**1.1 Quality inclusion of young children with disabilities: taking a stance to support early childhood leaders**

There is no better time or place to implement and advocate for inclusive education and inclusive communities than in early childhood (EC) education. Inclusive education includes the vision that all children belong, are valued, and are celebrated can learn in the mainstream of their educational settings and their communities [1]. Research over the past 40 years has continued to demonstrate that inclusive education is associated with improved outcomes for children and students with disabilities and that self-contained settings fail to deliver on their promises of effective practices [2]. Quality inclusive education can help children and students with disabilities with academic [3, 4], communication [5], social and emotional [6, 7], and selfdetermination skills [8, 9]. Also, educating children and students with disabilities

#### *Teacher Education in the 21st Century - Emerging Skills for a Changing World*

in general education settings can increase learning expectations for everyone and results in greater empathy and acceptance of differences among all children.

Historically, children and students with disabilities were educated in segregated settings with little or no social or academic interactions with peers without disabilities [10]. In United States (US), federal legislation has supported the right of children and students with disabilities to be cared for and educated with typically developing peers since the passage of PL 99–457 of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1986. IDEA does not use the term "inclusion." Instead, it requires school divisions to provide a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) and offer a continuum of placement and education options to meet the needs of children and students with disabilities [10] . This requirement is known as the least restrictive environment (LRE) and does not distinguish between school-aged and preschool-aged children. The regulations state:

*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 the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily (34 CFR 300.114 through 34 CFR 300.120).*

The LRE requirements under Part B of IDEA support the education of children with disabilities in regular classes alongside their typically developing peers in a regular EC setting where most children are typically developing [11]. Children considered to be typically developing are not identified as having a disability and do not have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) [12]. In the US, the National Association for Education of Young Children and Division for Early Childhood (NAEYC/DEC) developed a joint position statement to emphasize the impact of quality inclusion for policy, practice, and potential outcomes for children birth through eight years of age and their families (DEC/NAEYC, 2009). The NAEYC/ DEC statement defines EC inclusion as:

*Early childhood inclusion embodies 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 (p.2).*

The Joint Position Statement (2009) highlights three main principles of inclusive education in EC, including (a) access: providing children with a wide range of learning opportunities, activities, settings, and environments, (b) participation: providing additional individualized accommodations and supports to children with more individualized needs to enable them to participate fully in play and learning activities with their typically developing peers and adults, and (c) supports: creating an infrastructure of systems-level supports to strengthen the efforts of individuals and organizations providing inclusive education services to children and families. These principles need to be utilized collectively to result in high-quality programs and services [13].

While the LRE requirement in IDEA is the same for eligible students of any age, providing inclusive EC education services is unique. EC inclusion differs from

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*Quality Inclusion of Young Children with Disabilities: Taking a Stance to Support Early…*

inclusive placements and practices in K-12 grades. Some of the differences include the availability of EC programs that offer inclusive services than the K-12 sector, availability of different programs based on child's age (especially for two and three-year-old's), location of the programs that might happen in settings outside of the public schools (e.g., Head Start, child care, community preschool programs which creates wide variability in teacher training, education, and expertise and may impact program quality in programs settings outside of public schools), different teacher-child ratios and class size based on the type of the programs, and the curriculum in EC programs that differs from the educational curriculum for older children [14]. In contrast to the traditional K-12 curriculum, which is academically oriented and teacher-directed, the EC curriculum includes a balance of child-initiated and teacher-directed activities, focusing on all developmental domains [15]. However, despite the substantial body of evidence on the benefits of inclusive education for children with disabilities and the growing body of best inclusive practices, a large percentage of children with disabilities are still educated in separate classrooms or settings [2]. While the definitions of settings and reporting methods by states have changed over time, comparing the 1985 data to the 2015 data, the provision of special education and related services to children with disabilities ages three to five years in regular EC settings appears to have increased by only 7.2%. According to IDEA Part B state performance plan and annual performance report, for almost all IDEA disability categories, the percent of children, aged three to five years who receive the majority of their special education and related services in the regular EC settings in the programs is between 20–40% [16]. However, the goal for meaningful inclusion is that children and students with disabilities get to attend and receive the majority of special education and related services in a regular early childhood program and/or educational setting for 80% of their academic time.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96511*

**2. Barriers to quality inclusion in early childhood**

The primary challenges and barriers to inclusion in EC settings include EC personnel's knowledge, skills, and expertise, within and cross-agency collaboration, and beliefs and attitudes among EC personal and families regarding children with special needs [16]. Many EC professionals, especially those trained as general EC professionals and not dually endorsed in EC/ECSE, do not have the knowledge, skills, and resources to serve children with disabilities. IDEA requires that EC personnel either have the expertise or are supervised by someone who does [16, 17]. The other challenge deals with agency and cross-agency collaboration in EC programs, communities, and systems at local, state, and national levels [11]. The challenges include the agreements for EC programs to cooperatively provide services to children who meet the eligibility requirements to receive early intervention (EI) or ECSE services. Some examples of such collaborative arrangements involve shared responsibility, communication, shared assessments, and planning and shared resources [16]. Challenges of attitude and beliefs involve fears and inadequate or misleading information that can contribute to EC personnel and families' reluctance to include children in inclusive EC settings. EC educators and professionals with more positive attitudes toward teaching children in inclusive classrooms are more likely to implement evidence-based practices related to goals in children's IEPs, create accessible environments, and use appropriate strategies to promote positive developmental and educational outcomes for children with disabilities and their families [13, 16, 17]. Policies and procedure challenges including personnel policies (e.g., training, recruiting, and retaining personnel), fiscal policies (e.g., funding streams, state reimbursements, and legislations), and conflicting policies across programs

#### *Quality Inclusion of Young Children with Disabilities: Taking a Stance to Support Early… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96511*

inclusive placements and practices in K-12 grades. Some of the differences include the availability of EC programs that offer inclusive services than the K-12 sector, availability of different programs based on child's age (especially for two and three-year-old's), location of the programs that might happen in settings outside of the public schools (e.g., Head Start, child care, community preschool programs which creates wide variability in teacher training, education, and expertise and may impact program quality in programs settings outside of public schools), different teacher-child ratios and class size based on the type of the programs, and the curriculum in EC programs that differs from the educational curriculum for older children [14]. In contrast to the traditional K-12 curriculum, which is academically oriented and teacher-directed, the EC curriculum includes a balance of child-initiated and teacher-directed activities, focusing on all developmental domains [15].

However, despite the substantial body of evidence on the benefits of inclusive education for children with disabilities and the growing body of best inclusive practices, a large percentage of children with disabilities are still educated in separate classrooms or settings [2]. While the definitions of settings and reporting methods by states have changed over time, comparing the 1985 data to the 2015 data, the provision of special education and related services to children with disabilities ages three to five years in regular EC settings appears to have increased by only 7.2%. According to IDEA Part B state performance plan and annual performance report, for almost all IDEA disability categories, the percent of children, aged three to five years who receive the majority of their special education and related services in the regular EC settings in the programs is between 20–40% [16]. However, the goal for meaningful inclusion is that children and students with disabilities get to attend and receive the majority of special education and related services in a regular early childhood program and/or educational setting for 80% of their academic time.
