DEC/NAEYC Leaders Share Thoughts on Inclusion

Jerlean Daniel, PhD. is Deputy Executive Director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  She has 18 years of experience as a child care center director and previously taught child development as a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh.  She is a past president of NAEYC.

Sarah Mulligan is the Executive Director of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children. She is also a passionate inclusion advocate.  As a trainer and consultant, she has traveled the country working with professionals who experience the realities of including children with disabilities and as a parent, she experiences the inclusion roadblocks nearly every day.

Early childhood finally has a clear definition of inclusion.  It is amazing that we have gone this long without a definition for an idea that gives children with and without disabilities an equal opportunity to learn together. In its place, with the best of intentions, individuals, programs and schools have created their own working definitions based upon interpretations of federal laws, and the idiosyncrasies and politics of assorted venues where young children with disabilities are served.  

The DEC/NAEYC joint position statement on Early Childhood Inclusion’s designation of the three primary components of inclusion, access, participation, and support offer the field a rich, substantive framework for what it means to serve all children well.  

When you reflect on the details of how your program or school implements a philosophy that proclaims high quality services to all children, are all three components covered?  What do you do well?  Where is there room for improvement?

Many think that inclusion is a “given”-- a concept we all agree on, but it isn’t.  To me, it is not enough to simply enroll a child with a disability in a child care program or other community-based opportunity. An intentional commitment to inclusion has to be breathed in every aspect of the program and every child and family who participates has to benefit.

Last week I watched a gymnastics “class” for 1-4-year olds.  My two-year old with Down syndrome is enrolled in the class (she has access) and at first glance this looks like a great example of inclusion.  But the teachers do not have a sense of the specific strategies that will help her become a more active member of the class (participation).

One of the most exciting things about the joint position statement on inclusion does is to help us confront the realities of inclusion by spelling out the details in terms of access, participation, and supports. I hope we are inspired to look closely at our own practices and priorities and to consider if we are really promoting development and belonging for every child.