Providing Services to Young Providing Services to Young Children with Disabilities Children with Disabilities

through Inclusive Child Carethrough Inclusive Child Care

Dubai International Rehabilitation Dubai International Rehabilitation ForumForum

March 7, 2006March 7, 200612:40-13:0012:40-13:00

Session 3: Marketing of Special Needs Session 3: Marketing of Special Needs ProjectsProjects

TopicsTopics

Desired Goals of Desired Goals of Early InterventionEarly Intervention

Rationale for Child Rationale for Child Care-based ServicesCare-based Services

Outcomes in the U.S.Outcomes in the U.S. Barriers: Overall Barriers: Overall

Quality of Child CareQuality of Child Care Necessary ResourcesNecessary Resources An Example of An Example of

SuccessSuccess

Early Intervention GoalsEarly Intervention Goals to support families in achieving their own goals to support families in achieving their own goals

for their childrenfor their children to promote child engagement, independence, and to promote child engagement, independence, and

masterymastery to promote development in key domainsto promote development in key domains to build and support children’s social competenceto build and support children’s social competence to promote generalized use of skillsto promote generalized use of skills to provide and prepare for normalized life to provide and prepare for normalized life

experiencesexperiences to prevent the emergence of future problems or to prevent the emergence of future problems or

disabilitiesdisabilities

Child Care-based Early Intervention Child Care-based Early Intervention ServicesServices

Natural context of services for children Natural context of services for children and familiesand families

Opportunities for physical, communication, Opportunities for physical, communication, and social skill buildingand social skill building

With qualified teachers and aids, With qualified teachers and aids, opportunities for cognitive skill building as opportunities for cognitive skill building as wellwell

Reduction in services families need to go Reduction in services families need to go toto

Roots of Early Intervention in the Roots of Early Intervention in the United StatesUnited States

Special Education Special Education (Behavioral (Behavioral analysis)analysis)

Compensatory Compensatory Education (e.g., Education (e.g., Head Start)Head Start)

Early Childhood Early Childhood Education (DAP)Education (DAP)

U.S. Principles of Early InterventionU.S. Principles of Early InterventionFamily-centered servicesFamily-centered servicesNormalization and services in natural Normalization and services in natural

environmentsenvironmentsVariety of service delivery models Variety of service delivery models Diversity of children and families servedDiversity of children and families served Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary service Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary service

modelsmodelsFunctional and developmental programming Functional and developmental programming

strategiesstrategies Individualized programmingIndividualized programmingBlending of philosophical perspectives Blending of philosophical perspectives

(developmental, behavioral, (developmental, behavioral, ecological/functional)ecological/functional)

SheritaSherita

75.10%69.10%

48.70%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Students Meeting or Exceeding the Third GradeReading Standard, March 2001

All StudentsStudents with Disabilities Receiving EIStudents with Disabilities NOT Receiving EI

76.00% 73.10%

34.10%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Students Meeting or Exceeding Fifth Grade Reading Standards, March 2003

All StudentsStudents with Disabilities Receiving EIStudnets with Disabilities Not Receiving EI

Necessary ComponentsNecessary Components Low staff:child ratios;Low staff:child ratios; small group sizes;small group sizes; associate or bachelor level associate or bachelor level

trained teachers;trained teachers; low turn-over; low turn-over; well-educated directors and well-educated directors and

administratorsadministrators Engaged, responsive Engaged, responsive

interactions between interactions between teachers and childrenteachers and children

Planned, purposeful, goal-Planned, purposeful, goal-oriented activities that oriented activities that emerge from children’s emerge from children’s interests, activities, and interests, activities, and backgroundsbackgrounds

Challenges to Child Care-based Challenges to Child Care-based Early InterventionEarly Intervention

Skills and training of child care staffSkills and training of child care staff Turn-over of child care staffTurn-over of child care staff Resistance of staff and families of children Resistance of staff and families of children

without disabilitieswithout disabilities Resistance of physicians and other Resistance of physicians and other

rehabilitation providersrehabilitation providers Wide variation in overall quality of child Wide variation in overall quality of child

care programscare programs Lack of monitoring of child care program Lack of monitoring of child care program

qualityquality

Quality Profile of Center-Based Programs Serving 3 to 5-year-olds in Delaware

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Space andFurnishings

(N=165)

PersonalCare

Routines(N=166)

Languageand

Reasoning(N=165)

Activities(N=165)

Interaction(N=165)

ProgramStructure(N=164)

Parents andStaff

(N=132)

38.6%N=64

48.2%N=80

13.3%N=22

26.5%N=44

42.8%N=71

30.7%N=51

37.6%N=62

42.4%N=70

20.0%N=33

9.7%N=16

47.9%N=79

42.4%N=70

59.4%N=98

20.0%N=33

20.6%N=34

43.9%N=72

34.8%N=57

21.3%N=35

45.5%N=60

42.4%N=56

12.1%N=16

Figure Legend

= rating of “poor” = rating of “mediocre” = rating of “good”

Quality Profile of Center-Based Programs Serving Infants and Toddlers in Delaware

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Furnishingsand Displayfor Children

(N=113)

PersonalCare

Routines(N=113)

Listeningand Talking

(N=113)

LearningActivities(N=113)

Interaction(N=113)

ProgramStructure(N=113)

Adult Needs(N=98)

21.3%N=24

53.1%N=60

25.7%N=29

8.8%N=10

20.4%N=23

70.8%N=80

33.6%N=38

32.7%N=37

33.6%N=38

8.0%N=9

46.0%N=52

46.0%N=52

47.8%N=54

38.1%N=43

14.2%N=16

23.9%N=27

50.4%N=57

25.7%N=29

29.6%N=29

50.0%N=49

20.4%N=20

Figure Legend

= rating of “poor” = rating of “mediocre” = rating of “good”

Quality Profile of Head Start and Early Childhood Assistance Programs in Delaware Designed to Serve Children in Poverty and with Disabilities

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Space andFurnishings

(N=82)

PersonalCare

Routines(N=82)

Languageand

Reasoning(N=82)

Activities(N=82)

Interaction(N=82)

ProgramStructure(N=82)

Parents andStaff (N=55)

62.2%N=51

36.6%N=30

1.2%N=1

52.4%N=43

34.1%N=28

13.4%N=11

43.9%N=36

50.0%N=41

6.1%N=5

18.3%N=15

75.6%N=62

6.1%N=5

68.3%N=56

17.1%N=14

14.6%N=12

65.9%N=54

31.7%N=26

2.4%N=2

69.1%N=38

29.1%N=16

1.8%N=1

Figure Legend

= rating of “poor” = rating of “mediocre” = rating of “good”

Ensuring High Quality Child Care Ensuring High Quality Child Care and Early Intervention and Early Intervention

Meaningful partnerships Meaningful partnerships with children’s families and with children’s families and specialistsspecialists

Teachers with associate or Teachers with associate or bachelor degrees in early bachelor degrees in early care and education and care and education and significant knowledge of significant knowledge of child development and child development and curriculum development curriculum development and implementationand implementation

Programs that embrace and Programs that embrace and incorporate the cultures incorporate the cultures and communities of the and communities of the children they servechildren they serve

Ensuring High Quality Child Care Ensuring High Quality Child Care and Early Intervention (continued)and Early Intervention (continued)

Program directors with Program directors with advanced expertise and advanced expertise and experience in early care and experience in early care and education, including the education, including the ability to manage and leadability to manage and lead

Excellent capacity to address Excellent capacity to address language, literacy, and language, literacy, and numeracy components of numeracy components of children’s developmentchildren’s development

Excellent capacity to address Excellent capacity to address social-emotional components social-emotional components of children’s developmentof children’s development

On-going training and On-going training and development for teachers development for teachers and administrators that focus and administrators that focus onon special needs special needs

University of Delaware Early Learning University of Delaware Early Learning CenterCenter Child care center for 225 children birth to 12 Child care center for 225 children birth to 12

years of ageyears of age 20% children with disabilities20% children with disabilities 40% children living in poverty40% children living in poverty provides state of the art, evidence-based, provides state of the art, evidence-based,

education, prevention, and intervention education, prevention, and intervention services services

Currently conducts 18 research studies within Currently conducts 18 research studies within the Center focusing on neurological the Center focusing on neurological development; PT, OT, and speech treatments development; PT, OT, and speech treatments strategies, and a host of other topicsstrategies, and a host of other topics

Currently provides training to over 2,000 Currently provides training to over 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students through undergraduate and graduate students through clinical and research experiences each clinical and research experiences each semestersemester

Currently provides training and technical Currently provides training and technical assistance early care and education providers assistance early care and education providers throughout the statethroughout the state

University of Delaware Early University of Delaware Early Learning Center ExamplesLearning Center Examples

4 year old with 4 year old with Down syndromeDown syndrome

28 month old 28 month old toddler with spastic toddler with spastic diplegic cerebral diplegic cerebral palsy and blindnesspalsy and blindness

10 month old infant 10 month old infant with visual with visual impairment, mild impairment, mild cerebral palsy and a cerebral palsy and a 40% cognitive delay40% cognitive delay

Next StepsNext Steps

To work with community child care To work with community child care setting to:setting to:– Increase staff knowledge and skills Increase staff knowledge and skills

about physical, sensory, communication, about physical, sensory, communication, and cognitive disabilitiesand cognitive disabilities

– Reduce staff resistance to serving Reduce staff resistance to serving children with special needschildren with special needs

– Provide technical assistance support as Provide technical assistance support as community-based child care settings community-based child care settings serve children with special needsserve children with special needs

Contact InformationContact Information

Karen Rucker, DirectorKaren Rucker, Director

University of Delaware University of Delaware Early Learning CenterEarly Learning Center

489 Wyoming Avenue489 Wyoming Avenue

Newark, DE 19716 USANewark, DE 19716 USA

krucker@udel.edukrucker@udel.edu

+1 302 831 6205+1 302 831 6205

Michael Gamel-Michael Gamel-McCormick, DirectorMcCormick, Director

Center for Disabilities Center for Disabilities StudiesStudies

166 Graham Hall166 Graham Hall

University of DelawareUniversity of Delaware

Newark, DE 19716 USANewark, DE 19716 USA

mgm@udel.edumgm@udel.edu

+1 302 831 6974+1 302 831 6974

www.udel.edu/cdswww.udel.edu/cds