Inclusive Early Childhood Education: Building Quality Learning Environments

1. Camille Catlett FPG Child Development Institute May 4, 2012 Easton, PA Making Inclusion Work for ALL Young Children

5. What do we mean by quality? • What do we mean by inclusion? • What do we know about inclusion? • Designing learning environments that support each child • Putting it all together • What will you do next? What’s the plan for today?

6. What do we mean by quality?

7. Things we KNOW that impact quality • Evidence-based curriculum • Ratios • Teacher preparation • Wages

8. Things that may be even more important ... • intentional teachers • individual attention • family engagement • time to play • opportunities to speak and be listened to • culturally and linguistically responsive practices

9. Families can become lifelong partners or lifelong bystanders based on how you engage them in the process of supporting their child.

10. Your ability to see each child as “at potential” instead of “at risk” will make a tremendous difference.

11. Where have you seen quality? How did you know?

12. Early Childhood Inclusion: A Joint Position Statement of DEC and NAEYC

13. Definition Early childhood inclusion embodies the values, policies, and practices that support the right of every infant and young child and his or her family, regardless of ability, to participate in a broad range of activities and contexts as full members of families, communities, and society. The desired results of inclusive experiences for children with and without disabilities and their families include a sense of belonging and membership, positive social relationships and friendships, and development and learning to reach their full potential. The defining features of inclusion that can be used to identify high quality early childhood programs and services are access, participation, and supports.

14. Access

16. Participation

17. Participation

18. Participation

19. Supports

20. CONNECT http://connect.fpg.unc.edu The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge

21. Resource Update National Professional Development Center on Inclusion http://npdci.fpg.unc.edu Resources → Early Childhood Inclusion

22. http://community.fpg.unc.edu/resources/articles/Early_Childhood_Inclusionhttp://community.fpg.unc.edu/resources/articles/Early_Childhood_Inclusion

23. How do you create a sense of belonging for each child?

24. How do we grow environments that foster inclusion?

25. Instructional Practices: Just the Facts Children suffer from missed opportunities to learn • Too much time is spent standing in line, waiting for turns, washing hands and cleaning up • Most children spend as much as 1/3 of the time with minimal teacher interaction

26. Supportive learning environments • Space (inside, outside) • Time – schedule • Activities • Materials • Transitions

27. Interactions in learning environments • Teacher-child • Teacher-other adults • Teacher-family • Child-child

28. Meet Drew • 3 years old • Lives with parents and two brothers, one older and one younger • Diagnosed with autism at 30 months • Cognitive skills are near age-appropriate • Significant delays in social and communication skills • Rarely initiates or engages in social conversation • Favorite toys: trains, Disney figurines, markers • Tendency to tantrum • Difficult time following directions • Reacts strongly when told “no”

29. Supportive learning environments • Physical Aspects of Space • Where are objects in the room placed? • What kinds of choices can children make within the environment? • Social Aspects of Space • Does the space support social interactions and relationships? • Does the space convey information about choices and limits? • Does the space convey that all children belong and are important members of a classroom community?

30. Room arrangements and floor plans • Opportunities for large and small groups and individual play. • Room divided into learning centers • Spaces flexible and supportive of children’s imaginations and need for exploration • Grouping and space used to maximize person power • Think of the classroom in zones • Use physical and human resources appropriately

31. Think about an environment you know • Do children spend most of their time playing and working with materials and with other children? • Do children have access to various activities throughout the day? • Do adults work with individual children, small groups, and the whole group at different times during the day? • Is the space decorated with children’s original artwork, their own writing, and stories they’ve created? • Do children learn things that are meaningful to them?

32. Helping children understand routines and classroom schedules http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/kits/wwbtk3.pdf

33. Thinking about Drew Drew has a tendency to go to the same area (and stay there) during “choice” time. He often tantrums when asked to make a different choice. What might you try?

34. Building the capability for each child to participate successfully http://www.challengingbehavior.org/

35. Thinking about Drew Which of the strategies shared in the video sound like ways to help Drew to be successful?

36. Interactions in learning environments • Teacher-child • Teacher-other adults • Teacher-family • Child-child

38. CARA’s Kit • Creating Adaptations for • Routines and Activities - • adaptations to increase • children’s engagement • and participation in classroom activities and routines.

39. Adaptations Help All Children • Adaptations allow teachers to do the same things that they would do with all children—facilitate their participation in activities and routines. Adaptations can be used to: • Make situations better for a particular child. • Improve situations for the entire group.

41. Putting It All Together Drew can find transitions to be very challenging. With a partner, use the Adaptation Notes to think about ways in which you can help him be successful during transitions.

42. Consider a child’s point of view • Do I usually feel welcome rather than captured? • Do I feel that I belong or am I just one of the crowd? • Am I usually addressed seriously and respectfully, rather than as someone who is "precious" or "cute"? • Do I find most of the activities engaging, absorbing, and challenging rather than just entertaining or exciting? • Do I find most of the experiences meaningful, rather than frivolous or boring? • Am I usually glad to be here, rather than eager to leave?

43. Consider a program point of view • Is the curriculum accessible to all children regardless of ability, needs, or background? • Can all children fully participate in the curriculum regardless of ability, needs, or background? • Can children demonstrate what they know and are able to do regardless of ability, needs, or background? • Does the program have curriculum goals that are clear and shared by all? • Is the curriculum comprehensive? • Are successful partnerships built and maintained? (DEC, 2007)

44. What have you heard about today that could help you to . . . • Create high expectations for every child to reach his or her full potential? • Support the full participation of each and every child? • Develop a program philosophy on inclusion? • Revise a parent handbook or manual? • Strengthen inclusive, intentional approaches in Michigan?

45. How can you support the Drews in your program?