Limiting removals of children with disabilities at child care facilities

Limiting removals of children with disabilities at child care facilities

In the United States, the issue of inclusivity in child care settings has gained significant attention. Under the current administration, federal momentum on the matter has largely stalled, with funding for some inclusion efforts in jeopardy. However, progress over the next few years could hinge largely on state and local investment.

One such initiative is Ohio PROMISE, a state-funded programme that offers free online training for child care workers in Ohio. The training aims to strengthen their knowledge and confidence in working with young children with disabilities and developmental delays. In its first year, 1,001 child care centers - about 10 percent of the total number in Ohio - earned the designation.

Ohio PROMISE provides training in three levels, with customized coaching for preschool teachers to create communication tools for nonverbal students and support for families. The initiative also extends child care vouchers to families with incomes above the poverty level, with a higher reimbursement rate for children with disabilities. Over the last two years, Ohio has seen a 38 percent increase in the number of children in publicly funded centers who qualify for the higher voucher reimbursement rate.

In Vermont, officials hope to soon unveil a free, on-demand training program aimed at helping child care teachers have more inclusive classrooms. These initiatives are part of a multi-layered federal and state approach involving funding, technical assistance, training, and specialized grants designed to enhance child care centers’ ability to inclusively serve children with disabilities effectively.

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) funds a Technical Assistance (TA) network under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This network provides support to state and local educational agencies, programs, and child care settings to meet the needs of children with disabilities from birth through age 21.

Some states have grant programs aimed at helping child care centers serve children with disabilities. For example, Vermont has a Special Accommodations Grant that provides funds to help child care centers purchase specialized equipment or hire aides for individual children with disabilities.

States also use training initiatives for child care providers and administrators to improve inclusion and reduce the expulsion of children with disabilities. Ohio and Vermont provide targeted training programs intended to build provider capacity to support neurodivergent children effectively.

The National Center for a System of Services for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) works at community, state, and national levels to strengthen systems of services for children with special health care needs, including technical assistance, training, and frameworks to support inclusion and quality care.

Programs funded by the Child Care and Development Fund in states like Virginia aim to increase the availability, affordability, and quality of child care services, which includes resources and support for developmental and health needs of children.

Despite these initiatives, child care providers across the country still struggle to meet the needs of children with disabilities. The Edwards Creative Learning Center in Columbus, Ohio, for instance, used to turn away children with disabilities such as autism and Down syndrome. However, the center has since made significant strides in becoming more inclusive. By adding fidget toys for children with sensory issues, rearranging the classroom to create calming areas, providing communication books to nonverbal children, and teaching everyone some sign language, the center has created a more inclusive environment.

The efforts to create more inclusive child care settings are not just beneficial for the children with disabilities but also for their peers. Liasun Meadows, whose son has Down syndrome, chose the Edwards Creative Learning Center and has not been disappointed.

Selina Likely, the director of the center, was inspired to work in child care after her own daughter was expelled from a child care center for biting. Likely's daughter was later diagnosed with autism. In response to the expulsion, Likely worked diligently to create a more inclusive environment at the center.

However, these efforts face challenges. States rely on Medicaid to pay for early intervention programs for children birth to age 3 with developmental delays and disabilities, but Medicaid faces nearly $1 trillion in cuts over the next decade. Moreover, policies such as Trump's proposal to eliminate Preschool Development Grants, which states have used to expand support of young children with disabilities, could further hinder progress.

Despite these challenges, the efforts to create more inclusive child care settings are crucial. Grove, the director of the centre, hopes that ultimately the effort plays a role in narrowing a critical and stubborn gap in the state: about 27 percent of children without disabilities show readiness on state standards for kindergarten; only 14 percent of children with disabilities do. Since so few disabilities exhibited at that age are related to intellectual or cognitive functioning, "we shouldn’t see that gap," said Grove.

References:

1. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
2. Vermont Department for Children and Families
3. National Center for a System of Services for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN)
4. Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
5. Virginia Department of Social Services
6. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) funds a Technical Assistance (TA) network under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), providing support nationwide for child care settings to better serve children with disabilities.
7. In Ohio, the Ohio PROMISE program offers free online training to child care workers, focusing on special education, early childhood education, and improving their ability to work with young children with disabilities and developmental delays.
8. Despite such initiatives, funding for inclusion efforts remains at risk, as Medicaid faces potential cuts of nearly $1 trillion over the next decade, which also supports early intervention programs for children with developmental delays and disabilities.

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