2018-469-E Finance - Voices Together outside agency agreement

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DocuSign Envelope ID: 1327919D -9891- 4603- B056- 5CA1EBBFDF23 EXHIBIT A: PROVIDER'S OUTSIDE AGENCY APPLICATION Program Description (3 pages OR LESS) Families of students with a disability face complex financial challenges. Insufficient financial resources and/or inadequate access to intervention services often prohibit these families from receiving specialized therapy services. The partnership between Voices Together (VT) and the Orange County Schools will help close the achievement gap and help children from these families succeed academically and into adulthood. Schools play a critical role in being the first community resource to identify autism and other developmental challenges that would otherwise go undiagnosed. Studies have shown early intervention assists in getting the proper diagnosis and treatments for a better start to school and life. Data from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network 2015 Community report, demonstrates the pivotal role school systems play in evaluating and serving children with ASD. The Change County Schools identified approximately 1,186 students with DDS, or 15.7% of the student body, an increase of 12 % over the previous year. (IES, National Center for Education Statistics). This dramatic jump in the number of Exceptional Children's students increased the financial burden on our schools and families without the proportionate increases in federal special education appropriations or state education spending necessary. VT in Education is designed to advance education and student achievement by increasing the development of their social - emotional skills, and building a foundation to improve and expand communication and language capabilities. Social and emotional skills are defined as the ability to understand, manage, and express the social and emotional aspects of one's life in ways that enable the successful management of life tasks such as learning, forming relationships, solving everyday problems, and adapting to the complex demands of growth and development. Numerous research studies have shown that: Students who are more self -aware and confident about their learning capacities try harder and persist in the face of challenges (Durlak et al., 2011). • Students who have self - discipline, motivate themselves, manage stress, and organize their approach to work learn more and get better grades. • Students who use problem - solving skills to overcome obstacles and make responsible decisions about studying and completing homework perform better academically (Durlak et al., 2011). As these students age out of the public schools, their ability to find jobs and keep those jobs can depend on their ability to work with others, express their needs and wants, understand their strengths and challenges and self - manage themselves. Our program addresses all of these areas and gives each student a safe and motivating space to learn and practice these skills ultimately leading to self - advocacy and more independence in their lives. Provide weekly VT music therapy sessions for students in selected Exceptional Children's classrooms resulting in an increase in students' verbal language PROGRAM INFORMATION 1/22/21318 1:39:57 PM Page 15 of 25