Maine System (UMS).
Funding Source: The National Science Foundation Award EPS-0904155 to Maine EPSCoR at the University of Maine.
Funding Period: December 2011 – June 30, 2014
Maine EPSCoR – SEANET (Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network)
The Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, with funding from Maine EPSCoR/SEANET, is partnering with the Community Environmental Health Laboratory (CEHL) at MDI Biological Laboratory to train and engage middle/high school students with disabilities from coastal Hancock County school districts, in intertidal census work. CEHL works to identify and help remedy threats to public health and water quality on and around Mount Desert Island. Enrolled students are offered paid internships and receive training in the identification of invasive species, such as green crabs; data collection and data management. Student interns, supervised onsite by mentors, follow a scientific protocol and receive a variety of hands-on worksite skills.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award IIA-1355457 to Maine EPSCoR at the University of Maine
Funding Period: July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2019
Maine Head Start State Collaboration Office
The Maine Head Start State Collaboration Office (MHSSCO) is located at the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, Office of Head Start; the Maine Department of Health and Human Services; and administered by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services. Section 642B of the Head Start Act authorized the creation of State and National Collaboration Offices to support the development of multi-agency and public and private partnerships at the state and national levels. Effective October 1, 2015, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services assumed responsibility for managing the Maine Head Start State Collaboration Office. The new website is available at this address: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/ec/occhs/headstart.htm.
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, Office of Head Start; the Maine Department of Health and Human Services; and administered by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services.
Funding Period: October 1, 2013 – September 30, 2015.
New Hampshire Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program Partnership – 2011-2016
The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies has joined the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Institute on Disability, and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth as a partner in the New Hampshire Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (NH-LEND) Program. The NH-LEND Program provides graduate level interdisciplinary training for students and professionals from diverse disciplines, including developmental pediatrics, early childhood education, social work, psychology, occupational therapy, health management and policy, and speech language pathology. Through the use of eLearning and videoconferencing technology at UNH, University of Maine trainees participate remotely in the weekly NH-LEND seminar. Ultimately, this new partnership will reach an area not currently served by a LEND training program, develop infrastructure, and address regional needs, particularly in rural underserved regions of Maine.
Funding Source: This partnership is made possible through the New Hampshire LEND Program and is supported by a grant (#T73 MC00024) from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and administered by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD).
Funding Period: July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2016
New Hampshire-Maine Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program – 2016-2021
The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies is partnering with the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, in the New Hampshire-Maine Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (NH-ME LEND) Program. NH-ME LEND provides graduate level interdisciplinary training for students and professionals from diverse disciplines, including developmental pediatrics, early childhood education, social work, psychology, occupational therapy, health management and policy, and speech language pathology. Program activities include leadership development, clinical training, continuing education/technical assistance, research, and cultural competency field work. University of Maine trainees participate remotely in the weekly NH-ME LEND seminar through the use of eLearning and videoconferencing technology.
Funding Source: The NH-ME LEND Program is supported by a grant (# T73MC33246) from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and administered by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD).
Funding Period: July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2021
North East Advocates Together Peer-to-Peer Connections Technical Assistance Project (NEAT)
North East Advocates Together (NEAT) is an affiliation of six state self-advocacy organizations that received a three-year federal grant for a Peer-to-Peer Connections Technical Assistance Project. The goal of the project is to develop a group of peer mentors among self-advocacy groups in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont who will in turn, teach other self-advocates leadership and social media skills. Each state has four representatives (three self-advocates and one Developmental Disabilities Network ally) serving on the NEAT Advisory Committee. The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, Maine’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), serves as the DD Network ally for Maine.
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Grant No. 90DN0300-01-00. Administered by Vermont Protection & Advocacy (Disability Rights Vermont).
Funding Period: October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2016
Piscataquis Thriving in Place Collaborative
The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies has received a subcontract from the Charlotte White Center to provide training on person-centered planning and to facilitate person-centered planning for individuals with chronic health conditions as part of the Piscataquis Thriving in Place (TiP) Collaborative. This initiative, funded by the Maine Health Access Foundation, seeks to improve care coordination across the continuum of care for people in Piscataquis County with chronic conditions (including elders and people with disabilities) who are at increased risk for hospitalization or other forms of institutional care.
Funding Source: Charlotte white Center with funding from the Maine Health Access Foundation.
Funding Period: November 1, 2014 – October 31, 2017
Summer Work for ME
Paid work experience in high school is a strong predictor of positive adult employment outcomes for individuals with developmental disabilities. Beginning in late June 2015, the Summer Work for ME project will provide Bangor area high school students with developmental disabilities with a range of paid work experiences to help them gain insight into their own strengths and interests and cultivate career awareness. The project will leverage funding from the Maine Department of Labor, Bureau of Rehabilitation Services to provide job coaching for the students at the work sites through Vocational Rehabilitation program situational assessment dollars. Transition counselors from Vocational Rehabilitation will examine how the melding of work sites into situational assessments for several students yields them the information needed for assessing clients. Community Rehabilitation Provider KFI will take the lead on the development of the work sites at Eastern Maine Community College and the hiring and training of job coaches.
Funding Source: Funding provided through a subcontract with the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council.
Funding Period: March – October 2015 and May – September 2016
Sustainable Implementation of Family-Centered Transition Planning for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders
The University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability and the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies are collaborating on this NIDRR-funded project to develop a sustainable process for implementing a Family-Centered Transition Planning model for youth and young adults with autism spectrum disorders. Based on research demonstrating the effectiveness of Family-Centered Transition Planning in increasing student and parent expectations for adult life, student career decision-making, and student participation in employment and postsecondary education, this project develops an implementation package to embed this method of independent transition planning into the existing service and funding system on a long-term basis across multiple states.
Funding Source: A collaboration with the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability (UCED). Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) Project Number H133G110158.
Funding Period: October 1, 2011 – September 30, 2014
What Shape is the Relationship between Child Outcomes and Classroom Assessment Scoring Systems?
Child care quality is associated with child outcomes, but high-quality child care is rare. The goal of this project is to improve the understanding of the quantitative relationship between child outcomes and a measure of teacher-child interactions (the Classroom Assessment Scoring System, or CLASS) increasingly used in program improvement and in high-stakes applications such as quality rating and improvement systems and Head Start renewal. It addresses two research topics of current relevance to decision makers at local, state, and national levels: ongoing child care quality improvement and child wellbeing.
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, Office of Planning Research and Evaluation, Award No. 90YE0174
Funding Period: September 30, 2015 to February 28, 2017