How do you educate all families on the value of a truly inclusive environment? Brillante writes about equity and inclusion as a philosophy on pages 2-3 and 25-26. How might you use this information to educate families and teachers? What resources and strategies do you use and would recommend to others?
As a Director of a private preschool I have a group of families that have chosen my center. They pay tuition weekly and must feel happy with their choice on a weekly basis. They can leave at any time. It is a very different set of circumstances than running a public ally funded program. At times it has been a tough sell why a child with behavior issues remains in their child’s class. What becomes worst case scenario is when their child is repeatedly hurt. We have to write those accident reports on everything! I try to get way out in front of a complaint like that. I will take the parent privately and discuss what happened, what we did about it (explain our conflict resolution program) and how this could become a teachable moment for their child to gain skills and confidence. It is important that I have that discussion before they see that report. I also try to get them onboard to react empathically to the child that did the hurting. I love this quote from Brillante “Even if a child has been identified as having a disability, she is first and foremost a child.” They need to believe that their child can actually benefit from an inclusive classroom and the whole staff need to believe this is truth. The Director’s role is to see this through in practice not just use it as a catchy phrase in a brochure. The day to day work can be hard on the teachers and they need to be supported. They need time to process a tough day, be able to talk about it together and be listened to. I’ m thinking mainly of the behavior issues that can come from an undiagnosed disability.
ReplyDeleteTheresa, your program is certainly pro-active in the way you approach the delicate subject of inclusion. I also applaud you in the way you support your teachers. Families need to feel that they are part of the team when it comes to making decisions for their child. When we are concerned about a specific child that may be acting out in our program, we are proactive in dealing with the behavior by observing and documenting the behavior and including these observations in the child's weekly progress reports as well as TSG. The staff has a team meeting about the child which ideally includes the parent. It can be an extremely scary situation for the parent. They are afraid and overwhelmed that their child will become excluded from not only the school but from play within their child's peer group, But, as you stated, the other parents of children in your program also need to become partners in their child's education. I also loved Brillante's quote, "Even if a child has been identified as having a disability, she is first and foremost a child". I will suggest including this in our parent's handbook in the future. Children repeat what they see. If we become examples of empathy, practice what we preach for example, in our own classrooms, the children will idealey mirror our behaviors.
DeleteHi Theresa and Amy,
DeleteI wonder, how do you and others promote compassion among families? How do we encourage families to be empathetic? I had families to remove their child if a child with challenges wasn't removed from the classroom. Has anyone experienced this?
As a director also and I really try to advocate for my teachers and families. I have many families that I speak to all the time and tell them if we do not have open communication that it is difficult to work as a team. The goals we are all in searching for is for the child and getting their needs met. I have a child in which has been difficult in the classroom and needs one on one support most of the time. Instead of my teachers saying he is too much, It more about how can we help him. What does he need at this time to succeed. It not about fairness, it is about what that individual child needs and how the teachers can get through the day. This child has been observed by public schools 2 times in my program and stated that we are doing everything they would do. We are still struggling due to the fact this child is emotionally overwhelmed with more than 6 children. He becomes impulsive and has no control over body awareness. He will get overwhelmed and hit, kick, bite, throw and has hurt children. We addressed to mom, and other specialists. Early Intervention from his past with permission, public school, and behavioral consultant. I was given advise to give mom no choice because she has difficulty making decisions as well. That I tell her that I can not hold him back that he needs to go to get services in his town and a center in his town that has available transportation and services. That I am not helping him by trying to continue to help without the services he is lacking. I was torn, but decided to meet with mom and give her the 2 week notice to find a more suitable child care to support his needs.
DeleteI’ve been in the teaching field for 23 years now and I can say that I’ve seen ( as far as children are concerned)the worst and the best at my current job. I can also say that the reason why this change happened ( from the worst to the best) is because of my support system at work. I had my director supporting me 100 % , checking on me hourly , staff members peeking in my classroom asking if I needed a break , and also an incredible amount of help from the visiting specialist. Although these children with behavioral issues were my students I couldn’t have done this without the support . It was definitely a team effort. I’ve learned it first hand what it is to work with a good team and the lasting impact it leaves on children, families, and staff. I still continue to follow the strategies implemented 3 years ago and it’s a ripple effect. I like Amy’s idea to include Brillante ‘s quote “ Even if a child has been identified as having a disability, she is first and foremost, a child” in the parents handbook. I had to remind myself this numerous times while handling tough situations with children. I feel like I’m enjoying the fruit of our ( team’s) labor in my current classroom. I’m not saying it’s going to be all rosy but knowing that I have a strong team to back me definitely helps.
DeleteEach and every child develops at their own pace and rate. Every child can benefit from having a classmate with a disability or being the peer role model for the child or children. Each child has their own strength that they bring to the classroom. This the beginning of teaching a child to see the best in everyone and working on getting along in school, the playground and sport activities with those who donot always share the same skills, social skills and family values. We try to educate our parents and families on supporting each other. we have often have parents mentor one another encourage play groups and parents who have had experiences with the public schools on iEP'S reassuring other parents giving them skills and advice they need to get what opportunities and services that the public schools offer.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary,
DeleteAs I read your post, I thought about the balance between independence and working together. It is true often adults need to be coached on how to work together. Do you and others think perhaps we stress independence too much?
I love Brillante's quote to Theresa “Even if a child has been identified as having a disability, she is first and foremost a child.” I think we all need to be reminded of this. I think if we can get the parents of both children on board this is where we all win. I think stressing that it is a teachable moment for both children and giving examples this could help.
ReplyDeleteDr. Brillante explains that inclusion should be part of every early childhood program’s philosophy. She states that this is supported with research. Inclusion is beneficial to children with and without disabilities, it can support children with disabilities in reaching their fullest potential, resulting in benefits to our society as a whole, and is every person’s right. Armed with this information, we need to educate the families in our programs as to the benefits to having an inclusive classroom and that it is essential in any high-quality program.
ReplyDeleteAs early educators, we are always learning and trying to be the best educators that we can be. We often share information around best practice, curriculum, assessment, behavior management, and what makes up a high-quality program, but we also need to remember that we are partnering with families. To work cooperatively with families, they need to understand our philosophy and why we do what we do.
It is necessary then, to discuss the topic of inclusion at our parent information nights or during parent conferences. We can also point out the benefits of inclusion to parents who are volunteering in our classroom. This topic should be addressed as often as we discuss our schedules, routines, curriculum, behavior management or approaches to social and emotional development. As we discussed in our last face-to-face, often we are “preaching to the choir”, but the more educated our parents and communities are about the importance of a high quality early childhood experience, the more we will begin to see changes in the field.
I'm enjoying the discussion regarding family education and involvement. Seeing different views and ideas enriches all of us. Joanne's idea for including family involvement during information nights is insightful. I have facilitated sessions with families around the idea of play using hands on activities such as play dough and block play. Where they create and discuss all their "learning". What are some creative hands-on activities you could do with families or colleagues to make the point that inclusion benefits all people? I look forward to learning more.
ReplyDelete