Heartland Community College

School of Early Childhood Education

Office of Special Education Programs of the Department of Education entitled the Heartland Equity and Inclusion Grant (HEIP)

Heartland Community College (HCC) has received a new grant from the Office of Special Education Programs of the Department of Education entitled the Heartland Equity and Inclusion Grant (HEIP). The overall goal of the HEIP grant is to ensure paraprofessionals have the knowledge and skills to support the development and learning of young children and families who are culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse (CLAD) in high-quality, inclusive early childhood environments.

To support this goal, the grant has three main objectives, including:

1. Redesigning the HCC Early Childhood Paraprofessional Degree to create a fully blended, standards-based early childhood paraprofessional curriculum that incorporates evidence-based and competency-based practices and content.
2. Increasing the quantity and quality of student practica experiences through developing site placements in programs providing inclusive, high-quality programming to young culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse children and their families.
3. Providing a sequence of professional development and ongoing supports to Heartland and Illinois early childhood faculty to ensure they have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to prepare paraprofessionals to support the development and learning of each and every child.

How might the HEIP grant impact programs and faculty in Illinois?

The project’s state and national steering committee will inform curricular redesign, which will result in a blended early childhood  preparation program that incorporates an intentional emphasis on children with disabilities and inclusion  as well as an emphasis on cultural and linguistic diversity. HEIP staff are collaborating with Illinois ACCESS (community college early childhood educators) to ensure that curricular redesign work completed complements the work of the ACCESS group. Careful attention to developing high-quality, inclusive practica sites within the Heartland community and across the state is another key component of the HEIP project, with processes and tools for development and evaluation one of the anticipated project products. Heartland and Illinois faculty will also benefit from a sequence of ongoing faculty development and supports designed to ensure that faculty have the knowledge and skills needed to effectively support student development. The first of these opportunities is April 18th, with a day-long professional development opportunity offered on Heartland’s campus and co-sponsored with the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion.

The HEIP project is designed with careful attention to project dissemination; Starting Spring 2011, a Web site will be available that will serve as a tool to inform faculty of upcoming activities, solicit project input, and serve as a repository for developed syllabi, resources, practica tools, and project videos (www.heartland.edu/heip). We look forward to an exciting and productive time over the grant’s duration of four years.

For More Information Please Contact:

Johnna Darragh-Ernst, PhD
Professor of Early Childhood Education
Heartland Community College
Child Development Lab
Phone:  (309) 268-8746
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it