Cultivating Inclusion: Redesigning Hawaiʻi Community College Early Childhood Programs

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session Two
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT075 (Thursday)

Abstract

The Hawaiʻi Early Childhood Professional Preparation Project (HI-Pro) is a statewide initiative to enhance community college programs and prepare the early childhood workforce to better serve young children with disabilities and their families. Guided by frameworks of social justice, equity, and Universal Design for Learning, this research in progress investigates how curricular redesign and faculty development can advance inclusive practices in early childhood education across Hawaiʻi’s two-year colleges. Using mixed methods—surveys, focus groups, and curriculum analysis—the project examines baseline competencies and implements targeted interventions. Anticipated findings will inform best practices for institutionalizing inclusion, with implications for ECE workforce preparation in Indigenous and minority-serving contexts.

Author

• Lilian Bautista Rebamonte-Smith, University of Hawaii