Federal Policy Statement on Including Children with Disabilities in High-Quality Early Childhood Programs

(2015, September)  | Useful to Parent Centers in advocating for inclusion of children with disabilities in high-quality early childhood programs.

The U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services issued a joint policy statement urging early learning programs to include children with disabilities. The guidance sets a vision for action that recommends states, districts, schools, and public and private early childhood programs prioritize and implement policies that support inclusion, improve their infrastructure, and offer professional development to strengthen and increase the number of inclusive high-quality early childhood programs nationwide. The Departments crafted the guidance with the input of early learning professionals, families, and early learning stakeholders.

Read the full guidance at: 
https://sites.ed.gov/idea/idea-files/policy-statement-inclusion-of-children-with-disabilities-in-early-childhood-programs/

Read the Executive Summary at:
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/earlylearning/joint-statement-executive-summary.pdf