Inclusion
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Description: Children develop at their own pace; however, most children reach developmental milestones at or about the same age. When a parent or professional has concerns about a child's development, there are often questions as to what the next steps should be. These two flyers, created by the Virginia Department of Education, are meant to direct those questions to the corresponding answer source. One flyer is directed towards Flyer for VA Families - How to get Help When Concerned about Child...
Description: The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)'s page for Inclusion in Early Childhood Programs which includes a variety of resources. See below for links. Inclusion in early childhood programs is supported through years of research and reinforced by a strong legal foundation. In a joint policy statement, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) and Education (USED) defines inclusion in early childhood programs as children with disabilities in early childhood programs,...
Description: The VCPD Inclusive Practices Task Force has published an infographic describing the right of all young chidren with and without disabilities to experience settings, relationships, and interactions that will further their development and learning.
Description: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the U.S. Department of Education (ED) have partnered to announce the release of a joint Dear Colleague Letter encouraging state education and early childhood leaders to collaborate and leverage federal resources expanding access to preschool through a mixed delivery approach. The mixed delivery approach to preschool urges states and local communities to use resources to support...
Description: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Updated Resource to Support the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs (11/2023) Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Education (the Departments) announced the release of an updated joint-policy statement on supporting the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs. The HHS-ED Policy Statement on the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood...
Description: Effective Practice Guides: Social and Emotional Development (ECKLC) - Positive social and emotional development in the early years provides a critical foundation for lifelong development and learning. Social development refers to a child’s ability to create and sustain meaningful relationships with adults and other children. Emotional development is a child’s ability to express, recognize, and manage his or her emotions, as well as respond appropriately to others’ emotions....
Description: Early Childhood Recommended Practice Modules are developed for early care and education, early intervention, and early childhood special education faculty and professional development providers to use within their coursework and trainings. These modules are designed to support the implementation of the Division of Early Childhood Recommended Practices. Specifically, there are modules to support the use of 7 of the DEC Recommended Practice topic areas. The modules support your learners in:...
Description: This module offers a general overview of the concepts that principals should consider when creating inclusive schools (est. completion time: 2 hours).
Description: Developed by the VDOE’s Training and Technical Assistance Centers (T/TACs), Improving Inclusive Practices & Outcomes for Preschoolers (IPOP) is a systems change approach to support school divisions in the development, expansion, and/or improvement of inclusive placement opportunities for preschoolers with Individual Education Programs (IEPs). IPOP is designed to help local school divisions meet federal and state mandates requiring young children with disabilities to be educated in the...
Description: These Quality Improvement Modules, created by Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF), provide general information on including children with disabilities. Topics include: Building Cultural Competencies High Quality Interactions Including Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs Introduction to Intentional Teaching Play-Based Learning Environments Resources for Working with Families Supporting Kindergarten Transition
Description: The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Head Start are releasing new documents to encourage collaboration between state educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and Head Start programs to effectively meet the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements. These documents make clear that SEAs, LEAs, and Head Start programs all have responsibilities for...
Description: Preschool LRE Reference Points and Discussion Prompts is a summary of the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) provisions of the IDEA as it applies to preschool aged children with disabilities can be used as both a quick reference guide and training tool. Topics under the five sections outline reference points and discussion prompts. Reference points are drawn from several sources such as IDEA regulations and Federal Register comments. Discussion points are intended to help state and local teams...
Description: A Guide to Adaptations - Adaptations, such as those shared in this guide, can ensure that each and every child, including young children with disabilities, can fully participate and engage in STEM [and other] learning opportunities and experiences at home, in early childhood programs, and in the community.
Description: This guide highlights evidence-based practices to be used by adults or, in some instances by other children, to facilitate children’s participation in everyday routines, learning experiences, and activities. Each section (e.g., prompting, scaffolding, modeling, descriptive talking, wait time, and reinforcement) includes a description of the practice, examples of how it might be implemented, and links to additional information.
Description: When including children with disabilities in regular early childhood programs, it is important to carefully consider class size and the proportionate amount or limits to the number of students with IEPs. This resource outlines requirements and regulations that impact the number of students with IEPs placed in a classroom as well as offers guidance for best practice. This resource should be used to plan and schedule for inclusive classes. This can include VPI, Head Start, Title 1,...
Description: The Making Sound Preschool LRE Decisions guidance document lists important actions in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) development process that should inform placement decisions for young children with disabilities. Organized by important actions within the IEP process. It includes reference to the corresponding IDEA rules and regulations to each action. A guiding principle is listed within each action, followed by additional guidance and resources. Most of the principles in this...
Description: This guidance document is designed to assist Virginia’s school divisions and early childhood communities in identifying, developing, and sustaining inclusive opportunities within high-quality early childhood programs for young children with disabilities. The guidelines are presented in three sections: 1. Why Inclusion? 2. What is Inclusion? 3. How to Implement Inclusion. In addition to other changes, the revised guidelines contain important updates to the research supporting early...
Description: This article provides information on the importance of inclusion and how the Pyramid Model might be used in statewide initiatives to increase the use of inclusive practices. Page 4 includes resources and tools related to inclusion.
Description: This page provides resources and materials that include web-based learning opportunities and evidence-based instructional strategies. The goal of the center is to increase the competence, confidence and effectiveness of personnel in Head Start programs to include children with disabilities.
Description: These documents support inclusion in early childhood by demonstrating the benefits to various groups, including children with disabilities, children without disabilities, families, direct service staff, and adminstrators.
Description: UDL offers a framework that integrates what we know about the learning brain to inform the design of environments that support all learners. Discover the connections between UDL and the brain in this article.
Description: This article provides a brief overview of evidence-based UDL practices, with a specific focus on the use of engagement strategies for young children.
Description: This page contains previous years, as well as the most recent data, on Indicator 6: Least Restrictive Environment. It is updated on an annual basis.
Description: This clearly written article provides a great introduction to what UDL is and how it works. It can be a good way to start learning about UDL for teachers and families.
Description: The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure...
Description: Laura Taylor has been teaching Kindergarten for ages. When she first learned about UDL, she was skeptical that it was anything different than good teaching. Once she dug in, though, she realized she could reach her students in ways she never had before. Listen to the examples of how UDL enabled her to engage her students in new ways and to offer them choices for showing what they know and can do.
Description: This chapter from the DEC Recommended Practices Monograph on Environments describes how to promote access and participation by using universal design strategies and making individualized modifications.
Description: The STEMIE Center recently released three videos on why inclusion is important. Below is the three part series links and the corresponding description. For access to the transcript, watch the video through YouTube.
Description: The ICP is a classroom observation measure for assessing the quality of inclusive classroom practices that support the developmental needs of children with disabilities, 2 ½ -5 years of age, in early childhood settings. This training is series of online modules that provide an overview of the ICP provided through the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute.
Description: This Information Memorandum (IM) highlights requirements in the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) related to the inclusion of children with disabilities and delays. It includes a list of free resources for grantees' use in implementation efforts.
Description: This manual was developed by the Virginia Department of Education and the state system of Training and Technical Assistance Centers to help local school divisions meet federal and state mandates that children with disabilities be educated in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). The manual contains 8 modules and extensive resources which provide critical information for understanding, building, supporting, and sustaining inclusive placement opportunities for young children with...
Description: The VCPD Inclusive Practices Task Force has compiled a list of state and national resources in support of inclusive practices for young children birth to age five. The "VCPD Inclusive Practices State and National Resources November 2019" includes awareness and rationale, evaluation of inclusive programs, high quality inclusive practices, and systems level supports. Websites, books, and technical assistance center resources are described. If you cannot locate it through the link below, search for...
Description: Preschool refers to the time before a child is old enough to go to kindergarten or elementary school. In Virginia, preschoolers who are eligible for special education and related services are entitled to placement in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) alongside their peers without disabilities with supplementary aids and services. Inclusion in early childhood programs is supported through years of research and reinforced by a strong legal foundation and can set a trajectory for...
Description: According to Regulations Governing Special Education Programs for Children with Disabilities in Virginia, Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) means that 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 that special classes, separate schooling or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when...
Description: The Communities of Learning (CoL) will deliver targeted technical assistance and professional development to leaders in early childhood education programs. The online CoL will focus on building and maintaining high-quality early childhood inclusive programs. Specifically, participants will: Describe factors that lead to high-quality inclusive preschool programs; Discuss key challenges to implementing inclusive programs; Describe successful division and program strategies, including service...
Description: Virginia Family Special Education Connection provides a one-stop-shop for parents, families and caregivers of children with special needs to: Access local school system contacts and disability services in your community Explore an abundance of resources, including assistive technology and behavioral supports to help your child succeed. Learn about and plan your child's educational program Understand your legal rights and responsibilities POWER (Parent Organizer with Educational...
Description: This webpage hosted by ECTA, provides a variety of webinars on inclusion: Webinar: Preparing a High-Quality Workforce to Support Inclusion in Early Childhood Programs - 2015-2016 Inclusion of Young Children with Disabilities Webinar Series Kickoff: Inclusion in Early Childhood Programs Preschool Inclusion: What's the Evidence, What Gets in the Way, and What do High-Quality Programs Look Like? Early Childhood Inclusion: Implementation of the State Recommendations 2014-2015...
Description: Many collaborative strategies, sample interagency agreements, planning tools, and funding sources exist to assist states and communities in providing inclusive preschool special education services. Included within the Preschool Inclusion Finance Toolkit 2018 are the following: Early Childhood Programs Comparison Worksheet Determining Costs Inclusive Worksheet Braiding Funds: How Districts Can Create Inclusive Placement Opportunities for Young Children with Disabilities
Description: A new technical assistance report, Braiding, Blending, and Layering Funding Sources to Increase Access to Quality Preschool (2017), discusses a number of strategies for braiding, blending or layering various funding sources to provide comprehensive, inclusive early learning programs for young children and their families. It includes interviews with local school district, Head Start, and child care administrators discussing how they are making it work in their programs.
Description: This position statement jointly created by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Division for Early Childood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) was published in 2009. It defines early childhood inclusion and clarifies what is meant by access, participation, and supports. Look for "Inclusion (April 2009) to find the position statement in English and Spanish as well as an executive summary.
Description: The POWER (Parent Organizer With Educational Resources) web app provides parents and families with online resources to answer questions about child development, disabilities, community services, Special Education, diploma options in Virginia and transition to life after high school. The questions and potential resources are separated into age levels: Early Childhood, Elementary School, Middle School and High School. This project is a collaborative effort between the Parent Resource...
Description: The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) related to Preschool Least Restrictive Environment. The letter reaffirms the position of the U.S. Department of Education (ED or Department) that all young children with disabilities should have access to inclusive high-quality early childhood programs where they are provided with individualized and appropriate supports to enable them to meet high expectations. The guidance provided in the DCL covers:...
Description: The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, December 3, 2004, (IDEA ’04) and its implementing federal regulations, October 13, 2006, prompted the need to revise Virginia’s special education regulations. These regulations are effective January 25, 2010.
Description: The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) was signed into law on December 10, 2015. ESSA amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and replaces No Child Left Behind. The Board of Education approved its plan to implement ESSA at its July 2017 business meeting. The final version was approved by the U.S. Department of Education in May, 2018.
Description: NPDCI has developed a document, Research Synthesis Points on Quality Inclusive Practices that provides brief descriptions and supporting references for the evidence-based and promising practices that support early childhood inclusion. These practices are organized into three major sections corresponding to the defining features of high quality early childhood inclusion as described in Early Childhood inclusion: A Joint Position Statement of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National...
Description: This 3 min video describes inclusion as a basic human right. Speakers focus on the importance of all children, from infancy on through adulthood, being fully included in all aspects of family and community life. This video was developed by VA's Integrated Training Collaborative at the Partnership for People with Disabilities at VCU as a project of the VA SpecialQuest Birth-5 Project.
Description: Welcome to the U.S. Department of Education’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) website, which brings together IDEA information and resources from the Department and our grantees. Whether you are a student, parent, educator, service provider, or grantee, you are here because you care about children with disabilities and their families and want to find information and explore resources on infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.
Description: The National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI) is working with states to ensure that early childhood teachers are prepared to educate and care for young children with disabilities in settings with their typically developing peers. The Web site provides resources, training modules, news, and a blog for discussions related to inclusive practices. (Inclusion)