Welcome to the Embedded Learning Opportunities Resource
The Embedded Learning Opportunities website is designed to assist Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams with selecting learning experiences to integrate into families' daily routines in an effort to enhance children’s development of functional skills and behaviors across the three early childhood outcomes.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has adopted three early childhood outcomes, developed by national experts, used to measure results for children participating in early intervention and preschool special education programs. They are:
1. Children demonstrate positive social relationships.
2. Children acquire and use knowledge and skills.
3. Children appropriate behaviors to meet their needs.
Embedded learning opportunities promote child engagement and learning in daily activities, routines, and transitions by:
• Addressing skills that are important to families in the context of their day-to-day activities
• Using typically occurring activities and authentic materials to teach children new skills and strengthen existing skills
• Using short adult-child interactions to provide specialized instruction/intervention
Important Reminder
The activities and intervention strategies/supports presented on this site have been validated by content experts from various disciplines (e.g., Speech/ Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists). However, they can vary in appropriateness depending on a child's health and other needs. If you have questions about whether any of the ideas presented on this site are safe and suitable for a child, please be sure to consult with a pediatrician or other qualified professional.
How to Use the Website
The website is organized by the following common daily routines in which parents/caregivers and children engage:
Within each routine area, various activities are presented by age group (birth through 5 years). The activities support children's development in an integrated manner across the three early childhood outcomes. Each activity also enhances growth and development in relation to age-specific indicators from Maryland's Healthy Beginnings (children ages birth through 3) or Maryland College and Caree-Ready Standard for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten (4- and 5-year-olds). Extra "tips," as well as possible intervention strategies and supports, are provided for each activity.
Click here to access the full Healthy Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Years of Age resource document with indicators crosswalked to the three early childhood outcomes. Click here for more information about Maryland College and Career-Ready Standard.
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Click Embedded Learning Opportunities Activity Matrix
Professionals can use the website with families to identify relevant activities to work toward the accomplishment of children's IFSP outcomes/IEP goals. Depending on your internet browser's capabilities (preferred browsers are Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox), information/content can be copied directly from the website and pasted into an Activity Matrix to give to a child's parent(s) or caregiver(s). To copy text from the website, follow the steps below:
1. Highlight the content that you wish to copy.
2. Hover your cursor anywhere over the highlighted content and right click on your mouse.
3. Select "Copy."
4. Move the content over to the Activity Matrix document and "paste" it in the appropriate location. You can edit the content directly in the Activity Matrix at any time.
If you are unable to copy and paste directly from the site, you can download and edit the information/content from the Family Handout documents found at the bottom of each activity page (click here for an example of a Family Handout).
Acknowledgements
A special thank you to the early intervention and preschool special education professionals listed below for providing ideas for the activites, strategies/supports, and tips included on this website. Their professionalism and dedication to children and families is to be commended!
Toni-Lyn Ambrose, Special Educator (Baltimore County Infants and Toddlers Program)
Lora Jeffers, Registered Nurse (Baltimore City Infants and Toddlers Program)
Beverly Lyles, Occupational Therapist (Howard County Infants and Toddlers Program)
Cornelia Lynn, Speech/Language Pathologist (Anne Arundel County Public Schools)
Annette Nelms, Speech/Language Pathologist (Howard County Infants and Toddlers Program)
Pam Miller, Quality Assurance Specialist (Maryland State Department of Education)
Amy Nicholas, Special Educator (Johns Hopkins University)
Amy Noggle, Special Educator (Johns Hopkins University)
Ilana Roth, Speech/Language Pathologist (Howard County Public Schools)
Nanette Strauss, Physical Therapist (Care Resources/Baltimore City Infants and Toddlers)
Lori Tolen, Occupational Therapist (Care Resources/Baltimore City Infants and Toddlers Program)
Nancy Vorobey, Section Chief (Maryland State Department of Education)
