Alaska's Rural Early Intervention Preservice Training Program

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Abstract
Effective educational practices for infants and toddlers with disabilities demand personnel with appropriate training. In almost all states, qualified personnel currently are not available to staff programs designed for young children (Burke, McLaughlin, & Valdivieso, 1988; Hanson & Lovett, 1992). The lack of trained and qualified personnel working in rural areas is an even greater problem confounded by difficulties with staff recruitment and retention. The purpose of this article is to describe a Master's level training program for early intervention personnel currently providing services in rural Alaska to infants and toddlers and preschoolers with disabilities and their families. This article addresses how to implement current best practice in early intervention via distance education to programs and personnel who are geographically distanced from the places and resources where available training occurs.