Early Childhood Providers' Decision Making for Serving Children With Disabilities: A Mixed-Methods Study

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Nine
  In Roundtable Session: Supporting Early Childhood Learners With Disabilities (Table 16)

Abstract

Federal legislation mandates inclusion of children with disabilities into early childhood education (ECE) (IDEA, 2004), but exclusionary practices exist. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined ECE center characteristics and decision-making processes impacting inclusion of children with disabilities in ECE in Arkansas. Logistic regression of 463 ECE providers’ surveys indicated characteristics that increased (higher quality rating) and decreased (private pay, church-sponsored, urban location, and for-profit) the likelihood of serving children with disabilities. Additionally, we thematically analyzed interviews (n=35) discussing providers’ decisions around serving children with disabilities, identifying five themes: Factoring Disability into Enrollment Decisions; Stakeholders and Policies Influence Enrollment; Lack of Demand; Staff and Training Needs; and Serving as Referrer. Our results provide insight into factors influencing ECE inclusion.

Authors

• Melissa Stoffers, University of Delaware
  Presenting Author

• Gerilyn Slicker, University of Nevada - Las Vegas
  Presenting Author