1. Ilene Schwartz, Ph.D., BCBA-D ilene@uw.edu
Building Blocks for Supporting Children in Inclusive Preschool Programs
Ilene Schwartz, Ph.D., BCBA-D

2. Five take home messages:
Children with challenging behaviors are children first
Early intervention, including participation in inclusive programming, can result in remarkable, lifelong developmental changes
Support participation through environmental arrangement
Children with disabilities may need different levels of support in different developmental domains and in different activities
Improve outcomes through explicit instruction

3. Think, Pair, Share
What is your experience with inclusive early childhood education?
What is your experience working with children with disabilities?
What do you want to get out of this session?
Share with your neighbor

4. The Building Blocks model provides a set of educational practices designed to help teachers do a more effective job of including and teaching young children with disabilities and other special needs in early childhood classrooms and settings.

5. Objectives To introduce the Building Block Framework
To discuss strategies to implement intentional instruction in inclusive practices
To introduce strategies to plan for inclusive instruction

6. What does inclusion mean?
What does it mean for a young child to be successful in an early childhood classroom?

7. What does inclusion mean?
Individuals define inclusion differently.
Inclusion is about belonging and participating in a diverse society.
What does it mean for a young child to be successful in an early childhood classroom?
Sense of belonging
Genuine child learning
Opportunities to build friendships

8. Inclusion is not a set of strategies or a placement issue
Inclusion is not a set of strategies or a placement issue. Inclusion is about belonging to a community – a group of friends, a school community, or a neighborhood. (Allen & Schwartz, p.4)

9. “Inclusion is a right, not a privilege for a select few” (Oberti v
“Inclusion is a right, not a privilege for a select few” (Oberti v. Board of Education in Clementon School District, 1993).

10. Participation in valued routines, rituals and activities
Skills
Membership
Relationships
Community of Practice
Participation in valued routines, rituals and activities

11. Using the Building Blocks model can help all children participate, learn, and thrive in their preschool classrooms.
The goal is to meet children where they are and help them make meaningful progress to important outcomes.

12. Three important questions
What are you going to teach?
How are you going to teach those skills and behaviors?
How will you know that your teaching has been effective?

13. Quality Early Childhood Program
Child-focused
Instructional Strategies
Embedded Learning Opportunities
Curriculum modifications & adaptations
Quality Early Childhood Program

14. Quality Early Childhood Program
The foundation
Quality Early Childhood Program

15. Safe
Engaging
Responsive
Culturally and linguistically relevant

16. Curriculum Modifications Quality Early Childhood Program
& Adaptations
Quality Early Childhood Program

17. What is curriculum modification?“
A change to the ongoing classroom activity or materials in order to facilitate or maximize a child’s participation in planned activities, interactions, and routines. “
— Sandall & Schwartz, 2008