Inclusion: State Legislation and Policies
- Delaware:
Guide to Promoting Inclusion in Early Care and Education: A Section of the User’s Guide to the
Growing Together Portfolio
(PDF: 1,506kb)
This guide has been developed to help early care and education providers include more children with disabilities in their groups. The guide includes suggestions for activities, questions to ask families, ways to share information with families, as well as various resources of additional information to support inclusive practices.
- Florida: Prekindergarten Children with Disabilities: Expanding Opportunities for Providing Services
(PDF: 1,760kb) is a guidance document for district-level administrators and Individual Educational Plan (IEP) teams, including families, about the critical steps to be considered when
determining program decisions and the most appropriate service provision for preschool children with disabilities. Developed by the Bureau of Exceptional Education and
Student Services Florida Department of Education, Technical Assistance and Training System Project in 2008.
- Illinois: The Illinois State Board of Education in
collaboration with the Partners in the Access and Equity Project developed
a guidebook, "One of Us - Access and Equity for All Young Children" (PDF: 512kb) ,
to encourage and promote increased access for preschool age children with
disabilities to be educated with their typically developing peers in
preschool programs. The guide includes information on (a) collaboration
as the key to inclusion, (b) providing inclusive individualized services,
and (c) finding solutions.
The Illinois State Board of Education, Early Childhood Division has devloped a guidance paper on LRE in early childhood special education
(PDF: 30kb) . - Iowa: 3-4-5 Thrive: A Guide to Providing Educational Opportunities in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) for Iowa’s Preschoolers with Disabilities — Developed by the Iowa Department of Education in collaboration with parents, educators, and others, this guide provides direction in ensuring that preschoolers are provided educational opportunities that meet Federal LRE guidelines.
- North Dakota: To assist personnel in providing
individualized services to preschool children with disabilities, North
Dakota developed "Early
Childhood Special Education for Children with Disabilities Ages Three
through Five" , a reference guide of required and recommended practices.
This guide focus on a number of key elements, including recommendations
related to providing opportunities for young children to be educated with
same-age peers without disabilities in a variety of settings (least
restrictive settings). An "LRE Planning Worksheet" (PDF: 12kb)
is provided as well as "An Alternative Procedure to
Identify the Most Appropriate Learning Environment" (PDF: 29kb) when modifying the IEP.
- Oregon: In Oregon, many young children with disabilities receive
services from a combination of different programs,
including Early Childhood Special Education, Oregon Head Start Pre-
Kindergarten, Migrant Head Start and Local Education Agencies.
A Guidance Paper: Head Start,
Migrant Head Start and Early Childhood Special Education (age three to five) (PDF: 164kb) , which was
developed by Oregon Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Office of Student
Services in April 2000, clarifies the roles and responsibilities of each program in relationship to
the special education needs of these children.
Models of Teaming and Service Design In EI/ECSE Programs
(PDF: 76kb)
This paper includes a review of what is known about service design and
collaborative teaming and the models used in Oregon. It offers a review of
current research and "best practice" regarding service delivery and models
of teaming. Recommendations are offered regarding further actions and
training activities. - Pennsylvania:
The Guidelines to Support the Early Intervention
Process: Inclusion (PDF: 1,261kb) addresses services for children birth to five.
The guidelines include and refer the reader to legal requirements, suggest quality practices, and
clarify activities related to inclusion. This document is part of a series of guidelines that have been
approved by the PA Departments of Public Welfare and Education, Office of Child Development and
Early Learning.
We encourage you to contact us by e-mail about
natural environment/inclusion
resources that you have available in your state.
Links on this site are verified monthly. This page content was last updated on 11/02/2011 CF.