Opportunities, Initiatives and Key Resources:Building Intentional Inclusive Opportunities

Debbie Cate

Define inclusion challenges

and determine improvement resources and strategies

Discuss 618 and SPP/APR LEA Educational Environments data to determine areas of strength and need

Develop LEA next step plans for intentional inclusion

Objectives

• Inclusion Panel Discussion• Preschool Inclusion Facts• Nevada and National Data• Inclusion Challenges• District Plans• Resources

Our Afternoon

Dr. Lauren BartonDr. Barbara Smith

Children who start preschool

in segregated settings

are more likely

to remain in segregated settings

Inclusion Fact Sheet

The Facts Inclusion benefits all children

Children can be effectively educated in inclusive programs using specialized instruction

Families of all children generally have positive views of inclusion

Inclusion is not more expensive

Children do not need to be “ready” 7 & 91

The Facts Research is clear: it’s effective

IDEA is clear: it’s preferred

The profession is clear:

DEC/NAEYC position statement

Departments of Ed and HHS new inclusion statement, suspension policy & DOE Playbook for Becoming an Early Learning Community

Effective Components of Inclusion

• Intentional, sufficient, and supported interactions between peers with and without disabilities

• Specialized, individualized supports

• Family involvement

• Integrated, interdisciplinary services and collaborative teaming

• Focus on critical sociological outcomes

• Effective, ongoing professional development

• Ongoing program evaluation 36

36

High Quality

Intentional Inclusion

&

Making Child Level

Decisions

Our Focus

8%

National Landscape - DraftIndicator 6A: Percent of children with IEPs attending a (RECP) and receiving the

majority of services in the program

Each bar represents a state or territory, 618 data, Dec 1 2013

100%

44%

62%

26%

Each bar represents a state or territory, 618 data Dec 1, 2013

National Landscape - DraftIndicator 6B: Percent of children with IEPs

attending a special education program

5 states 0%

44%26%22%

62%

SPP APR Indicator 6 - DraftEducational Environments 3-5, 2013-14 Na-

tional Compared to Nevada

National Nevada

22%

62%

27%

58%

Nevada Indicator 6 DRAFT 2013-14 Compared to 2014-15

13-1414-15

RECP 10+ In Class

Services

RECP 10+ Ser-

vices Other

Location

RECP <10 In Class

Services

RECP <10 Ser-

vices Other

Location

Special Educa-

tion Class-room

Sepa-rate

School

Residen-tial or

Hospital Facility

Home & Home-bound or Hos-

pitalized

Service Provider Location

13-14

1777 623 73 103 4837 245 0 11 572

14-15

2152 751 156 148 4714 77 0 34 505

500

1500

2500

3500

4500

5500

Nevada Educational Environments for Children Ages 3-52013-14 Compared to 2014-15 - Draft

Preschool Inclusion Survey

• Inclusion preferred

• Many children in separate settings

• Inclusion – more than 50% typically developing children

• 2014 survey to 619 Coordinators - send to others

• Challenges and solutions

• Attitudes & Beliefs• Fiscal & contracting• Approval of non-public

school setting

• Curricula/methods• Transportation• Personnel qualifications• Conflicting policies

• Program quality

Overall Challenges

48

• Lack of Communication and collaboration

• Lack of awareness and understanding

• “Someone will lose” beliefs

• Staff preparedness

• Turf issues

• Lack of respect

• Other

Attitudes and BeliefsAttitudes and Beliefs

Policy and Procedure Challenges

Ensuring quality (standards, curricula, practices) in inclusive settings

Ensuring personnel meet standards and are effective

Fiscal policies/procedures (contracting; funding streams)

Transportation policies/procedures

Resource Challenges

Community programs full; no available slots

Lack of resources for transportation for typically developing children

Lack of resources for itinerate services

Solutions50

A/B: Build Awareness/Support

Educate local administrators

Provide user-friendly materials on benefits & laws

Provide models of high quality inclusion where teachers, parents and administrators can visit

Provide opportunities for practitioners, administrators and families to explore concerns, benefits and possible solutions

A/B: Collaborate

Establish trans-disciplinary teams

Establish interagency inclusion team

Provide awareness materials and opportunities for administrators

Provide joint PD for district and community personnel

Ensure support to community programs for ECSE and behavior support

Build culture of collaborative problem solving

Policy/Procedure Solutions/Strategies

Ensure state funded pre-k, at-risk & Title I

programs are inclusive

Require co-teaching (EC & ECSE) practica for certification

Provide training and coaching to community programs & itinerate ECSE services

Provide state training and T/A to district and community EC programs

Create MOU’s and contracts with community programs that address quality

Policy/Procedure Solutions/Strategies

Provide paras to community sites

Create tuition based access to district EC programs for nondisabled children

Reimburse parents for transportation

Create a state-level inclusion team for “barrier busting” that responds to local concerns

State dissemination to districts of creative ways to provide inclusion; examples; incentives

Braid funding streams

Resource Solutions/Strategies

Inclusive services do not cost more than segregated

Braid resources

Collaborate

Redistribute

(itinerate/consultative vs. segregated)

Public awareness of the benefits=$$

Solutions

52 60

Inclusion Plan

National Initiatives and Opportunities in Support of Inclusion

Federal Public Awareness Campaign & Joint

DOE HHS Position Paper on Inclusion

DEC Special Initiative on Inclusion

DEC Recommended Practices

RTT-ELC and Pre-School Development Grants

Joint Position Paper on PS Expulsion

Resources

• ECTA Inclusion Topic page

• NC Early Learning Network• DEC Joint Inclusion Statement

– Connect Modules

• Results Matter

Making Child Level

Decisions

IncludedQuality Standards

Specialized Instruction &

Supports Embedded into standards used

in the classroom

High Quality Early Childhood Programs

The contents of this presentation were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, #H373Y130002. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officers: Richelle Davis and Meredith Miceli