1. Michigan Department of Education
Inclusive Practices in Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education
Michigan Department of Education
Office of Great Start
January 14, 2015

2. Welcome Amanda Menzies, Senior Consultant
Public Sector Consultants Inc.

3. Inclusion in Early Childhood
Lisa Wasacz, Consultant Early Childhood Special Education Preschool and Out-of-School Time Learning Office of Great Start Michigan Department of Education (517)

4. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, must be educated with children who are not disabled. Further, special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment may occur only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.
(IDEA- P.L Section 612(a)(5) and (§ (a)(2))
LRE is the acronym for Least Restrictive Environment, which is a federal requirement. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states: To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, must be educated with children who are not disabled. Further, special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment may occur only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.
Which means
Children with disabilities must be educated in the least restrictive environment with non disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate. This includes children served in public schools, private institutions or other care facilities. Removal of children and placement in separate classes or schooling occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in the regular general education setting with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved adequately. The term LRE is typically known as Inclusion.

5. Why Does Inclusion Matter?
Federal Mandate
Higher Outcomes
Good for ALL children
Inclusion is not only a best practice, it is a federal mandate.
A letter dated Feb 29, 2012 from the Office of Special education programs and rehabilitated services was sent to all states to reiterate the Least Restrictive Environment requirements which included the placement of preschool children with disabilities. You can view a copy of this letter by clicking on the link in this slide.
High quality inclusion yields high outcomes.
Research from the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities
"The presence of students with disabilities in general education classrooms stimulates learning experiences and activities that could not occur in a classroom that does not contain students with disabilities."
"Students without disabilities demonstrate consistent academic gains when educated alongside students with disabilities and do not show evidence of any negative impact from inclusion."
"Studies indicate no difference in academic engagement rates between classrooms with and without students with disabilities, suggesting no negative impact on instructional opportunities.“
Students with disabilities can also benefit academically in an inclusion setting. Of all of the benefits of inclusion, this one is perhaps most astounding. Many teachers and parents wonder whether students with disabilities would fare better academically in a classroom that was geared specifically towards them. In a well-designed inclusion classroom, however, the teacher uses inclusion strategies to help students succeed academically. Therefore, students encounter higher expectations – both from their peers and their teachers, as well as the positive academic role models of their non-disabled classmates. (copy bold to Benefits slide from parents perspective)
Inclusion is Good for all
Children with disabilities are first and foremost children. Inclusion provides opportunities for socialization and friendships to develop. It provides a sense of belonging and appropriate modeling of social, behavioral, and academic skills.
Giving every child a sense of belonging, value and worth enhances their overall quality of life. Including children with disabilities in general education classes models acceptance of diversity. It teaches children how to function together with others of different abilities.

6. Early Childhood Inclusion Position Statement
The Division for Early Childhood ‘s policy is Inclusion as a value, supports the right of all children regardless of abilities to participant activity in natural settings within their communities. Natural settings are those in which the child would spend time had he or she not had a disability.
Early Childhood Inclusion
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.
How can you use the position statement in your work??????
Create high expectations
Develop a program philosophy
Establish a system of services and supports
Revise program and professional standards
Achieve an integrated professional development system
Influence federal and state accountability systems.

7. Preschool Educational Environments
Indicator B-6
Percent of children aged 3 through 5 with an IEP attending a:
A. Regular early childhood program and receiving majority of special education and related services in the regular early childhood program
B. Separate special education class, separate school, or residential facility
As mentioned in an earlier slide – inclusion is a federal mandate and within that mandate the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP. Within this mandate each state and territory reports the
The percent of children aged 3 though 5 with an IEP attending a regular early childhood program and receiving at least 50% or more of their special education services in the classroom and the percent of children age 3 through 5 with an IEP attending a separate special education class (self contained), separate school or residential facility to OSEP

8. Looks at Both What and Where
What type of program is the child enrolled in?
Where is the majority of the special education and related services delivered?
Regular early childhood programs
Special education programs
Neither regular or special education program (home or provider location)
Data is submitted by school districts and collected by Michigan Department of Education and reported to OSEP annually on what type of program the child with an IEP is enrolled in and where the majority, at least 50%, of the special education services are delivered.
Are those services delivered in the regular early childhood program, in the special education program or in the home or provider location?
We have two ISDs sharing their journey of inclusion and how it works for them

9. Early Childhood Inclusion
Nancy Ely
Director of Early Childhood, Supervisor of Special Education
Farmington Public Schools
Lydia Moore
Early Childhood Special Education Consultant
Oakland Schools
10:00

10. Inclusive Preschool Experiences in Oakland County
Different models
Blended classrooms
Often operated as ECSE Programs
Itinerant services within PreK classrooms
Often delivered as ECSE Services

11. Ensuring Success
Develop an understanding of what is meant by “Early Childhood Inclusion.”
Develop a set of principles that will guide all decision making.
Include all stakeholders in the process.
Keep children as the #1 priority.

12. Overview of Inclusion in Farmington
Special education supports and services are provided in Pre-K / GSRP / Head Start classrooms.
ECSE teacher is responsible for educational direction of the instruction.
Ancillary services are provided per IEP
Para – educators provide adult assistance as needed
For students requiring more intensive ECSE teacher support, other opportunities are in place.
Ancillary services are provided within the PreK setting, unless the team agrees that the goals cannot be adequately addressed in that setting and a plan is in place to move back into the classroom.

13. Funding Streams GSRP Head Start
Special Education foundation allowance (rule )
Special Education IDEA 619 funding
Blended classroom

14. Key Players All early childhood staff All special education staff
Parents / families
Building and district level administration

15. Preparing staff for change
Met with special education team to brainstorm skills children need to be successful in preschool.
Met with all preschool staff to set expectations for team meetings, awareness level training on embedded instruction.
Met with each classroom team (including SE and Pre- K teachers and paras, ancillary service providers, and teacher consultant) to set expectations for team meetings.
Nancy
Talked with Waterford
Brainstorming included types of skills child needed to be successful (ie imitation)

16. Preparing families for change
Worked with families to be informed, and welcomed into the preschool classroom.
Worked with preschool staff to understand families’ needs, priorities, and expectations.
Worked with staff to help families understand the continuum of service.
4th bullet, ECSE is not free preschool

17. Preparing administrators for change
Developed a shared vision and mission for all children in our early childhood programs.
Supported time for collaboration.
Supported initial and ongoing professional development.
Be ready to articulate it and defend it.

18. What We’ve Learned
Changing how and where we provide special education requires a shift in thinking.
While staff may desire specific ‘policies’ for services, inclusive services are individualized and may look different for every child based on individual needs.
Communication and understanding about inclusion are necessary.
It is important to be highly thoughtful when including children with higher risk factors with a group that is composed of children with risk factors.

19. What We’ve Learned cont.
Time for professional development and collaborative planning time between early childhood and special education staff are critical.
Special education services need to focus on helping children move out of restrictive settings.
IEP teams need to be careful not to move to a more restrictive setting at the time of Kindergarten transition.
Multi-tiered systems of support, such as PBIS, can be implemented at preschool level.
Extreme differences in salaries between ECE and ECSE teachers impacts teacher attitude regarding inclusion.

20. Required Components of a Successful Program Include
Knowledge
Dispositions
Skills
Lydia. Increasing intentionality
Increasing accountability
11:00

21. Helpful Websites http://michigandec.org/ProfessionalDevelopment. aspx

22. Thank You!
Contact Information
Nancy Ely
Alameda Early Childhood Center
Farmington Public Schools
Lydia Moore
Oakland Schools
11:05

23. A Journey to Inclusive Programming
Shiawassee Regional Education Service District

25. Shiawassee Regional Education Service Inclusion Evolution
2010
Corunna
(2000+)
2013
Owosso (3000+)
2014
Owosso
Durand

26. Timing is everything Building Capacity
No Child Sitting at Home
School Readiness Advisory Committee
Families

27. Foundation Engaging Local Districts Superintendents Business – Finance
Principals
Early Childhood
ECSE
GSRP

28. Road Blocks
Spending Special Education Dollars on Special Education Students
How to Write “it” in the IEP
Over use of rule 55
Recommitment

29. Data - Corunna

30. Data – Shiawassee County Wide

31. Emily Brewer Shiawassee RESD 989.725.2581 brewer@sresd.org

32. Questions?