California’s Early Start Personnel Development Fund provides scholarships and training grants to support the professional development of personnel who provide early intervention services. This fund is sponsored by the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) as part of the Early Start Comprehensive System of Personnel Development under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, Part C). Funds are administered by the WestEd Center for Prevention and & Early Intervention (CPEI).
As lead agency for California’s early intervention system, DDS has made these funds available to enhance the qualifications and competencies of personnel who provide early intervention services to eligible infants and toddlers, from birth to 36 months, and their families. The Early Start Personnel Development Fund is designed to supplement other agency funding sources for personnel development activities.
Eligible applicants are the following:
- Regional center (RC) vendored early intervention programs
- RC individually vendored specialized consultants (scholarships only)
- Regional center staff
- Service coordinators
- Local education early intervention staff
- Early Start family resource center staff
- Child development program staff who provide early intervention services to infants and toddlers eligible for Early Start or who are involved during the transition out of Early Start