Chapter 4
Is My Program Ready for Inclusion?
Assessing the Climate
Sarika S. Gupta
āIām ready for inclusion, but Iām not sure my program is.ā
Nan is a private preschool director and a mother of a 9-year-old with a learning disability. Nanās preschool center serves children from birth through 8 years old, and she is very interested in including children with disabilities. Her son was diagnosed with developmental delay at the age of 4, and she has seen firsthand how he benefited from being around his typically developing friends. Thinking back, she also remembers feeling that his friends developed a greater sensitivity to the learning differences in others as a result of being around him. Nan believes strongly in inclusion; however, she feels she does not have specialized knowledge of disabilities or teaching skills to support it as a daily practice. Moreover, she worries about whether her staff will be receptive to inclusion, as many of them are not familiar with disabilities.
Nan decided to pursue a graduate degree in ECSE. She hopes to learn more about the laws that govern inclusion, the evidence supporting inclusion, and practical strategies to engage children with diverse abilities in meaningful ways. She suspects that inclusion largely entails individualizing instruction. She is surprised to learn during her studies that successful inclusion relies on a number of other features, for example, a high-quality classroom. Such a classroom is staffed with knowledgeable teachers, is safe, and meets environmental standards, such as teacher-to-child ratios. A high-quality classroom will offer children the right mix of structured and unstructured opportunities to facilitate child learning in developmentally appropriate and culturally and linguistically sensitive ways. Nan also learns that staff support is critical to the success of inclusion. Staff that are involved in the decision-making process are more likely to feel empowered and capable of providing individualized instruction to children with varying needs. Finally, she learns that families make all the difference. Families have specific priorities for their children. Engaging them as partners in the decision-making process is one way to acknowledge familiesā unique perspectives and to build community support for a program that addresses their childrenās collective abilities and needs.
As Nan learns that inclusion requires not only specialized knowledge but also critical administrative support and buy-in from the community, she feels she has a better understanding of what is needed. She wants to take a closer look at her program to see what she can do as an administrator to kick-start her inclusion efforts.
Recall from Chapter 1 that inclusion means providing children with disabilities routine and meaningful opportunities to interact with typically developing children to the maximum extent possible. This chapter examines the components that can facilitate such high-quality interactions, beginning with the classroom environment. Several resources in the field, developed by the NAEYC and Division of Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children, highlight these components and are presented first.
We then reflect on Nanās situation from the beginning of the chapter to consider the collaborative relationships needed to implement inclusion on a day-to-day basis. Inclusion requires teamwork; as the leader, you will need the support of others daily. From research it is clear that inclusion efforts are likely to be successful when staff and families are on board (Beckman et al., 1998; Lieber et al., 2000). You, as the leader of this effort, will need to gauge the interest of your staff and families, likely educate them about inclusion and its benefits, and enlist their assistance to build a vision for and to carry out inclusion every day. Being aware of potential concerns will help you identify potential needs areas. Use this chapter to assess your programās readiness and to identify needs. For additional examples of staff and family needs and barriers to inclusion, refer to Chapter 7. Before reading on, visit Activity Corner 4.1 to reflect on whether Nanās classroom will support inclusion.
ASSESSING PROGRAM QUALITY
Inclusion alone does not equate to high quality, nor does high quality necessarily mean inclusion is practiced (Schwartz, Sandall, Odom, Horn, & Beckman, 2002). Determining whether your program is of good quality is a great way to begin your effort. The setting should be safe for all children, be equipped with meaningful and appropriate materials, contain adequate space, and employ well-trained and educated staff. The next step involves examining day-to-day practices, for example, between administrators and teachers, between teachers and children, and even between children! What practices are in place? Are these practices supported by research (see discussion of evidence-based practices in Chapter 3)? Do the practices work, meaning do the practices lead children to achieve positive outcomes? If not, is there a sound rationale in place for their use? This section reviews standards for the environment, practices, and programs that have been shown to support young childrenās development. Take a moment now to reflect on your own programās quality by completing Activity Corner 4.2.
After her course, Nan reflects on the quality of classrooms within her program. Until now, she had thought she was doing everything she could to ensure the safety of her students. The program met licensing standards, so she was confident that her classrooms were safe, inviting spaces that were staffed with well-trained adults and filled with materials her young students would enjoy. However, through her graduate coursework, Nan learns about many more resources she can use to enhance the quality of the program and that program quality involves so much more than simply the classroom environment! One resource is NAEYC. Several of her graduate student colleagues mention using NAEYC resources to guide environmental design in their schools. Through class activities, she also learns about DEC of the Council for Exceptional Children. Because of time constraints, she and her colleagues are not able to meet during the academic year, but they decide to schedule monthly coffee times during the summer to talk about resources they are using to improve their programs. As the first meeting approaches, Nan decides to look up NAEYC and DEC. Through a brief search, she learns that they are both professional organizations in early childhood. She wonders: Why are there two organizations for this purpose? And how are they different, if at all?
PROGRAMMATIC CONSIDERATIONS: PROGRAM QUALITY
We focus first on an observable characteristic of inclusion: the setting. Preschool inclusion typically takes place in community-based settings such as a state-funded preschool program, a Head Start classroom, or in child care. Private programs, faith-based programs, and family child care settings may also implement inclusion. Regardless of where inclusion occurs, each setting should meet 10 standards, described in FYI 4.1, for high-quality care and education. These standards were developed by NAEYC and enable programs to seek national accreditation, an index for program quality in early childhood. Pause here to complete Activity Corner 4.3 and then continue reading.
FYI 4.1
National Association for the Education of Young Children Accreditation Standards
1. Relationships
2. Curriculum
3. Teaching
4. Assessment of child progress
5. Health
6. Teachers
7. Families
8. Community relationships
9. Physical environment
10. Leadership and management
The Council for Exceptional Childrenās DEC focuses on a second observable characteristic of inclusion: practices. Mounting evidence from the field continues to show the link between early experience and positive outcomes in behavior, health, and learning. Many of the practices known to be effective in promoting these favorable outcomes are summarized in DECās recommended practices guidebook. Described more fully in a section later in this chapter, these include direct practices (e.g., assessment, child-focused practices; family-based practices; interdisciplinary models; and technology applications) and indirect practices (e.g., policies, procedures, and systems c...
