ARCH – Chapel Hill Training-Outreach Project (CHTOP)

Address: 800 Eastowne Dr., Suite 105
Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Phone: (919) 490-5577 Fax: (919) 4904905 Email: mmathers@chtop.org Website: http://www.chtop.org

"The Chapel Hill Training-Outreach Project was established in 1969 with funding from the Federal government as part of our nation's earliest attempts to provide educational services to young children with disabilities. Under the direction of Anne R. Sanford, who was the founder of CHTOP, the strategies and materials developed by CHTOP during these early years became known as the Chapel Hill Model. The Model included assessment instruments, curricula, and strategies for parent involvement and family-centered programming. In 1983, the Chapel Hill Model was validated unanimously for ""exemplary program status"" by the U.S. Department of Education's Joint Dissemination Review Panel (JDRP). Recently the Chapel Hill Model was renamed the LAP System.

A board of directors has overall responsibility for CHTOP, Inc. operations. The board is composed of community leaders who volunteer their time to help the CHTOP, Inc. achieve and maintain successful outcomes. An executive director is responsible to the board for program administration.

CHTOP is a national provider of training and technical assistance services, and audiovisual and print materials, as well as a provider of direct services to families and children such as Head Start. CHTOP has assisted Federal and State governments in networking various clusters of grantees and has developed an impressive history of training and technical assistance activities and a reputation for quality product development. Its history of providing services to children and families is summarized here: CHTOP Milestones.

Current programs of CHTOP, Inc. include:

    The Orange County Head Start and Early Head Start programs
    The ARCH National Respite Network
    FRIENDS program
    KidSCope
    Orange County Family Resource Centers"