
The latest Events, Training, and Communities of Practice that improve outcomes for children and their families.

View our Exemplar Leads which support families, students and educators.

Learn more about our System of Support including CalECSE Leadership, Exemplar Leads and our Geographic Assistance Facilitators.

Are you an LEA, Regional Center or agency partner engaging in IDEA Part C to B Evaluations, Preschool Assessments, or Preschool Child Find? We can help!
The California Early Childhood Special Education Network
Welcome to the California Early Childhood Special Education Network – A network of technical assistance, evidence-based practices, resources, and support for agencies supporting Early Childhood Special Education.






The CalECSE Organization
The California Early Childhood Special Education “CalECSE” Network was funded by the California Department of Education in April of 2022 to support the areas of 1) Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C to B Evaluations, 2) Preschool Assessment Practices, and 3) Preschool Child Find. The CalECSE Network leverages collaboration amongst agencies, dissemination of resources, highlighting of existing exemplar practices, and direct technical assistance to improve the capacity, knowledge and implementation of evidence-based practices across agencies throughout California. The CalECSE Network is committed to improving outcomes for children and their families by eliminating and addressing barriers to successful transition for California’s youngest children with disabilities.

CalECSE supports Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPAs), County Offices of Education (COEs), and other agency partners throughout California in the areas of IDEA Part C to B Transitions, Preschool Assessment Practices, and Preschool Child Find.

CalECSE provides regionalized support in California through a system of 11 service regions based on the California County Superintendents. Geographic Technical Assistance Facilitators provide linkages between LEAs and other agencies within their region to support that exists within the CalECSE Network.

CalECSE Network Exemplar Leads provide professional learning to connect with LEAs and other agencies seeking support or that have been identified to participate in high-quality technical assistance and professional learning opportunities in order to build knowledge, capacity, and the implementation of evidence-based best practices.

CalECSE is supporting school districts across the state of California by providing virtual forums for local Communities of Practice (CoPs). These CoPs will allow for school-based Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) practitioners (e.g., preschool administrators/program specialists, ECSE teachers, school psychologists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and so on) to connect with local colleagues to share best practices, problem solve, and learn from one another’s programs. CalECSE staff and local ECSE leaders will facilitate the CoPs and will be on hand to provide information on upcoming professional development offerings, legal and statewide updates, and bring expert speakers on topics that the group is interested in learning more about.
To join a local CoP, email info@calecse.org
Our Support
CalECSE Network Grantees are exemplary leaders and regionally based facilitators who have a passion for helping educators, early start providers, and teams create sustainable, evidence-based practices that support IDEA Part C to Part B transitions, assessments, and child find activities.
CalECSE is funded by the California Department of Education (CDE).



Find follow-up questions and answers here from the California Early Childhood Special Education (CalECSE) Network’s Kindergarten Transition Assessments Training

This is a month-to-month guide with best practices for transitioning children from preschool to the next step in their educational journey.

This checklist is a handy tool for practitioners when implementing play-based assessments.

This is a checklist for on-boarding new Regional Center staff and administrators involved in supporting families through the Part C to Part B transition process

This document provides information and multiple resources to clarify compliance and procedural issues regarding transition from Part C to Part B.

This multi-lingual resource provides families with handy links to timelines, guides and checklists to understand the IEP process

This document provides a collection of tools useful to LEA and Regional Center leaders planning a review of local Part C to Part B Transition Interagency Agreements, protocols and practices

This document provides links to resources for administrators on Part C to Part B requirements and how to support on-boarding staff new to Part C or Part B

This document provides basic timelines and resources for LEA and Regional Center staff supporting the Part C to Part B transition process