Understanding Early Childhood Special Education Settings

1. Understanding the Indicator 6 Terminology: Early Childhood Special Education Settingsfor Children Ages Birth-Five

2. Resources Indicator 6 Decision Tree Educational Environments for Children Birth - Five: Instructions Educational Environments for Children Birth - Five: Questions and Answers

3. Module Objectives • Define the terminology associated with Indicator 6 • Identify resources for additional support

4. What are Early Childhood Special Education Settings?

5. Setting vs. Program • Setting is a generic category - type of place • Program is the actual place - name of the place • Setting determination drives the program placement

6. Early Childhood Settings OSEP Settings include: • Regular Early Childhood Program • Could be Public or Private • Special Education Classroom (Public/Private) • Separate School (Public/Private) • Residential Facility (Public/Private) • Caregiver’s Home • Service Provider Location

7. Regular Early Childhood Program A regular early childhood program includes 50 percent or more children who do not have disabilities (children not on IEPs) May include, but is not limited to: • Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI/VPI+) • Head Start • Kindergarten(public or private) • Reverse mainstreaming classrooms • Preschool classes (public or private) • Group child development center or child care • Community based play groups

8. Regular Early Childhood Program The child may be enrolled in the program by the Local Education Agency (LEA) or by the parent/guardian. The program is to be a part of the child’s typical week for the child to be considered attendingfor Indicator 6 purposes.  

9. Time Provided by the Family and the Local Education Agency • Ask the family to list and describe programs the child attends outside of school • Public or private preschool classes • Public or private kindergarten • Licensed child care centers • Head Start • Before and after school programs • Exclude time spent with babysitters, neighbors, relatives, or at home • Consider nature of the setting and whether the child is attending

10. Attending Example: If a child attends a special education classroom for a portion of the week and also attends an after school program where she receives intentional instruction, she is considered to be attending. Non-examples: If a child attends a special education classroom and ‘visits’ the regular program on occasion, he is really not attending a regular program, he is visiting. A child simply being in the same place with a group of children without IEPs does not count as spending time in a regular early childhood program. The child is considered to be attending if he or she is a member of the program. If there is intentional teaching (either direct or embedded instruction) and promotion of the child’s interaction with children without disabilities, the time may be counted as time attending a regular early childhood program.

11. Typical Week • A typical week is what the child does consistently across weeks during the school year. • Example: A child may attend a community-based licensed child care every Monday in the afternoon. This is considered typical. • Non-example: The child only occasionally goes to child care when mom works late. This would not count as typical. • A week is considered for preschool children because the child may not have the same schedule each day. For example, a child may attend child care three days a week and not daily.

12. True or False Does the Child Attend a Regular Early Childhood Environment? • Child spends the first hour each day in the kindergarten class and participates in morning circle and small group instruction • True • Child spends time with grandma after school with her brother who is a year older • False • Child and her preschool class are on the playground with a kindergarten class • False • Child attends a preschool program every Tuesday • True • Child goes to child care after school on occasion when mom has to work late • False

13. Special Education Program • A special education program is a program that includes more than 50 percent children with disabilities (i.e., children with IEPs).

14. Special Education Classroom • Less than 50 percent children without IEPs • Classrooms may be in: • Regular school buildings • Trailers, portables • Hospital • Other community-based settings

15. Separate School • A separate school is a school designed specifically for students with disabilities in either a public or private day school.

16. Residential Facility • A residential facility is a program in a public or privately operated residential school or residential medical facility where the student stays on an inpatient basis.

17. Home Principal residence of the child’s family or caregivers Caregivers includes babysitters

18. Service Provider Location or Other Locations Not in Any Other Category • A service provider location or other locations not in any other category include a private clinician’s office, clinician offices located in a school building, hospital facilities on an out-patient basis, libraries, and other public locations. • These children do not attend any regular early childhood program, special education classroom, separate school, or residential facility.

19. ConclusionIndicator 6 Terminology: Early Childhood Special Education Settings