Collinsville, IL — November 22, 2021 — Collinsville Community Unit School District #10 is proud to announce the continued progress of the Collinsville Community Inclusion Team (CIT), enabling community stakeholders to collaborate in an effort to ensure that preschool students in Collinsville and the surrounding areas have access to high quality, inclusive classrooms.
“This team’s shared vision, ongoing participation, and growing membership demonstrate the commitment our community has for inclusion,” according to Alison Underwood, Collinsville CUSD 10 Director of Special Education.
C0ntinued Broad-based Community Collaboration
The Collinsville CIT includes representatives from several community-based organizations, including Riverbend Head Start, Children’s Home and Aid’s Stronger Beginnings and Childcare Resource and Referral programs, Early Intervention-CFC 21, and Star Net Region IV. CUSD 10 staff, administrators and families are also represented on the team. The work of the CIT is summarized in their vision statement: “We exist to prepare young children from Collinsville and its surrounding area for success regardless of ability, gender, racial identity or ethnicity by increasing access through full participation within inclusive, natural environments.”
Collinsville Community Inclusion Team Activities
Collinsville CIT has met monthly since August 2020. The CIT continues to work together to provide information to the community about inclusion. To this end, District representatives on the team have created a video highlighting what inclusive practices looks like, sounds like, and feels like. Use THIS LINK to view the video.
The Collinsville CIT created a Facebook page to continue to share information on inclusion with the wider community: Collinsville Community Inclusion Team.
Finally, Collinsville CUSD #10 and Riverbend Head Start have embarked on a pilot to expand individualized services at the Head Start facility. A limited number of preschool students who are eligible to receive special education and related services are able to stay in their natural, inclusive classroom at Head Start and receive services provided by District #10 staff. This deep collaboration between the District and Head Start has been made possible through the formation and continued work of the Collinsville Community Inclusion Team.