ADMINISTRATIVE

EEU Orientation

The following information has been provided to assist all staff members, trainees and volunteers with the policies and procedures at the EEU. There are several different sections with information for all staff, trainees and volunteers. At the end of this section you will find links to position specific information. If you have any questions about the orientation materials please email Chris Matsumoto (chris.mats@gmail.com).

The Experimental Education Unit is one of four units of the Center on Human Development and Disability at the University of Washington.  The other units in the multidisciplinary Center are:  Medical Research, Behavioral Research, and Clinical Training.  The Unit is operated under the auspices of the University's College of Education, Area of Special Education.  The principal functions of the Experimental Education Unit are research, professional training, and service to children from birth to 7 years who have various types of disabilities which interfere with the acquisition of basic skills or behaviors essential to progress in school, at home and in the community. 

There are three primary education programs at the EEU.  The programs are the Infant Toddler Program serving children birth to three, the school district contract program for preschool and kindergarten and the Early Childhood Education Assistance Program (ECEAP).  All of these programs are integrated—that is, they serve children with and without disabilities.  All children with disabilities receive an evaluation and must meet eligibility criteria.  Following the completion of the admission procedures and the collection of data on the children who have been referred, children are placed as openings in the appropriate classrooms occur.  The goal of each classroom is to optimize the development and quality of life of every child and their family.

The EEU staff is composed of administrative, professional, and support staff who, working together, provide services to the children.  Faculty from the College of Education work with the staff in research, training and service activities.  The staff members include the director, school principal, administrative personnel, teachers, student aides, computer support personnel, volunteers, school nurse, social worker, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech and language pathologists.  In addition to the regular classroom staff, special projects personnel and some College of Education faculty occupy office space in the Unit.

Who's Who at the EEU

Inclusion is about community, about membership, about relationships, and about development.  The goal of the classroom programs at the Experimental Education Unit is to provide a positive educational experience to children with diverse abilities in a setting that enhances the strengths and supports the needs of all the children in our program; and provides children with opportunities to build memberships, establish relationships, and develop functional skills.

The goal of our program is to enhance the competence and confidence of the children and families with whom we work.  Our program is committed to providing children opportunities to learn communication skills, develop social relationships, and learn other functional skills in an integrated, developmentally appropriate classroom.  Families are involved in identifying the priority skills for their child and are encouraged to take an active role in the classroom.

A goal of our program is to promote active social integration between children, with and without disabilities, across all parts of the school day.  Effective and systematic assessment and instructional strategies are used to identify, teach, and support these important skills.  Skills are taught within the context of meaningful activities across the classroom curriculum.  Support services (e.g., speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy) are provided in naturalistic settings (i.e., the classroom) and use activity-based instruction to enhance skill acquisition and generalization.  Data are collected to monitor child progress and instructional decisions are based on those data.

Top Ten Things to Remember about the EEU Classrooms

Tips for Managing Behavior

EEU Organizational Chart

Upcoming Events: The EEU Training Webpage includes a variety of calendars in order to help you keep track of meetings, days off, tours of the building and trainings. Calendars include:

• EEU School Tour Calendar: confirmed school tours and the staff member facilitating the tour
• IFSP/IEP Calendar: scheduled IFSP/IEP's and the administrator designated to attend
• Training Calendar: training dates including EEU All Staff Meetings
• EEU School Calendar: school related events and breaks
• Staff Evaluation Calendar: dates and time for individual staff member evaluations
• Due Date Calendar: due dates for paperwork
• Social Event Calendar: EEU Staff social event

Schedules: The EEU Training Webpage includes a several schedules in order to help teams keep track of school related responsbilities. These include:

• Classroom Schedules: daily schedules for all EEU classrooms (AM and PM) and for all team meetings
• Dish Washing Schedule: designated times for each classroom to wash dishes
• Play Court and Gym Schedules: designated times for classrooms to use play court and the gym - designated days and times when each classroom is responsible for cleaning up the play court and/or gym
• Gym Clean-up Map: directions for cleaning up the gym on designated day and time

Visit the Calndar and Schedules page

Please review the following pages for information about EEU Health, Safety and Emergency procedures and policies.

• Health and Safety Policies and Proecdures
• Emergency Procedures

Please also review the document: What to do if it snows

Confidentiality

A special note to classroom staff.  Please refrain from discussing confidential information concerning an EEU trainee/pupil wherever you may be overheard.  Such public discussion is a violation of that adult's or child's civil rights.  Confine all such discussion to your office or to meetings where release of the information is necessary.  Use discretion whenever confidentiality is a concern.  The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children is the professional organization for early childhood special education professionals.  Their code of ethics is attached.

Conflict of Interest

Outside Business Interest: Staff Members of the Experimental Education Unit who work with children and/or families may have outside business interests and outside employment so long as these do not interfere with job performance.

Providing Private Services to children and families of the EEU: Employees of the Experimental Education Unit may provide private services to children and families receiving services at the EEU under the following conditions:

• Private Services include, but are not limited to: educational, therapeutic or behavioral services
• Employees must inform the Principal and Supervisors that they will be providing services
• Employees are responsible for making it explicit to the family that they are NOT representing the EEU or any EEU Program while performing private services
• Employees must consult with the Principal or Assistant Principal when conflicts or incidents occur that may impact the child or family's relationship with the EEU
• If employees are providing home visit services to a child and family as part of the EEU program they may NOT provide private services to the same client
• When families or other professionals associated with outside services have questions about school related issues (i.e., placement, behavioral interventions, curriculum, goals, objectives, etc.) they should be directed to the IEP team or school administration

Click here to view a sample letter to a family

Select the link below that best describes your role at the EEU and complete the remainder of the oreintation.

A. Volunteer

B. Classroom Aide

C. Student: Education, Speech, or OT/PT

D. Assistant Teacher/Classroom Intern

E. Head Teacher and Related Service Staff

TRAINING