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Early Childhood Inclusion in Community-based Programs: A Case Study Approach to Exploring Malleable Program Exosystem Factors
Lickvar-Armstrong, Chavis
Lickvar-Armstrong, Chavis
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Abstract
Center-based community early childhood programs are essential options for pre-kindergarten care and education. Consistent with federal legislation (IDEA, 2004), these settings should be accessible so that young children with disabilities can receive their special education services there. In the United States, fewer than 50% of children who receive early intervention and early childhood special education services are provided with these services in a community early childhood education program. Not all factors that influence inclusive education are within the control of the community ECE to change (i.e., state policy). However, program-level factors are malleable by community ECE administrators and staff. This study explored how program-level exosystem factors (i.e., factors that occur outside of the child’s immediate environment) that are malleable by administrators and staff support inclusive education in center-based programs. This exploratory, multiple case study aimed to better understand the phenomenon of inclusive education in the context of three center-based community early childhood programs by answering the following research questions:1. What are administrator and staff’s perceptions of malleable exosystem factors that facilitate the inclusive education of children with early intervention and early childhood special education service needs in their center-based community early childhood education programs?2. How do those exosystem factors facilitate inclusion in their center-based community early childhood education program?3. What local education agency (LEA) actions support inclusive education at center-based community early childhood education programs?Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with program administrators, staff, and artifacts. Consistent with Lieber and colleague’s (2000) findings of factors that facilitate the initiation of inclusive education, participants discussed the following malleable, program-level exosystem factors: (1) vision for inclusion, (2) program-level policies, (3) resources, (4) family involvement, and (5) intra- and interagency collaboration. This study found that different factors were described as facilitating inclusive education in each of the three center-based community early childhood education programs. Yet, participants in all cases described a desire for increased collaboration with their school district’s special education service providers. These findings indicate a need for an improved collaborative relationship between the school district and the community's center-based early childhood programs. This exploratory study yielded important insights into how members of community early childhood education programs can promote inclusive education in their centers. Specifically, the study identified program-level variables that can be modified to facilitate inclusive education. Additionally, administrators and staff from community early childhood education programs shared valuable knowledge on how they modify program-level exosystem factors to facilitate inclusive education in their programs.
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Date
2023-01-01
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University of Kansas
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This item contains archived web content.
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1040213_1.pdf
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- Embargoed until 2173-05-31
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Keywords
Education, Early childhood education, community, early childhood, exosystem, inclusion, inclusive education