Photo: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for Children

Next month, the Departments of Early Education and Care and Elementary and Secondary Education are sponsoring a free conference called, “Building Inclusive Communities in Early Childhood.”

The conference will be held on Friday, March 15, 2019, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (check-in starts at 8:30 a.m.) at the Devens Common Center in Devens, Mass. Click here to register.

“Inclusion in early childhood programs refers to including children with disabilities in early childhood programs, together with their peers without disabilities,” according to a 2015 joint statement from the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services.

These children often “face significant barriers to accessing inclusive high-quality early childhood programs…”

What can be done? The conference will share answers. As the conference flyer explains, early educators who attend will:

• “Hear from 10 Massachusetts school and community teams about their successes and challenges in implementing recommended practices in early childhood inclusive education.”

• “Learn with Dr. Richard Villa and Dr. Jacqueline Thousand about a decision-making process for determining where, when, and how to address IEP goals for young children with intensive and pervasive support needs,” and

• “Preview chapters from Drs. Villa and Thousand’s upcoming book on inclusive approaches in educating young children in inclusive early education settings.”

These who attend the conference will be able to:

• “Develop or refine an action plan that describes how your community team will create strong partnerships with community partners to strengthen inclusive early childhood practices.”

• learn about “strategies for engaging families and providers in collaborative decision-making,” and

• learn about “strategies, resources, and tools for developing appropriate practices for promoting inclusive experiences”

Who should attend?

“Special Education Directors, Early Childhood Coordinators, Elementary Principals, Teachers, Early Care and Education Directors, Head Start Disabilities/Education Coordinators, Family Services Coordinators, PEG Coordinators, Early Intervention Directors and Community Partners,” the conference information says.

The 2015 federal guidelines sum up the importance of this work, by noting, “As the country continues to move forward on the critical task of expanding access to high-quality early childhood programs for all young children, it is imperative that children with disabilities be included at the onset of each of these efforts, and be offered equal opportunities to benefit from these experiences.”