Wisconsin Professional Development Organizations

AA: Associate of Arts. Certificate of completion awarded from a post­secondary, two-year program of study, generally equivalent to 60­72 college credits.

AAS: Associate of Applied Science. Certificate of completion awarded from a post-secondary, two-year program of study, generally equivalent to 60-72 college credits.

ACF: Administration for Children and Families in HHS.

ACYF: Administration for Children, Youth, and Families. A federal agency that administers Head Start and other federal programs related to children and families.

ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act. PL 101-336, as amended; 42 USC 12101-12213. It requires public places and job sites to be made accessible to all. Child care centers are also required to be accessible when it does not represent an undue financial burden to owners.

ADD/ADHD: Attention Deficit Disorder, often Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A behavioral problem in which a child demonstrates an inability to concentrate or pay attention, causing problems for CAP: Community Action Program,

CACFP: Child and Adult Care Food Program

CCP: National Child Care Associa­tion Certified Childcare Profes­sional Credential

CCR&RS: Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies help parents sort through child care options and select quality child care. 

CDA: Child Development Associate. A national credential certifying basic competence in working with young children. Administered by the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition.

CDCP: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. A division of Health and Human Services.

CDF: Children’s Defense Fund. An organization that educates and lobbies for better lives for children and families.

CESA: Cooperative Educational Services Agencies. CESA’s are service units created by Wiscon­sin law (Chapter 116.01) that are “designed to serve educational needs in all areas of Wisconsin by serving as a link between school districts and between school districts and the state. CESA’s may provide leadership, coordina­tion and education services to school districts, University of Wisconsin System institutions, and technical colleges. CESA’s may facilitate communication and cooperation among all public and private schools, agencies and organizations that provide services to pupils.” There are twelve CESA regions in Wiscon­sin.

CEU: continuing education unit. This is a measurement value for continuing education training given for noncredit experiences under responsible, qualified instruction. This term can be applied freely by any profession to training programs for its members as a value guide for accrued training.

CFR: Code of Federal Regulations.

CHIPS: Child in need of protection or services.

CPR: Cardiopulmonary Resuscita­tion.

CSHCN: Children with Special Health Care Needs Regional Centers exist in five regions of the state with funding for the Depart­ment of Health and Family Services, Division of Health.

CSPD: Comprehensive System of Personnel Development. A term used in schools to describe efforts to provide ongoing education and training for school personnel.

DACUM: Developing A Curriculum. A curriculum development process that is effective, quick, and valid. It is also an approach to occupational analysis in terms of duties, tasks, knowledge, skills, traits, and attitudes. The DACUM process is based on the premises that:

• Expert workers are better able to describe or define their occupa­tion than anyone else.

.• Any job can be effectively and sufficiently described in terms of tasks successful workers in that occupation perform.

• All tasks have direct implications for the knowledge and attitudes that workers must have in order to perform the tasks correctly.

DAP: Developmentally Appropriate Practice. Guidelines by which teachers design activities, interact, and create environments that meet the needs of young children according to their age level and their individual strengths, weaknesses, and interests. These guidelines are described in the following publica­tion: Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8 Expanded Edition, edited by S. Bredekamp. Washington, DC: NAEYC, 1987.

DCAC: Day Care/Child Development Advisory Committee, advisory to the Wisconsin State Department of Health and Family Services Secretary and Division of Children and Family Services.

DCFS: Division of Children and Family Services, with the Depart­ment of Health and Family Services.

DD: Developmental Disability or Disabilities (noun) or Develop­mentally Disabled (adjective).

DHFS: Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, as of July 1, 1996.

DHSS: Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services, prior to July 1, 1996.

DOA: Wisconsin Department of Administration.

DPI: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

DWD: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

ECERS: Early Childhood Environ­mental Rating Scale. A nationally recognized tool for rating various aspects of child care programs.

ECSE: Early Childhood Special Education. In accordance with IDEA Part B, Wisconsin school districts provide special education and related services to children with disabilities who meet the criteria defined in CHPT 115. ECSE services are provided to children from three to five years of age in a variety of settings, including schools, child care, and Head Start. The Department of Pubic Instruction provides state-level oversight of special educa­tion. School districts are man­dated to locate, identify, and evaluate children from birth to twenty-one who may be eligible for special education and related services. Each eligible child receives appropriate services in accordance with is/her Individual­ized Education Program (IEP). ECSE teachers are licensed in special education for birth through grade 3.

EEN: Exceptional Educational Needs. Now called Special Educational Needs (SEN).

ECEEN (3 - 5): Early Childhood Exceptional Educational Needs. This term has been replaced by Early Childhood Special Educa­tion.

ERIC: Education Resources Informa­tion Center.

ESL: English as a second language.

ESP Certificate: Educational Support Personnel Certificate. A certificate program sponsored by the Wisconsin Education Association Professional Development Academy for support personnel (e.g., paraeducators, secretaries, bus drivers) in Wisconsin public schools.

FCE: High School Family And Consumer Education Child Care Services Programs

FDA: U.S. Food and Drug Adminis­tration.

FPL: Federal Poverty Level. This is used to determine eligibility to qualify as “poor” family. The poverty guidelines are issued each year in the Federal Register by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The guidelines are a simplification of poverty thresholds for administra­tive purposes such as determining eligibility for certain federal programs.

FRC: Family Resource Centers. Centers providing parent educa­tion addressing multiple family needs (e.g., recreation with other families, counseling, children’s playgroups, home visits, etc.)

FTE: Full-Time Equivalency. A person’s employment expressed as a ratio of time spent on the job divided by a standard workweek. For example, a kindergarten teacher with only morning classes would be classified as 0.5 FTE.

HFS 12: DHFS administrative rules on caregiver background checks.

HFS 45: DHFS administrative rules for family day care centers (4-8 children).

HFS 46: DHFS administrative rules for group day care centers (9 or more children).

HFS 90: DHFS administrative rules for Birth to 3 programs and services.

HFS 57: DHFS administrative rules for group homes for 5 to 8 children.

HHS: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

HSS 56: DHFS administrative rules for family foster care for 1 to 4 children.

HSED/GED: High School Equiva­lency Diploma.

IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1400. Federal laws that govern the provision of services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and delays (Part C), and students from three to twenty one years of age who need special education and related services.

IEP: Individualized Education Plan. Required by IDEA for all children receiving special services, this plan details the child’s current abilities, sets educational goals and objectives, lists the special education and related services the child will receive, and speci­fies where the child will be educated. A team of people including the teacher, specialists, the parents develop the plan, which must be reviewed and updated periodically.

IFSP: Individualized Family Services Plan. Required by IDEA for children from birth to age three with special needs, this plan is similar to an individualized educational plan, but it includes supporting the needs of the family to aid the child.

LAB: Legislative Audit Bureau.

LAW: Legal Action of Wisconsin. A statewide public interest law firm concerned with advocating on behalf of clients on public assis­tance.

LEP: Limited English Proficiency.

LRE: Least Restrictive Environment. A term defined in IDEA requiring that to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabili­ties are educated with children who are not disabled, using the general education curriculum.

MA: Medical Assistance. Wisconsin’s term for the Medicaid (Title XIX) program, which pays for neces­sary health care services for persons whose financial re­sources are not adequate to provide for their health care needs.

MA: Master of Arts. A graduate-level certificate of completion awarded after one to two years of study at a college or university (after earning a Bachelor’s degree).

MOU: Memorandum of Understand­ing.

MS: Master of Science. A graduate-level certificate of completion awarded after one to two years of study at a college or university (after earning a Bachelor’s degree).

MSW: Master in Social Work. A graduate-level certificate of completion awarded after one to two years of study at a college or university (after earning a Bachelor’s degree).

OCC: Office of Child Care.

OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration, in the U.S. Department of Labor.

OT: Occupational Therapist.

OTA: Occupational Therapist Assistant.

PAT: Parents as Teachers is a voluntary, parent-child early education program.

PALS: Parents as Leaders (PALs) is a program aimed at parents and other caregivers of children, birth to age 6, with special needs.

Ph.D.: Doctorate. A graduate level certificate of completion usually requiring 2-7 years of study at a college or university (usually after

completing a Master’s degree).

PL: Public Law. A federal term equivalent to session law in Wisconsin.

PL 94-142: The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which provides basic requirements for the educational system in serving handicapped children. Now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

POCAN: The Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect initiative refers to legislation passed in 1997 that established grant-funded projects throughout the state.

PT: Physical therapist.

PTA: Physical Therapist Assistant.

RFP: Request for proposal. A document that solicits proposals from outside parties in a competi­tive bidding process.

RSVP: Retired Senior Volunteer Program.

SECTION 504: of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Prohibits discrimina­tion in service delivery and employment based on handicap.

SEN: Special Educational Needs. Previously called Exceptional Educational Needs (EEN). In accordance with IDEA Part B, and s.115.76, Wis. Statutes, Wiscon­sin school districts provide special education and related services to children with disabilities who meet the criteria defined in CHPT 115. Special education and related services are provided to children from three to twenty one years of age. The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) provides state-level oversight of special educa­tion. School districts are man­dated to locate, identify, and evaluate children from birth to twenty-one who may be eligible for special education and related services. Each eligible child receives appropriate services in accordance with the Individual­ized Education Program (IEP). A variety of teaching licenses exist for professionals in this field. Students are found eligible for special education and related services when they meet criteria defined in s.115, Wis. Statutes.

SSA: Social Security Administration, in the Department of Health and Human Services.

SSBG: Social Services Block Grant. A federal grant which provides funds to states for a variety of social services, and which in turn is distributed by the Department on a formula basis to counties which provide or purchase these services for people who need them.

TANF: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

TDD: Telecommunication Device for the Deaf.

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood®Project: Teacher Education and Compensation Helps. A program originating in North Carolina, which provides statewide educa­tional scholarship opportunities for child care center teachers, directors, and family child care providers who work in regulated settings. In return for a one-year commitment to stay in the sponsoring center, a provider receives release time, travel stipends, a percentage of books and tuition paid for, and a bonus or wage increase when college coursework is completed.

TTY: Text Telephone. A terminal used for two-way text conversa­tion over a telephone line. The primary tool used by people (and some people who are hard of hearing) for telephone conversa­tion.

UWS: University of Wisconsin System.

W-2: Wisconsin Works. Wisconsin’s program which replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children as of September 1997. Makes cash assistance dependent on taking a job or undertaking job training. Cash benefits are limited to 60 months. Administered by Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

WCA: Wisconsin Counties Association.

WCCIP: Wisconsin Child Care Improvement Project.

WCCIC: Wisconsin Child Care Information Center.

WCDD: Wisconsin Council on Developmental Disabilities.

WCHSA: Wisconsin Counties Human Services Association.

WCRIS: Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools.

WDC: Wisconsin Disability Coalition.

WDEC: Wisconsin Division of Early Childhood, a division of the Council on Exceptional Children.

WEA/ PDA: Wisconsin Education Association Professional Develop­ment Academy.

WEAC: Wisconsin Education Association Council.

WECA: Wisconsin Early Childhood Association.

WECCP: Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners. A partner­ship of Wisconsin public and private agencies, associations, and individuals working to transform early childhood care and education

WHSA: Wisconsin Head Start Association

WIC: Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program. Seeks to improve the health of low-income, nutritionally at-risk pregnant and nursing women and infants and children under age five through improved nutrition made possible by nutrition education and vouchers for the purchase of certain foods.

WITPC: The Wisconsin Infant Toddler Professional Credential is a 12-credit sequence of four courses offered at several Wisconsin colleges to equip caregivers to provide the best possible experience for infants and toddlers in their care.

WTCS: Wisconsin Technical College System. A 16-district state network of higher education institutions whose thrust is to provide educational opportunities for individuals throughout their lives by offering a variety of programs emphasizing technical training for careers. Program offerings include Associate Degree, Vocational Diploma, and Special Educational Services. Previously referred to as VTAE (Vocational, Technical and Adult Education).

WPCCCA: Wisconsin Professional Credential for Child Care Adminis­trators. This is a six-course, eighteen-credit credential admin­istered by The Registry.