Topic: Early Childhood Inclusion

A list of resources and discussions on early childhood inclusion, including a national inclusion position statement, blogs, presentations and other related materials.

Resources

Articles and Papers

• Early Childhood Inclusion - A Joint Position Statement of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
• Research Synthesis Points on Quality Inclusive Practices
  This document provides brief descriptions and supporting references for the evidence-based and promising practices that support early childhood inclusion.
• Research Synthesis Points on Early Childhood Inclusion
  This document is a summary of key conclusions or “synthesis points” drawn from a review of the literature or research syntheses on early childhood inclusion. We encourage you to reproduce it for distribution and use it in a variety of contexts including professional development, policy development, planning, advocacy, and grant writing.
• Why Program Quality Matters for Early Childhood Inclusion. Recommendations for Professional Development
  Only a handful of states address children with disabilities in their early child care quality rating systems. As a result, few states are evaluating the quality of inclusive programs and services. This problem is compounded by a lack of consensus on dimensions that define high quality inclusion and a need for additional measures of quality inclusive practices. This NPDCI paper advocates for the need to link early childhood program quality and professional development, with a particular focus on how this topic relates to early childhood inclusion.

Presentations

• CONNECT: Foundations of Inclusion Birth to Five
  A short video presentation on inclusion
• The Right Stuff: Resources to Support Your Work
  Applications of the New NAEYC/DEC Position Paper on Inclusion to Policy, PD and Practice
• Incorporating Evidence-Based Practice into Professional Development to Support Inclusion
• States' Experiences in the Development of Early Childhood Competencies That Support Inclusion
• The Right Stuff: Methods and Materials for Preparing Personnel to Support Inclusion

Planning and Facilitation Tools

• Professional Development Activity: Looking at the Data on Inclusion
  Activity Purpose: to share key research points related to early childhood inclusion; and, to facilitate discussion among participants on their reactions to these research points and application to their work.

Discussions

• Measuring the Quality of Inclusion, by Sharon Hope Irwin and Elena Soukakou
• Christine’s Chronicles, by Christine Lindauer
• Real World Applications (of NPDCI Resources), by Camille Catlett
• Child Care Funding and FAPE, by Mary Joslin
• Inclusion in Head Start and Early Head Start Programs, by Dayana Garcia
• Data Talk: The Cost-Benefit of Inclusion in States, by Erin Barton
• Online Panel Discussion: QRIS and Inclusion
• Inclusion Benefits, by Camille Catlett
• Help Has Arrived, by Camille Catlett
• Short, Sweet, and Useful, by Camille Catlett
• DEC/NAEYC Leaders Share Thoughts on Inclusion, by Jeri Daniels and Sarah Mulligan
• Universal Preschool: Reaching All Children? by Pam Winton
  Are state-funded pre-k programs providing high quality inclusive options to children with disabilities?

CONNECT Modules

• Module 1: Embedded Interventions
  Learn about the practice of embedded interventions to help children participate in a variety of early learning opportunities and environments promoting high quality inclusion.
  Módulo 1: Intervenciones incorporadas (Spanish version of Module 1)
• Module 2: Transition
  Learn about practices to help support children and families as they transition among programs in the early care and education system.
• Module 3: Communication for Collaboration
  Learn about communication practices that can be used to promote collaboration with professionals and families in early care and education, and intervention settings.