The first in a series of online resources aimed at helping early childhood teachers who work with young children with disabilities and their families has been released by CONNECT: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge.
The first in a series of online resources aimed at helping early childhood teachers who work with young children with disabilities and their families has been released by CONNECT: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge.
CONNECT, based at the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a national center funded by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education. The center develops online instructional resources and modules for early childhood faculty and professional development providers.
The new 12-minute video, “Foundations of Inclusion Birth to Five,” describes the concept of early childhood inclusion. The video is based upon the definition in a recently released joint position statement from the Division for Early Childhood and the National Association for the Education of Young Children, which outlines early childhood inclusion as “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 video provides a brief overview of the research, legal and policy foundations and key components behind the concept.
“There is a lot of confusion about what inclusion means,” said Maggie Connolly, CONNECT module coordinator and former director of the FPG child care program. “The joint position statement on inclusion is a big step forward for both the early childhood and early intervention fields, but statements are often ignored. Putting the highlights into a concise, engaging video ensures that the new definition of inclusion will truly guide professionals in their program practices to support young children with disabilities and their families.”
The CONNECT center plans to release its first instructional module in the fall.
To view the video or to learn more about FPG’s CONNECT project, go to: http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect
To view or download the DEC/NAEYC Joint Position Statement on Early Childhood Inclusion, go to: http://community.fpg.unc.edu/resources/articles/files/EarlyChildhoodInclusion-04-2009.pdf
UNC FPG contact: Anne Hainsworth, (919) 966-0867, anne.hainsworth@unc.edu