1. Inclusive Placement Opportunities for Preschoolers: A Systems Approach to Preschool Inclusive Practices
Note to presenter: This module can be changed to reflect the needs of your audience. Since changes cannot be made to the version on the CD, save the presentation to another location and make necessary changes.
This module contains activities to promote participant involvement aimed at improving retention of information presented. To learn more about participant-centered training strategies please refer to: Pike, R. (2002). Creative Teaching Techniques Handbook Third Edition: Tips, Tactics, and How-To’s for Delivering Effective Training. Amherst, MA: HRD Press. or visit the Web site at

2. Virginia Department of Education and the
A project of the
Virginia Department of Education and the
Training and Technical Assistance Centers of Virginia

3. Planning for inclusive practices

4. So … what does the term “inclusive” mean to you?
Activity: Turn to your partner and share your thoughts on what the term “inclusive” means to you.
Give participants 2-3 minutes to discuss this with each other. At the end of the time, ask participants to share what they discussed.

5. Inclusive:
Means coordinated efforts between general and special educators to meet all or some of the student’s individualized educational program (IEP) in the general education classroom with same-aged peers.
Refers to the process of placing children with disabilities in the same classes or programs as their typically developing peers and providing them with the necessary services and supports (Winter, 1999).
Presenters refer to what the participants shared during the previous activity and share the definition above with them.
You hear many terms that mean what is on this slide but think of the term “inclusive practices” as an umbrella term. Under the umbrella, there are several ways to achieve inclusive practices. These are inclusion, full-/part-time and reverse inclusion. Key words in these definitions are “coordinated efforts,” “same-aged peers” and “necessary services and supports.” Remember, inclusive practices does not mean the withdrawal of special services and supports.

6. What does inclusive really mean?
A value to support all
Children who have disabilities attending preschools with “typically developing peers”
Collaboration
Supporting teachers
Policies in place
Sharing responsibility for all
Facilitating friendships
Teaching within the routine
Natural proportions
Inclusive refers to a value that we hold for our young students. This is a value that involves our commitment to have inclusive communities where families with young children with and without disabilities live and interact daily. They go to the same stores, use the same playgrounds, attend the same community activities, attend the same churches and GO TO THE SAME SCHOOLS. A value to support “all” means we all assume the responsibility for providing educational opportunities for our young children — not just one program such as early childhood special education. It refers to a commitment to provide specialized instruction when needed that facilitates friendships, fosters self-control and teaches all children within the context of natural routines.
In order to truly integrate children with disabilities, teachers, parents, administrators and related service personnel must collaborate. Not just in name but in reality. It takes individuals working, communicating and problem solving together to successfully integrate children with disabilities. Policies that support collaboration have to be in place at the school and division levels. Teachers share responsibility for all children. It is not “mine” and “yours.” All adults in the classroom facilitate friendships and teach within the routine. Again, this takes collaboration. And classes should be of natural proportions (i.e., within a population statistically there would be 10-12% of individuals with disabilities). Consequently in preschool programs or classes we would adhere to these same natural proportions. This also goes back to policies being in place.

7. What inclusive practices are NOT
Dumping students with disabilities
Grouping by ability level
Cutting back on special education services
Expecting ECE staff to teach without support
Identifying children by their disabilities
Isolating children with disabilities
On the other hand, being inclusive does not mean these things. We must remember that special education is a service, not a place and that we must provide services to young children with disabilities according to their ISFP or IEP.

8. Is inclusion a good idea?
Asking whether inclusion is a good idea is rather like asking whether Tuesday is a good idea. We’ve all had good Tuesdays and bad Tuesdays. It all depends on what we make of Tuesday or any other day of the week.
Many of the criticisms of inclusion have missed the real meaning of the concept. The principle simply means that when a school district educates a child with a disability, it should do so in a way that least limits or restricts the child’s opportunities to be near and interact with other typical children and to have access to the general education curriculum. It does not mean do away with special services.
Critics of inclusion have been able to point to some bad examples and say, “See, it doesn’t work.” But just as no one would propose doing away with Tuesdays when a bad one occurs, no one should question the value of integration because of a bad experience (Biklen, Lehr, Searl, & Taylor, 1987).
Let’s look at other rationales for inclusive practices.

9. Rationale for inclusive practices
Legal
Philosophical
Moral, ethical and social
Educational
There are also other rationales for inclusion. We will look briefly at each one.
(This section of the presentation can be used for presentations to the community, school board, etc., if needed.)

10. Separateness in education can …
Generate a feeling of inferiority as to (children’s) status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone. This sense of inferiority affects the motivation of a child to learn … (and) has tendency to retard … educational and mental development.
Chief Justice Earl Warren, Brown v. Board of Education
Presenter reads the slide.
Does anyone know the source of this information?
Click to bring in the Brown v. Board.
Since our topic today is inclusion, did anyone think of individuals with disabilities while reading this? Some in the field of education compare the plight of those with disabilities being excluded to racial segregation.

11. SEC. 612 State Eligibility. (5) Least restrictive environment.
“(A) In general. To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs 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.”
Here is what the laws states. As you all know there is no mention of “inclusion.” There is only the statement that children must be educated with children who are not disabled and should only be removed when the nature and severity of the disability of the child is such that education cannot be achieved satisfactorily with support.
This does appear to leave the door wide open for school systems, but with the emphasis these days on access to the general education curriculum more children will be included with their typically developing peers.
This appears in IDEA 2004.

12. Least restrictive environment
Section 612(a)(5)
“a state shall not use a funding mechanism by which the state distributes funds on the basis of the type of setting in which a child is served that will result in the failure to provide a child with a disability a free appropriate public education …”
The provision relating to “least restrictive environment” was modified and enhanced to include the language “a state shall not use a funding mechanism by which the state distributes funds on the basis of the type of setting in which a child is served that will result in the failure to provide a child with a disability a free appropriate public education.”
The concern of conferees was that some states continued to use funding mechanisms that provided financial incentives for and disincentives against certain placements.

13. Continuum of alternative placements
Sec Least restrictive environment.
“(a) General. The State must have on file with the Secretary procedures that ensure that the requirements of Secs are met, including the provision in Sec requiring a continuum of alternative placements to meet the unique needs of each child with a disability.”
You can see from this section under “least restrictive environment” that there must be a continuum of placements available. This gives divisions the ability to include children with disabilities in a way that is consistent with what the IEP committee decides is appropriate for the child.

14. Note related to LRE for preschoolers
The requirements apply to all preschool children with disabilities who are entitled to receive FAPE. Public agencies that provide preschool programs for preschoolers without disabilities must ensure that requirements are met.
The law goes on to include a note related specifically to preschoolers.

15. Note related (cont’d)
Public agencies that do not operate programs for preschoolers without disabilities are not required to initiate such programs solely for LRE but alternative methods are required such as (age-appropriate settings):
Part-time integration (Head Start, VPI, kindergarten)
Placement in private school/preschool
Locating classes at elementary schools
Providing services at the location where the child is presently enrolled
Although public agencies do not need to “create” programs for children with disabilities to be integrated into (for example, if the public agency does not currently have a program that serves children without disabilities that are 2 or 3 years of age, they do not have to start such a program).
But not having such programs does not relieve them of their responsibility to include young children with disabilities with their peers without disabilities. They must seek out various opportunities such as those on the slide.

16. IDEA reporting requirements
Educational environment
Children attending a regular early childhood program OR
Children not attending a regular early childhood program
OSEP 2007 Child Count Data
As of 2007 the reporting categories from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services’ Office of Special Education Programs for preschoolers age 3 to 5 changed to reflect two categories:
Children attending a regular early childhood program (Head Start, VPI, Title 1, occupational childcare or community-based private program)
Children not attending a regular early childhood program
If a child is attending a regular early childhood program, there are three categories:
Attending at least 80% of time
Attending 40-79% of time
Attending less than 40% of time
The federal government is “implying” that if a child does not attend at least in the 40-79% category, this is not good.
If a child is not attending a regular early childhood program there are two categories:
Attending a special education program (e.g., separate class, ECSE, self-contained, separate school or residential facility)
Not attending a special education program (e.g., home or service provider location, referring to children who do not attend class but go to a clinician’s office, hospital, library or other public location to receive special education services such as speech, occupational or physical therapy)

17. Self-actualization Self-esteem Belonging and Love Safety Physiological
Another rationale related to preschool inclusion is philosophical in nature. You may recall Abraham Maslow from your college psychology classes. Maslow is well-known for his hierarchy of needs. He says that all individuals need to meet their basic needs of food and shelter before they are able to acquire security and safety, belonging, and ultimately self-actualization.
Physiological

18. Self – Actualization Belonging – Love Self – esteem
Pursue inner talent
Creativity fulfillment
Belonging – Love
friends family spouse lover
Achievement mastery
Self – esteem
Recognition respect
Safety
Security stability freedom from fear
Norman Kunc is a person with a severe disability. Norman was educated in self-contained, segregated classes until he entered high school. At that point he became a self-advocate and began to wonder why he could not be in classes with his friends without disabilities. He pursued such an education and today has published in this area and goes around the country presenting his experiences. Norman says that when we do not include students with disabilities we rearrange Maslow’s hierarchy. Maslow stressed that only when we are anchored in community, when we belong, do we develop self-esteem. Instead, what happens when children with disabilities are segregated is that they do not have that sense of belonging. So how do our children develop self-esteem if they do not have the sense of belonging? Instead, developing self-esteem might be related to being toilet trained, doing same work, walking and using speech and then they “get to belong.” Ironically enough, some of our students with disabilities may NEVER achieve these skills.
Physiological
Food water shelter warmth

19. Moral, ethical and social rationale
The right thing to do
Acceptance of others
From the United Nations’ Declaration of the Rights of the Child, proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 1386(XIV) of 20 November 1959, Principle 10 proclaims that: “The child shall be protected from practices which may foster racial, religious and any other form of discrimination. He shall be brought up in a spirit of understanding, tolerance, friendship among peoples, peace and universal brotherhood, and in full consciousness that his energy and talents should be devoted to the service of his fellow men.”

20. Educational rationale
Opportunities for play and social interaction
Role models
Higher expectations
Developmental gains
The educational basis for inclusion is the belief that children with disabilities benefit educationally from participation with typically developing peers, as do their typically developing peers. There are opportunities for advanced play and interaction that would not necessarily be available in a segregated class.
Children who do not have disabilities can model more advanced language, social, cognitive and motor skills.
Teachers of typically developing children may have higher expectations and the classroom activities may be more challenging.

21. Educational rationale
Students with disabilities make equal or greater gains in all areas of development (Worley, 1995)
Students with disabilities in inclusive programs show improvement in cognitive, communication, social and emotional areas (Power-deFur, Bricker, & Orelove, 1997)
Quality of work from students without disabilities unaffected; may improve slightly over time in inclusive classrooms (Salisbury, Brookfield, & Odom: DEC presentation, 2004)
There is research to support that children with disabilities who participate in classes with young children without disabilities make gains. Even young children with more significant disabilities make progress. Many studies have documented this and also share that where we need to devote our emphasis is making sure high rates of engagement occur within these “inclusion settings.”

22. Positions of national organizations
Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Early Childhood (DEC)
National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children has a position paper on inclusion that states the council supports the right of all children to participate in natural settings in their communities. NAEYC has endorsed the position paper as well. It is included in your handouts.

23. Think about it … Picture 2 classes:
One with 8 children with disabilities, most children use only 1-2 word phrases. What would a free choice activity look like?
The other with 12 children without disabilities and 4 with. What would that look like?
Facilitator asks the participants to think about the scenarios on the slide.
In the first class, picture a room with children with very little language and a teacher, a paraprofessional and maybe the speech/language pathologist is in there. Who is doing most of the talking?
In the second class there is an early childhood teacher, an early childhood special education teacher and a paraprofessional. What would you be hearing?
You would hear and see more child-child interactions in the second scenario. Which scenario do you think would be most beneficial for children with disabilities?

24. How will inclusive practices benefit:
Teachers
Children with and without disabilities
Families of children with and without disabilities
Administrators
We know that individuals must see how something will benefit them in order to “buy in” to it. Let’s do an activity and see if we can determine what benefits integration has.
Break participants into groups and have each group identify the benefits for each of these groups. Depending on the number of participants, presenters can do one of the following (or chose another activity):
Have flip chart paper at each table and have participants list for one role.
Post flip charts around the room. Put the role on the top of each. Have groups of participants rotate around to each chart and list the benefits.
Participants will share benefits in a report. After the activity, refer participants to the handout chart in their packet.

25. Challenges to inclusive practices
Organizational
Typically developing children most often in settings such as Head Start, community and family day care, religious centers
Children without disabilities in self-contained settings administered by the LEA
While we just listed many benefits to inclusion, we know that there are also many challenges.
Most children with disabilities are found in self-contained public school classrooms while children without disabilities are typically educated in their homes, private preschools, day care centers, Head Start or family day care settings.
In order to provide the least restrictive option, creative arrangements must be fostered with local community programs (Hanson & Hanline, 1989).

26. Challenges to inclusive practices
Philosophical
Differences in ECE and ECSE approaches
In the past, there has been more of a philosophical difference than there may be now. But still there exists to some extent the belief that ECE classrooms are more child-directed and ECSE is more teacher-directed. For inclusive preschools to be successful, the differences must be acknowledged and then practices must be evaluated, adapted and merged.
The next step is to talk about the changes that are necessary to make inclusion work.

27. Do you want good health?
If you want good health, stand up. Now, if you know that smoking is bad for your health and you do not smoke remain standing. If you do smoke, please sit down.
If you want good health and you know that regular exercise is important to good health and you exercise 3 to 5 times a week for at least 30 minutes, remain standing. If you do not, please sit down.
If you want good health and you know that a balanced diet, which meets the recommended requirements for servings of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, etc., a day, is important and you eat that way every day remain standing. If you do not, sit down.
If you want good health and you know that regular physical checkups are important for preventing problems and you follow your doctor’s recommended schedule, then remain standing. If you don’t then sit down.
This activity illustrates that we all know what we want and we have the knowledge required but we don’t always do what is necessary to achieve what we want. Past experiences influence beliefs. If you have a 95-year-old grandmother who never exercised a day in her life, you may not believe that exercise is necessary for good health.
This activity also demonstrates the power of beliefs in individuals and organizations. Right now you have a vision: inclusion of children with disabilities in regular preschool programs. But inclusion cannot simply happen by providing training. We have to agree on some basic beliefs.

28. Basic beliefs regarding children
All children can learn
All children deserve the opportunity to be educated with other children their age in communities
All children can participate in inclusive preschools if they are given the appropriate support
Some of the basic beliefs that professionals who are working toward inclusive practices hold probably include some of the ones on the slide. If professionals are considering integration and do not hold these beliefs it might be worthwhile for members of the team to explore their feelings about inclusion before they get started.

29. Basic beliefs about staff roles
We are all good teachers, therapists and administrators and we can be better if we change to use best practices and we all work toward a common purpose or vision
For each child to receive a quality inclusive education, we will need to make an individual as well as a group commitment to work together as a team. We are experts in our field but none of us is an expert in inclusive practices.
We also have to have basic beliefs regarding our roles.

30. In order to change, it is necessary to:
Believe that change will benefit you and others and see the consequences of change as positive
Share your perceptions, beliefs, needs and wants and have them understood and respected
Realize that change is accompanied by risk, fear and possible failure and be willing to take risks
So, in order to begin including children and to achieve excellence in educational programming, change is required. For example, the change to an inclusive preschool may mean the early childhood special education teacher takes the risk of giving up control of her “own” classroom. The early childhood teacher may fear that she will be unable to meet the needs of a child with disabilities in the classroom.
Keep in mind two other important beliefs. First, that there is no such thing as failure, only feedback and results. Risk is necessary to grow and develop. And second, we are free to make mistakes. Our success depends to a large degree on how well we process the feedback we get regarding our efforts (Alessi, 1991).

31. Collaborating programs plan for inclusive practices by:
Developing a mission statement
Developing collaborative policies
Holding regularly scheduled planning meetings
Using a collaborative team approach for planning
Providing an ongoing comprehensive and coordinated staff development process
Maintaining natural proportions of children with disabilities in classrooms
Successful collaborative inclusion programs have several important features. First, there is a mission statement which is developed by administrators, staff, parents and any other stakeholders that reflects the beliefs that all children belong and can learn together and that the programs are committed to meeting the individual needs of all students. Next, the programs have to develop policies that embrace collaboration and inclusion. These policies include ways that best practices in early childhood education (e.g., developmentally appropriate practices) can be used in complement with best practices in early childhood special education (e.g., routine-based instruction).
There must also be regularly scheduled planning meetings on several levels. There may be a division-level team and school or program teams and teaching teams. These meetings provide opportunities to address issues that arise in relationship to the initiative.
Successful teams use a collaborative team process for planning. This involves shared leadership, consensus decision making and using a structured team meeting process.
A comprehensive and coordinated staff development process for new and existing staff includes ongoing in-service training, regularly scheduled observations, technical assistance and peer coaching.
And finally, as we talked about previously, natural proportions are maintained; no more than the proportion of children with disabilities in the community are placed in each classroom. To do this, changes may have to be made to existing policies or new ones may have to be developed.

32. Successful inclusion takes:
Changes to:
Staff roles
Family school collaboration
Program policies
Ways children’s social relationships evolve
Classroom environment
Discipline practices
Instructional practices
Once an understanding of the basic beliefs is reached, some specific aspects of programs which may be affected can be discussed.
Research, as well as practical experiences of school districts and regular preschool programs which have initiated inclusive placements for preschoolers with disabilities, has demonstrated that there are some critical practices which must be in place to ensure the continuation of programs and to maximize benefits to children and families. These include changes to staff roles. Whereas teachers are used to being the leader in their classroom, inclusion means shared leadership. Program policies may have to change to accommodate changes in staffing and settings. In classes with typically developing children, friendships often just evolve with no facilitation from adults. But in inclusive classes there may be a need for teachers to facilitate friendships. The same with the environment, discipline and instructional practice; changes may need to be made in those areas to accommodate children with disabilities.
In this training manual you will find modules on the last four of these areas.

33. Staff works as collaborative teams by:
Having clearly delineated ECE and ECSE staff roles and responsibilities
Holding regularly scheduled meetings during school hours to discuss classroom issues regarding ALL children
Developing and monitoring IEPs
Using a collaborative team approach
The roles and responsibilities of all staff, including therapists, in regard to providing instruction and support to all students are clearly defined. Classroom core and extended teams are formed for each classroom consisting of teachers, parents, paraprofessionals, therapists and other appropriate persons. Core classroom teams should meet weekly and extended teams monthly. This is an essential piece to successful inclusion. Teams must have the opportunity to meet on a regular basis to monitor services, provide consultation, discuss issues and provide support.
The teams discuss classroom issues and concerns about any child in the classroom. They also develop and implement all aspects of the educational programs for children with disabilities; developing goals and objectives, making decisions about teaching strategies, developing behavior plans, developing activities to promote friendships and planning for transition.
The team uses a collaborative team process where members share responsibilities and leadership. Roles are assigned and are rotated. Issues are identified and problems are solved and conflict resolved using specific processes.

34. Quality environments are provided when:
Clearly defined activity centers are accessible to all children
Developmentally appropriate and age-appealing materials are accessible to all children
A consistent schedule includes developmentally appropriate daily routines
The classroom environment is essential to the delivery of quality services. There is another module on setting up the environment, but basically best practices tell us that there should be clearly defined centers. All materials and equipment must be accessible and special accommodations or modifications may need to be made depending on the needs of the children.
A consistent schedule of daily routines (e.g., circle, free-choice time, outdoor play, snack) should provide a balance of child-initiated/adult-initiated activities (e.g., large/small motor, quiet/loud, large group/small group).
The schedule is followed by all children and adaptations and modifications are made as necessary to meet the needs of ALL children (e.g., shorter circle time, use of props).

35. Staff plans and uses developmentally appropriate curriculum by:
Focusing on children’s interest, community
Incorporating age-appropriate goals and concepts
Incorporating developmentally appropriate hands-on activities
Developing and posting weekly lesson plans
Staff must plan and use a developmentally appropriate curriculum. This curriculum should be developed with input from staff, administrators and parents.
The curriculum should have age-appropriate goals and concepts and incorporate social skills, thinking, reasoning, questioning, language, listening, motor, creative expression and cultural diversity.
Weekly lesson plans are developed by the team members and are posted or put in a common place for all to review.

36. Staff fosters children’s social relationships by:
Modeling appropriate interaction with children
Using materials, groupings and planned activities to promote friendships between children
Using naturalistic strategies to facilitate social relationships
Using individualized programs to increase pro-social behavior
It is critical that staff intentionally and systematically fosters children’s social relationships. Staff models appropriate interaction and interacts frequently with children showing affection, interest and respect. The curriculum provides materials, groupings and planned activities that promote friendships, and teachers use strategies to facilitate friendships. There may also be the need for individual programs for increasing pro-social behavior.
It helps children to truly belong and be accepted if they are following the same schedule as the other children (arriving and leaving at the same time) instead of coming in at different times and being seen as “different” even in the times they come to school.
This may require policy changes regarding schedule, transportation, etc.

37. Staff fosters children’s self-control by:
Developing and posting clear rules for the classroom
Ensuring that all adults in the class implement the class rules in the same way
Using positive guidance techniques
Developing individual behavior management programs for increasing self-control for children with intensive needs
Staff must provide structure to foster children’s self-control. Staff develops a few CLEAR RULES for the classroom and discusses these with all children. These rules are posted in the classroom and all adults in the class implement the rules in the same ways. Staff also uses positive approaches to help children behave constructively (e.g., active listening, redirection, choice making).
Individual programs for increasing self-control are developed for children with intensive needs by defining the problem behavior in observable terms, identifying the function of the misbehavior and environmental events that may play a role in their maintenance and developing non-aversive plans to address the defined behaviors.

38. Staff individualizes group instruction in daily routines by:
Incorporating instruction on age-appropriate goals and concepts
Providing a large block of free time
Conducting smooth transitions
Making sure all children participate
Embedding learning opportunities
Using routine-based assessment
In a quality preschool program, staff individualizes group instruction in daily routines. Instruction of age-appropriate goals and concepts is incorporated into daily routines and activities. Staff provides materials and a large block of time daily for children to choose their own activities, uses strategies to conduct smooth transitions between activities and plans for active participation by all children in preschool routines by using strategies such as modifying the activity or response requirements (e.g., using adapted materials, teaching different objectives for different children during the same group activity).

39. Change … Is a process that takes time
Is about individuals, their attitudes, beliefs and actions, not about programs, materials and technology
Is highly personal, viewed differently by each participant and requires personal growth
Requires facilitators who are courageous and flexible
We know that even if everyone receives training on these topics and everyone has basic beliefs we still all react to change in different ways.
Some will be very excited and ready to include children with disabilities, some may be ready but somewhat fearful and others may feel that their program is going well and wonder why they have to include children with disabilities. It is important that inclusion programming begin with those staff who are ready to make the changes. Others are likely to follow as they see the benefits of inclusion.
Inclusion is going to happen and must happen. The task now is to plan how to make your inclusion programming successful.

40. Preparing for the shift in service delivery: developing the team
Participants: ECE and ECSE, administrators and staff, related service personnel, parents, community agency representatives
Purpose: to conduct tasks to initiate preschool inclusion and improve services for all children
The participants in this process are the teachers, administrators, related service personnel and any others that need to be included. Their purpose is to do what is necessary to get inclusion going.

41. Major goals of the team Determine options for inclusion
Gain support of key stakeholders
Identify barriers to inclusion
Learn about best practices in ECE and ECSE
Organize the development of a mission statement
Develop an action plan to address needed changes in policies, service delivery and staff training
It is recommended that planning be done the year prior to beginning inclusion. Many inclusive programs unfortunately do not continue to operate when preliminary steps are not taken to gain support from all key stakeholders, identify their concerns and write policies that address the concerns and support the inclusive preschool programming.
Someone from your district will need to spearhead the organization of this team.
Some of the major goals of the team will be established around those issues.

42. Steps involved in organizing a planning team
Recruit members and start monthly meetings
Educate members about inclusion
Visit model sites
Have committee members identify concerns and barriers to inclusion
The first step is to ask representatives from the various stakeholder groups to join the planning team and set monthly meetings.
Once you have everyone on board (and more can come on as needed), educate the members about inclusion and the various options available if you need to. Some teams may be well aware of what inclusion is about, but others may need information. The team can be educated about inclusion through the first part of the workshop on what inclusion is and is not, the benefits, why change is needed, etc.
Identify model sites for your team to visit. Your T/TAC may be able to help with this. Identify questions that you have about inclusion and plan time to talk with the staff of the program.
It is important to begin to identify barriers to inclusion. The team may come up with some barriers, but it is also important that the concerns of those who will be in the classroom be addressed. The collaborative team process can be used to address the barriers and concerns.

43. Activity: Identifying the barriers to inclusion
Volunteers, please:
Identify concerns you have about preschool inclusion
Describe barriers which exist to providing a quality inclusive preschool program
Record the responses on the action plan form
Ask for 8-10 volunteers. Begin the meeting with the following scenario.
As you know, the ECSE program in our school district is in the process of planning to provide opportunities for preschool children with disabilities to attend community preschools. The purpose of our meeting today is to ask you to identify your concerns with doing this. There are no right or wrong answers, so please everyone speak up. We also need a recorder. Who would like to record?
Next, let’s go around and describe concerns you have and the barriers that exist.
Once these have been listed, they can be addressed in the monthly team meetings. More may arise as planning progresses.

44. Break

45. Tasks of the team Task 1: Gain the support of top officials
Presentation
Brochure
Task 2: Review the pros and cons of preschool inclusion options
One of the team’s first tasks is to discuss how to gain support from top school officials to begin preschool inclusion if this hasn’t happened already. One effective way to do this is to have team representatives make a presentation to the school board about the benefits of inclusion. Handouts can be distributed and a brochure could be developed delineating the benefits of inclusion.
Another task is to review the pros and cons of the different inclusion options so that decisions can be made regarding the model that will be used.

46. Inclusive options Full inclusion Part-time inclusion Reverse inclusion
Some families of children with disabilities may not be ready for full inclusion and thus there should be a continuum of options available within the organizational contexts.
In full inclusion, there is a merger of the programs. The model could be co-teaching, consultative or collaborative. Children are included for all activities and routines of the day. The proportion of children with disabilities to those without is that which is found in the population at large, typically 10-12%.
In part-time inclusion children may be included only for specific routines or activities; meals or circle time, for example.
Reverse inclusion involves enrolling children without disabilities in ECSE classrooms with equal numbers of children with and without disabilities.
Now let’s get up and do an activity.

47. Activity
Post flip chart paper on the wall with the inclusive options listed and a heading for pros and cons. Assign groups to the various options and tell them to list the pros and cons of each of the options.

48. Full inclusion
Enrolling natural proportions (10-12%) of children with disabilities full-time with same-aged peers without disabilities in neighborhood settings
One way to achieve integration is through full inclusion. Full inclusion involves enrolling … (presenters share above).
Remember natural proportions refers to the number of individuals with disabilities that would be in any given population of people. Full inclusion means that students should be enrolled in ECE classes — not just an add-on to a class. This does not mean you have “slots”; it could mean you are providing the IEP-related services in the spot the child is already in. LRE/natural environments would look to having services provided in a setting. Special education in not a place, but a service.

49. Neighborhood settings
Head Start
Even Start
Title 1
LEA-sponsored 4-year-old programs (VPI)
High school vocational child care
Community-based preschools/child care
Neighborhood settings refers back to what we discussed earlier. It means that students with disabilities should be “included” in their community or have the opportunities to do things within the community rather than attend programs outside of their community (bused across town).
Here are some neighborhood settings where young children are served. For instance, Head Start has a mandate to include at least 10%; this would not refer to “only” students with speech and language delays. Everyone should be considered. If they are successful. VPI, Title 1 and Even Start have options of making families meet the same criteria (4-year-old, at-risk family was qualified, etc.).

50. Full inclusion can be supported through a:
Collaborative model
Consultative model
Let us share how full inclusion might look in your programs. You could support full inclusion via a collaborative model or a consultative model.

51. Collaborative model (co-teaching)
Preschoolers with disabilities are enrolled full time in regular ECE programs
8 students with disabilities are enrolled in Head Start, VPI, child care
ECSE teacher and paraprofessional co-teach with ECE teacher
In a collaborative model, think co-teaching. Share both teaching and planning responsibility. This may work best when a student has a more severe disability because an ECSE or paraprofessional is always within the classroom.

52. Collaborative model (co-teaching)
8-10 students with disabilities are enrolled between 2 ECE classes
ECSE and paraprofessional are in classes full time and co-teach with ECE teacher
This is another way to achieve full inclusion using a collaborative model.
Turn to your neighbor and share other ways you could set up a collaborative model.

53. Essentials of a co-teaching model
ECSE and ECE teacher meet weekly to plan together
Related services providers meet with direct service personnel monthly
Collaborative agreements exist between programs
Administrative support is provided
In collaborative model, you must provide these essentials for the partnership to be successful. You must offer joint professional development, time to meet and plan appropriately and financial support. You will hear from teams later in the day of ways they have overcome these barriers.

54. Consultative model ECSE students are included in ECE classes
ECSE and paraprofessional support students based on IEP needs
Another way to achieve full inclusion is through using a consultative model. This could mean that there are some students with disabilities attending classes in any of the programs (Head Start, VPI, community-based, etc.). Support services are provided to students based on their needs as determined by the IEP/IFSP teams.

55. Essentials of a consultative model
ECSE and ECE teacher meet weekly to plan/discuss students
Related service providers meet with direct service personnel monthly
A consultative model of support would also require staff to provide for weekly planning meetings with direct service staff and have a process for involving related service personnel.

56. More tasks of the planning team
Task 3: Select a range of placement options
Survey your community to find quality preschools and contact them to determine interest
Determine the number of children eligible for special education services
We’re back now to tasks of the team. In order to select a range of placement options you may need to survey the community to find quality programs or you may have already made contacts and established relationships with preschools in your area.
You also need to know how many children are eligible for special education and how you will decide who will be included in this initiative.

57. Tasks (cont’d) Task 4: Choose sites Task 5: Choose staff
Task 6: Gain support of stakeholders
Another task is to choose the sites. This may be based on whether the site is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and whether prior relationships are in place. If you want to ensure that the site is of high quality and it’s not NAEYC-accredited, the team may need to develop a checklist of items to look for that ensure high quality; commercially available checklists such as the Early Childhood Rating Scale could be used.
Staff also need to be chosen. Teachers who are flexible and willing to change roles are good candidates. If they have collaboration experience, that is also a plus.
If the stakeholders from either program are not on board, now is the time to share information with them about the inclusion options. Most important to share are the specific benefits to each of the groups.

58. Tasks (cont’d)
Task 7: Prepare to develop a preliminary set of program beliefs
Assign a facilitator and recorder
Post flip pages with the following statements:
When I think of an inclusive preschool that’s working well, I see a school where …
Children …
Teachers …
Families …
Therapists …
The team should also develop a shared set of beliefs. In order to do this, let’s do this activity. These responses form a preliminary set of beliefs that will guide the team when decisions need to be made regarding actions needed to begin inclusion.
For example, if the issue arises that there is no time for therapists to meet with teachers, the team may need to review their belief that those in the classroom need time to meet so that their decision can be guided by their belief.
Note to presenter: You may choose to leave this out and ask participants to do it at their team meeting.

59. Tasks (cont’d)
Task 8: Select ways to assist ECSEs and ECEs to learn about each other’s programs
Observe each other’s programs
Talk with each other
Attend program meetings
Exchange written information
Teachers may need opportunities to learn about each other’s programs. We mentioned earlier that programs may differ in their philosophy. So teachers may want to visit each other’s programs, interview each other, attend program meetings or exchange written information.

60. Tasks (cont’d) Task 9: Plan a series of in-service training sessions
Task 10: Develop the program mission/vision statement
The inclusion of children with disabilities may mean that teachers need some training. The team needs to identify who needs training and on what topics. It might be helpful to survey teachers, therapists and administrators to determine topics. A list of recommended practices could be generated and participants could be asked to rank them in order of need.
The team should also develop a mission/vision statement.
Included in this notebook are various modules for in-service use.

61. Mission possible
With your team, review the preliminary set of beliefs and determine the top items
Synthesize the items into a mission statement
The team will need to meet again to revise the initial set of program beliefs and write the vision statement. The team might want to send out the preliminary set of beliefs and ask them to choose the ones they feel are most important or it can be done at the meeting.
After the top-rated items have been identified, the whole team or one or two members of the team can synthesize it into a vision statement.
Note to presenter: This can be done at the training or participants can take it back to their team meetings.

62. Tasks (cont’d)
Task 11: Write an action plan to develop collaborative polices to support inclusion
After the vision/mission statement has been written, the team should list concerns related to their beliefs and develop an action plan based on the comparison of their current practices and policies to what their vision of integration is.
A list of specific policies or practices that may need to be addressed in your team meetings can be found in your handouts. A form for action planning is also in your handouts.

63. Why do program evaluation?
To document what we did so that we can repeat success and avoid failures
The team should also determine how they are going to evaluate their efforts so that they can continue to do what works and avoid what doesn’t work.

64. Why do program evaluation?
To find out whether we are making progress toward reaching the outcomes that we have targeted
After all the team has done, it is important to determine if those efforts have had any impact on inclusion.

65. Evaluation basics What happened? What changed? How much?
How do you know?
So what?
What’s next?
The team should consider first what it is they want to happen. Examples could include increased number of inclusion options, more satisfaction of families and improved child outcomes.

66. Outcomes are:
Statements of what will be different after we have addressed our identified needs
Changes that occur in people, things, organizations or systems at least in part because of what we are doing
You will include in this plan some outcomes related to your particular program. Keep in mind what outcomes do.
Share information on slide.

67. What outcomes do we want with IPOP?
Outcomes related to the child count data
Young children with disabilities are in ECE program classes 60% of the time
15 young children with disabilities participated in general ECE classes
Outcome related to staff
Team members and staff have knowledge related to implementing inclusive placements for young children
Outcome related to programs
2 collaborative agreements exist between ECE and ECSE programs
5 classrooms are inclusive
Here are some examples of outcomes that the team may want to consider.
Share information on slide.

68. Year 1: planning phase Learn a structured team meeting process
Gather information about current situation
Learn about research-based models to address your needs
Visit model sites
Select an inclusion option to use
Develop a philosophy
Develop an action plan (state outcomes desired)
In a nutshell here’s what the team will be doing during the first-year planning. If your team is on the fast track or has already instituted some inclusion options, this may be abbreviated.

69. Slogan
In teams, determine a slogan for your team related to preschool inclusion
In your teams, brainstorm a slogan for inclusion. Then choose one for your team by consensus.
Examples are:
Can you hear me now? I am INCLUDED.
Inclusion is for lovers.
Be all you can be — be included.
Have it your way — include.