Head Start Teachers’ Needs, Supports, and Practices for Including Young Children With Disabilities

• In Event: Roundtable Session 32
  In Roundtable Session: Inclusionary Practices in Special Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to contribute to a richer understanding of early childhood inclusion in Head Start settings and address the paucity of inclusion research in Head Start. Specifically, we sought to address the complexity of inclusion in Head Start classrooms with a focus on the interaction between teachers’ perceptions and practices and the influence of teacher characteristics across and within programs. Using a combination of survey research and classroom observations, participants included 71 instructional professionals at three Head Start sites. Findings suggested that teachers' perceived needs are greater than the level of support they receive and that their inclusion practices do a moderately good job meeting the needs of children with disabilities in Head Start classrooms.

Authors

• Leah Schoenberg Muccio, University of Hawaii at Manoa

• Julie K. Kidd, George Mason University