The first foundational principle for meeting all children’s needs is Inclusion. The 2009 Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Joint Position Statement on Early Childhood Inclusion describes Inclusion as embodying 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. Read the full Joint Position Statement here: https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/ps_inclusion_dec_naeyc_ec.pdf
Quite frankly, children cannot benefit from instruction they don’t receive. Including all children is the first step to supporting them to achieve high outcomes by embracing the strengths that exist in the broad range of human experience, including children’s abilities, socio-economic backgrounds, and cultures. Inclusive environments provide the additional and individual supports some children need to be successful. When children are educated in segregated settings, they miss being part of the general education curriculum and the social learning opportunities the general education classroom provides. Research shows that inclusive classrooms have a positive impact on outcomes for children with and without IEPs. Here’s a link to a video on the Inclusive Classroom Profile, which is used to assess the quality of inclusive settings and illustrates the indicators of high quality inclusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eZh4vaqcG0
Over the next couple of weeks, I will share information about how to support all children in inclusive settings by describing the other 5 foundational principles:
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
- Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
- Emergent Multilingual Support
- Family Engagement
Lynne Hall is a research associate at the Indiana Institute on Disability & Community’s Early Childhood Center. She holds a Master of Science in Education and an Indiana instructional teaching license (Early Childhood Education and Services; Elementary/Primary Generalist; Elementary/Intermediate Generalist). She formerly taught preschool in a variety of settings for over 15 years. Her expertise includes early literacy instruction and inclusive preschool classroom practices.
Email her at hallma@iu.edu
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