To:

• Pennsylvania Early Childhood Education Programs

From:

Tracey Campanini,
Deputy Secretary, Office of Child Development & Early Learning

Issue Date: Sept. 30, 2020
Effective Date: Oct. 1, 2020
End Date: N/A

To provide guidance on strategies that promote inclusion for all children, set an expectation from the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) that high-quality early childhood education (ECE) programs are inclusive of children with disabilities, and identifies resources available to local ECE programs. This Announcement provides OCDEL’s response to federal policy issued in 2015.

This Announcement and the Announcement on Reduction of Expulsion and Suspension in Early Childhood Programs in Pennsylvania  are intentional companion Announcements authored by OCDEL to support high-quality ECE programs.

In September 2015, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education (ED) released a policy statement recommending states develop policies and practices to increase the inclusion of infants, toddlers, and preschool children with disabilities in high- quality ECE programs.

HHS and ED provide federal funding to a wide variety of Pennsylvania ECE programs and initiatives, including Child Care Works, Child Care Certification, Early Head Start, Head Start, Early Intervention, Home Visiting Programs, and Keystone STARS. This Announcement applies not only to federally funded OCDEL programs, but also state funded programs, including Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts, and Family Centers (which receive both federal and state funding).

HHS and ED define inclusion as “including children with disabilities in early childhood programs, together with their peers without disabilities; holding high expectations and intentionally promoting participation in all learning and social activities; facilitating individualized accommodations; and using evidence-based services and supports to foster development (cognitive, language, communication, physical, behavioral, and social-emotional), friendships with peers, and a sense of belonging. This applies to all young children with disabilities, from those with the mildest disabilities to those with the most significant disabilities.” HHS/ED Policy Statement, 2015.

“The defining features of inclusion used to identify high-quality ECE programs and services are access, participation, and supports,” as in the joint position statement from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Early Childhood (DEC).

For the purposes of this Announcement, OCDEL will utilize both aforementioned policy statements for defining inclusion.

In addition, there are many legal foundations for the inclusion of children with disabilities in ECE programs, policy statements related to inclusion, national association position papers on the inclusion of young children with disabilities, and statewide initiatives supporting inclusive opportunities. Many of these resources also provide guidance on the engagement of families. These include:

• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B and Part C
• The Americans with Disabilities Act
• The Head Start Act and Head Start Performance Standards
• The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act
• Pennsylvania Act 212-1990: The Early Intervention Services System Act
• Pennsylvania Keystone STARS Performance Standards

• PA Keys to Quality Professional Development System and Technical Assistance System
• Early Intervention Technical Assistance Training Initiatives
• Pennsylvania Learning Standards for Early Childhood

While ensuring the inclusion of all children, it is also important to recognize equity in our ECE programs. The NAEYC position on equity states: “All children have the right to equitable learning opportunities that help them achieve their full potential as engaged learners and valued members of society. Thus, all early childhood educators have a professional obligation to advance equity. They can do this best when they are effectively supported by the early learning settings in which they work and when they and their wider communities embrace diversity and full inclusion as strengths, uphold fundamental principles of fairness and justice, and work to eliminate structural inequities that limit equitable learning opportunities.”

OCDEL will take the following steps to promote practices that support the inclusion of all young children in ECE programs:

1. In collaboration with and input from stakeholders and families, provide high-quality professional development opportunities through The Pennsylvania Key, Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRC), Professional Development Organizations, and Early Intervention Technical Assistance.
2. Provide individualized support, including on-site coaching and consultation, to OCDEL-funded programs.

3. In collaboration with stakeholders and families, identify examples of inclusive program policies, structures, and activities to provide models for dissemination and replication throughout Pennsylvania.
4. Through the ELRC’s, identify opportunities for community partnerships to promote inclusion, including partnerships for providing individualized support, professional development and other capacity building resources.

5. Provide support and guidance through ELRCs to assist child care programs to progress in their Keystone STAR level rating.

6. Support child care programs, through the ELRCs, to understand their vital role in supporting inclusion.

7. Recognize quality ECE programs are the general education environment for children with and without disabilities as established in federal guidance and this Announcement.

8. In collaboration with stakeholders and families, provide written guidelines for implementing this Announcement.

Local ECE programs identified in the “Background” section of this Announcement must take the following steps to promote and implement practices that support the inclusion of all young children in the ECE programs within their local communities:

1. In collaboration with program staff and families, develop and implement a written program policy that focuses on actively including young children with disabilities in the ECE programs.

2. In collaboration with program staff and families, review and modify existing policies, practices, and procedures to ensure barriers are removed that would prevent including children with disabilities in the ECE programs.

3. In collaboration with program staff and families, develop resources for effective communication between families and ECE program staff to ensure families know the benefits of and their rights related to inclusion.

4. Assess ECE program staff competencies and implement professional development, which includes family perspectives, related to inclusion based on the needs of staff and families.

5. Seek assistance from ELRCs to identify examples of inclusive program policies, structures, and activities to provide models for dissemination and replication throughout Pennsylvania.

6. Develop and strengthen partnerships between ECE programs and Early Intervention programs so that supports and services for children with disabilities can be provided within the daily routines and activities of quality ECE programs.

7. Participate in ongoing opportunities for stakeholder input and professional development opportunities on additional OCDEL guidance related to the inclusion of all children.

8. Implement this policy in conjunction with the Announcement, Reduction of Expulsion and Suspension in Early Childhood Programs in Pennsylvania.

9. Implement any additional guidance related to the inclusion of all children.

View full announcement as a PDF.