Transcript Document

Promoting and Sustaining
Inclusive Practices in Colorado
Early Childhood Settings: Tools
for Supporting the Model with the
SpecialQuest Approach and
Materials
June 2009
Lenita Hartman
Laura Merrill
Rosie Moreno
Holly Wilcher
Rosemarie Allen , CO Department of Human
Lenita Hartman , Fisher Early Learning Center at
Services Division of Child Care
DU
Darcy Allen-Young, Colorado Head Start Training Sarah Hoover, University of Colorado Health
and Technical Assistance Team
Sciences Center
Fernanda Armenta-Schmitt, SpecialQuest Coach Laura Merrill CO Department of Human ServicesDivision for Developmental Disabilities
Joyce Buffington, Parent
Susan Moore, University of Colorado
Jeanine Coleman, CO Office of the Lieutenant
Governor
Cheryl Ducey, SpecialQuest Facilitator
Bevin Gumm, Parent
Elizabeth Groginsky, Office of the Lieutenant
Governor
Julie Harmon, CO PEAK Parent Center
Sandra Link, and Deb Schell Frank JFK
Partners, University of Colorado Denver
Linda Forrest, Arapahoe Community
College
Rosie Moreno, Early Head Start of Eagle County
Jan Phillips-Paulsen, SpecialQuest Coach
Salina Ritchie, Parent
Susan Smith , CO Department of Education
Paulette Bolton and Diane Trujillo, CO
SpecialQuest Community Graduates : Starpoint
Holly Wilcher, CO Office of Professional
Development
Webinar Presenters
Lenita
Hartman
Laura
Merrill
Rosie
Moreno
Holly
Wilcher
WEBINAR GOAL AND LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
• GOAL: To gain understanding of ways to
promote early childhood inclusive practices
using the SpecialQuest approach and materials.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
 Discuss a national definition of inclusion.
 Share perceptions of inclusive practices.
 Discuss challenges to early childhood inclusion.
 Explore SpecialQuest Birth-Five and materials.
 Describe ways you might use the SpecialQuest
Approach and materials back “home".
What does inclusion mean to you?
Inclusion Perceptions
“My son will be living and working with a diverse population of people. I want him to
be accepted both out of school and in school. For me, that’s why inclusion is a key.”
“To me, there is no such thing as “inclusion”. There is simply “real life”.”
Parents of children with disabilities.
“Inclusion involves all kinds of practices that are ultimately practices of good
teaching. What good teachers do is to think thoughtfully about children and develop
ways to reach all children.”
Teacher of 2nd Grade in an Inclusive School Setting
“Inclusion is based on the belief that all people work and live in inclusive
communities, with people of different races, religions, aspirations and abilities, and
children should learn and grow in
similar environments.”
Professor of Special Education
From the field....
“The idea of belonging and membership, being part of a
community, is a basic human need. It’s one of the
principles of our democratic society. We all have the same
needs, we want to be loved, we want to have friends, we
want to feel that we are making a contribution in our
families, in our communities….We learn about
understanding what someone’s interests and point of view
are by interacting with them. To include everyone is to
open up those possibilities for learning and appreciating
our humanity.”
Dr. Joseph Putner, Educator
WHAT IS EARLY CHILDHOOD INCLUSION?
The definition of early childhood inclusion from DEC and NAEYC
joint position statement on inclusion is as follows:
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. The defining
features of inclusion that can be used to identify high quality early
childhood programs and services are access, participation, and
supports.
Defining Features of Quality
Early Childhood Inclusion
 Access – means providing a wide range of activities
and environments for every child by removing
physical barriers and offering multiple ways to
promote learning and development.
 Participation – means using a range of instructional
approaches to promote engagement in play and
learning activities, and a sense of belonging for
every child.
 Supports – refer to broader aspects of the system
such as professional development, incentives for
inclusion, and opportunities for communication and
collaboration among families and professionals to
assure high quality inclusion.
National Professional Development Center
on Inclusion (NPDCI) Recommendations
1. Create high expectations for every child to reach his or her
full potential.
2. Develop a program philosophy on inclusion.
3. Revise program and professional standards.
4. Establish a system of service and supports.
5. Achieve an integrated professional development system
(which is what SQ is striving for in CO).
6. Revise federal and state accountability systems.
Inclusion- Challenges
• What challenges have you experienced with
implementing inclusive practices in early childhood
settings?
WHAT IS THE
SPECIALQUEST BIRTH-FIVE
APPROACH?
SpecialQuest Birth-Five Vision
States and local communities collaborate to provide
quality inclusive services for young children with
disabilities and their families. This work is supported by
embedding the SpecialQuest approach, materials, and
resources into professional development and service
systems.
HISTORY OF SPECIALQUEST
• Ten years of work by the Hilton/Early
Head Start Training Program (1997–
2007).
• Over 500 Early Head Start/Migrant and
Seasonal Head Start programs and
community partners.
• SpecialQuest teams participated in
engaging learning with parallel
processes and continuous
improvement and on-site follow-up
support provided by Learning Coaches.
• Continuous improvement processes
guided program development and
provided evaluation information.
APPROACH
• Designed to touch the “head, heart and
hands” of families and professionals.
• Relationship- & team-based
approach sustains inclusive services,
family leadership skills, and collaborative
service delivery.
• Teams participate in engaging
learning with parallel process and
continuous improvement strategies.
• Teams are supported with coaching,
facilitation, and follow-up to implement
quality inclusive services.
ONE GRADUATE TEAM’S EXPERIENCE
• Team of community partners
• Specific goals for the community
– Enhancing staff knowledge, skills and comfort
– Inclusive child care in private centers
• Plan of sustainability
HOW CAN I USE THE SPECIALQUEST
APPROACH AND MATERIALS?
• SpecialQuest Multimedia Training Library (English &
Spanish) available online for FREE
• Share lessons learned and innovations relating to family
leadership, transition, birth–five populations and use of
the approach and materials by faculty
• An interactive website providing:
o
o
o
o
Networking opportunities
Discussion forums
Stories from families
Resource bank for searching and sharing of practical tools
focused on inclusion
COLORADO SPECIALQUEST BIRTH-FIVE
STATE LEADERSHIP TEAM VISION
We have adopted the vision collaboratively developed
by DEC and NAEYC….
Early childhood inclusion in Colorado will embody 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. The defining features of
inclusion that can be used to identify high quality early childhood
programs and services are access, participation, and supports.
FROM THE FIELD…
“SpecialQuest has given my program a blueprint for
implementing responsive services for children and
families. We have expanded from looking at training
direct staff to looking at the program itself…This new
approach is really making an impact in [our state].”
Data and Evaluation
Enrolling Children with Disabilities
Data and Evaluation
Implementation of Inclusive Practices
Data and Evaluation
Increase in Skills
Data and Evaluation
Increase in Comfort Level
Data and Evaluation
Increase Integrated Service Delivery
What does the SpecialQuest Birth-Five
Approach to Inclusion Entail?
The volumes are organized by themes:
• Including Young Children with Disabilities
• Building Relationships with Families
• Collaboration and Teaming
Including Young Children with
Disabilities
Rooted in the key concept of "belonging," these
sessions examine the beliefs and attitudes that
influence and affect adults and children in inclusive
settings and provide numerous practical strategies
and tools to help families and providers implement
high-quality inclusive services.
Building Relationships with Families
Families are the enduring presence
in the lives of young children with
disabilities. This volume contains
activities to support early care and
education staff and families in
developing positive relationships that
support collaboration and family
leadership.
Collaboration and Teaming
Inclusion depends on a team of
family members and service
providers who assume collective
responsibility for coordinating
services to young children with
disabilities and their families. This
makes teaming a vital part of the
process. The sessions in this
volume provide a comprehensive
set of strategies and activities that
support high-quality collaboration
and teaming.
How can the SpecialQuest
Approach and Materials
help your Early Childhood
Inclusion Efforts?
Let’s take a
SPECIALQUEST MULTIMEDIA TRAINING
LIBRARY
1. Go to www.specialquest.org
2. Click on “Enter Site”
3. Click on the Multimedia Training
Library icon
4. Search for video by:
o title
o session
o keyword
o content by volume
o supplements
5. Preview and download resources
6. Learn more about the
SpecialQuest approach and
materials
HOW CAN THE COLORADO SPECIALQUEST
BIRTH-FIVE STATE LEADERSHIP TEAM
SUPPORT YOU?
• Technical Assistance
• Professional development
planning
• Sustainability of inclusive
practices
• Resource mapping
• SpecialQuest Training of
Trainers September 2009 for more
information go to
“Calendar”
• Your ideas?...☺
Early Childhood Inclusion Resources
Division for Early Childhood
Early Childhood Colorado
Early Intervention Colorado
Head Start Center for Inclusion
National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
National Inclusion Project
National Professional Development Center
on Inclusion
Project Connect
CO state team timeline
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
What insights have you gained today?
What worked?
Suggestions?
CONTACT INFORMATION
SpecialQuest
Linda Brekken,SpecialQuest Birth-Five Director
707-953-5296
Colorado SpecialQuest Birth-Five state team liaison
303-355-5205