Subject:  General Supervision and Monitoring of First Steps Providers and Service Coordinators
Source:  Margaret Strecker, Assistant Director, Special Education Compliance
Intended Audience:  Service Coordinators, Early Intervention Providers, SPOEs, SICC
Date:  May 24, 2005

Service coordinator and provider agreements require contractors to be knowledgeable and abide by all applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, regulations, and policies related to First Steps. 

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, as lead agency for First Steps in Missouri, is responsible for general supervision of IDEA, Part C, and related laws and regulations.  The U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education (OSEP), has been assured that our monitoring will address compliance for all entities implementing the First Steps system, including our contractors (service coordinators and early intervention providers).  The guidance letter, available on the web at /divspeced/FirstSteps/pdfs/FSguidelttrSC05-002.pdf, provides important information on strategies the Department currently uses and will implement beginning this summer related to monitoring and provision of general supervision of these entities.

The standards and indicators used for compliance monitoring can be found on the First Steps website /divspeced/Compliance/PDF/PartCDraft_EI-Standards.pdf.