Recently Released: Policy Statement on Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs

Summary and Notes written by: Carrie Portrie, M.Ed, EC-SEAT Project Coordinator

On September 14th, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education released a policy statement on inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs. The executive summary begins by identifying three landmark celebrations this year:

• 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Act
• 40th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
• 50th anniversary of Head Start

and states:

"All three efforts have been transformative in ensuring equal opportunity for all Americans. While tremendous progress has been made, the anniversaries of these laws are cause for reflection on the work that lies ahead"

The joint policy notes a lag in inclusive opportunities for children as troubling and lists the following reasons:

• "Being meaningfully included as a member of society is the first step to equal opportunity, one of America's most cherished ideals, and is every person's right - a right support by our laws. 
• Research indicates that meaningful inclusion is beneficial to children with and without disabilities across developmental domains.
• Preliminary research shows that operating inclusive early childhood programs is not necessarily more expensive than operating separate early childhood programs for children with disabilities. 
• Meaningful inclusion in high-quality early childhood programs can support children with disabilities in reaching their full potential resulting in broad societal benefits."

A press release by the U.S. Department of Education also released on September 14, 2015, further explains children with disabilities and their families still experience "significant barriers to accessing inclusive high-quality early childhood programs," and many children are only offered separated learning opportunities from their peers without disabilities. The U.S Department of Education's Preschool Development Grants and the Department of Health and Human Services new Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships are part of the effort to "support inclusive setting for tens of thousands of additional young children across the country." 

Read more about the policy statement and access resources using the links below, and visit the blog again soon to view two videos from professors in early childhood education at the University of New Hampshire talking about leadership and inclusion. 

Links to the executive summary, policy statement, and press release:

• U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES and U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - Executive Summary and Full Policy Statement
• U.S Department of Education Press Release
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living (ACL) blog post