Connections are essential to Lane County's early intervention and early childhood special education program, EC CARES--connections to the UO, to other specialists, agencies, parents, teachers, children, and each other.

EC CARES, an acronym for "Early Childhood Coordination Agency for Referrals, Evaluations and Services in Lane County," is run through the UO College of Education and provides an array of special services to children from birth to school age who have developmental delays and disabilities. These services--all free to any child deemed eligible--are housed in a variety of settings and can include parent consultation and education as well as speech therapy, physical or occupational therapy, vision and hearing services, and assistive technology. Over 1000 children are served each year.

Because EC CARES' services are provided in such diverse locales as private homes, community or specialized preschools, clinics, and parent and toddler groups, good communication between the various therapists, program participants, and relevant agencies is critical. That's where the program's high-speed network plays a vital role.

EC CARES' new facility in the old Western Title building at 299 E. 18th Avenue boasts a data closet with brand-new network hardware (see photo). Thanks to the efforts of the Computing Center's Network Services group and UO Telecommunication Services, the building was completely wired and humming by the time the facility opened its doors last April.

For the more than 60 EC CARES staff--therapists, teachers, specialists, and administrators--computers are an essential tool. Aside from the creative role computers can play in the classroom, they serve a very practical need in helping staff track child information and assistants' schedules, monitor progress, and navigate the maze of required forms--including Medicaid billing, various state service plan and action forms, and goal data sheets. Staff members, who often work at several sites, can conveniently access the database from any computer with Internet access. The same database is also used by EC CARES subcontractors and various school districts.

Technology consultants Dan Smellow and Marc Levy assist in making these tasks as easy as possible. Since he came to EC CARES five years ago, Dan has been busy creating and fine-tuning the organization's FileMaker-based database system to handle the multitude of forms and records. He devotes all his energies to making the system easy to navigate and use, and flexible enough to accommodate all the nuances of data entry required.

Marc, who splits his time equally between consulting at TACS/WRRC (Technical Assistance and Consulting Services/Western Regional Resource Center) and EC CARES, is on hand to provide general individual computer support and help with classroom projects: installing software, massaging hardware, and helping staff with all the little problems that crop up in the course of a day's work.

Both Dan and Marc are very enthusiastic about their new facility and network and telecommunications setup. "This new 100 megabit connection is extremely fast," Dan says. "It saves us time working with our databases, so our staff can spend more time helping kids and families."

Wireless access is the next technological enhancement in EC CARES' future. Network Services is currently working to provide EC CARES with a wireless connection to the university's network backbone, and Dan and Marc also hope to eventually provide laptops to staff so they can work more efficiently offsite.