Overview
As an early childhood professional you are required to provide inclusive and accessible learning environments for all children. This requires you to provide individualised support for children with additional needs while also ensuring that the learning environment does not single out or isolate any child. In this assignment you will explore strategies and plans that look at both individual and classroom-wide inclusion.
As you have learned throughout this unit, and specifically in Weeks 9–11, inclusion is not just about catering for individual disabilities one at a time. Inclusive programs and effective teachers look at the child and not the disability and build learning environments and activities that embrace the strengths and differences of all children.
Related learning outcomes
This task is assessing your ability to demonstrate that you meet the criteria for the following unit learning outcomes:
- Research and synthesise information about specific types of additional needs to inform plans for the inclusion of individual children.
- Identify and apply relevant policies and practices that support children’s additional needs, including setting up inclusive environments that invite all children’s full participation.
- Construct strategies and inclusion plans for children showing integrity and a capacity to work collaboratively with families and professionals.
Details
This assignment task requires you to critically analyse and reflect on a case study of a typical early childhood environment. You are then required to write a report on actions you would take as an educator to provide a learning environment inclusive of all children. The case study can be accessed from the following link:
Based on the long day care case study and profiles provided, present a report on actions you, as an educator assigned to the classroom, would take to help ensure this setting is inclusive of all the students in the classroom. You have been provided with the profiles of five children with varying needs, who are to be included within this classroom. As the educator, you need to cater not only for these five children, but also every child within your care. Please ensure that you follow the teachings of this unit and consider these children within the educational setting holistically, rather than diagnostically.
Your report should be presented in the following format:
- Introduction(approx 300 words).
Briefly define the key challenges you have identified in the case study. - Discussion (approx 600 words).
In your discussion consider:- the capacity to include children with additional needs—what are common adjustments that take into account a range of additional needs
- some of the issues that impact on educators’ capacity to provide a care environment that is inclusive of all children
- how educators can manage the competing demands of inclusion of children with additional needs, with the demands of providing an inclusive environment for all children.
- Recommendations for action, support and implementation (approx. 600 words).
Provide a brief list of actions you would take to provide a fully inclusive environment for the classroom and specific children in the case study. This should include:- the documents and processes you would undertake and who you would consult
- setup and adaptations you would make to the learning space (indoor and outdoor)
- learning experiences and programs you would run
- types of play you would encourage and schedules and structure you would introduce.
Criteria
- Evidence of research into the specific additional need from cognitive, emotional and social perspectives.
- Capacity to plan for and identify strategies that support the inclusion of all children with additional needs.
- Discussion and analysis of the planning process.
- Structure and integration of ideas.
The specific needs of the children in the case study are used to highlight the complexity of decisions about the care required for children with additional needs. An extensive range of independently sourced literature expertly supports all decisions and connects with broader understandings of inclusion and diversity.
Comprehensive strategies and plans for ongoing inclusion have been offered with some original and insightful suggestions for how they would meet the specific needs of the children from the case study and their peers.
Detailed connections have been made to broader policies, support agencies and theories of inclusive learning environments and programs.
Challenging, comprehensive critical analysis is sustained throughout the reflection. An authoritative and persuasive argument is demonstrated when considering the challenges of implementing inclusion plans for inclusive environments and programs.
Highly sophisticated, fluent and persuasive expression of ideas.
Great clarity and maturity of presentation. Little ambiguity in the expression of information and ideas. References embedded expertly into the flow of information and ideas. Flawless use of APA style for all forms of referencing.
Case study details
Assignment 3: Case study
Centre profile
This mainstream long day children’s centre is located in a western suburb, 25 km or so from Melbourne’s CBD. The centre is licensed for 40 children, 12 under two years old. It has a government-funded kindergarten that enrols children from the age of three years old.
Apart from the kindergarten session, the centre does not separate children into different rooms/age groups. Children bring their own lunch from home. Morning and afternoon tea are provided. The centre is non-for-profit. All parents are on a roster of working bees.
There are two outdoor areas: a bigger one for all the children and a smaller one for kindergarten children only.
The centre has two rabbits kept in the bigger outdoor area, but they are free to wander around the centre during the day. There is also a garden in the kindergarten outdoor area where children grow their vegetables and often share the harvest with families.
The centre is within a mid-low socioeconomic zone. It is a very supportive and close-knit community. The centre is very close to the community centre where health care, local library and sports facilities are included. Many of the parents work very long hours and some are unemployed and seeking work.
Room profile
You are one of three educators assigned to the room. There are 15 children in your room on different days. On average there are 10 children in the room each day with ages ranging from 1 to 5 years old.
Below is a list of children who could require additional attention and support due to their special and unique circumstances.
Abby, 4.5 years old
Abby interacts well with adults and in one-on-one situations. She is interested in animals and Peppa Pig. She is the only child of parents who are both employed full-time and doesn’t seem to like to interact in big groups. Historically, she moved to this current centre because she was removed from her previous one for disruptive behaviours, however, her parents report that she is very well-behaved at home. Abby’s parents strongly believe that the centre should be responsible for providing a supportive environment for their daughter. Abby has had a psychologist assessment and it has indicated that her language skill is above her age. She has already started reading at home.
Jason, 4
Jason is a vivacious and lively four-year-old, who loves to joke and wrestle with other children. He is currently able to verbalise words associated with those close to him, such as ‘Mum, love’ and ‘Dad, fishing’. He has a diagnosis of Down syndrome and a loving and supportive, large immediate family. Jason loves to play with the iPad, especially when it comes to exploring Avengers characters.
Amos, 3.5 years old
Amos is physically large for his age. He has just moved to Melbourne from China. He has little English, but can be very chatty if someone speaks Mandarin (his native language) to him. He loves to play outdoors and dress up in any sort of costume.
Sienna, 3 years old
Sienna prefers structure and routine. She is non-verbal and loves to listen to Taylor Swift, often for long periods of time. She is notably disturbed when a change occurs in the class schedule, resulting in outbursts and crying, which can last up to two hours. Sienna has a special attachment to one of the assistants, Mary, seeking her out at any opportunity, especially when beginning to show signs of distress. Sienna also has a piece of blanket that is used as a comforter throughout her day. She has a sister, Bethany, who is in primary school and they are in the care of a maternal grandmother, due to ongoing issues with the biological parents.
Julie, 1 year old
Julie has just started attending the centre. She is the first-born child and both parents are in full-time employment. Julie loves other children interacting with her, although loud noises can cause her to become upset. Her parents are very anxious about sending her to a childcare centre, especially in relation to nutrition and supervision, and currently require constant updates from the centre throughout the day.
Must References
Allen, K. E. and Cowdery, G. E. (2014). The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education (8th ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.
Cologon, K. (Ed). (2014). Inclusive education in the early years: Right from the start. Oxford University Press.
Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority [ACECQA]. (2012). The National Quality Framework. Retrieved from https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/about
Department of Education and Training. (2016). Belonging, Being & Becoming – The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Retrieved from https://docs.education.gov.au/node/2632
Early Childhood Australia. (n.d.). Social and emotional learning. Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/nqsplp/e-learning-videos/talking-about-practice/social-and-emotional-learning/
Possible references
Gadzikowski, A. (2013). Challenging Exceptionally Bright Children in Early Childhood Classrooms (pp.27-39). New York: Redleaf Press.
Palmer, A. (2001). Chapter 6 Responding to special needs. In E. Dau (Ed.), The anti-bias approach in Childhood (2nd ed., pp. 83-94). Frenchs Forest NSW: Pearson Education Australia.
