Education Commons^™

Implementing Inclusive Early Childhood Education: A Call For Professional Empowerment, Leslie C. Soodak, Elizabeth Erwin, Pam Winton, Mary Jane Brotherson, Ann P. Turnbull, Marci J. Hanson, Linda M.J. Brault

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

We present two scenarios involving a family's experience in accessing a quality inclusive education for their young child to illustrate what it might look like if all stakeholders assumed responsibility for implementing the available research-based information to facilitate inclusive early childhood education. The influence and role of each stakeholder group (i.e., families, administrators, practitioners, college and university faculty, researchers) are discussed. We suggest that to move from mediocrity to excellence in providing inclusive early childhood education, professional empowerment must occur at the individual and program levels.