• A match of values and goals between families, the child care community and the special education community

• The belief that children's participation and inclusion in natural settings is a valued goal in itself and remediation of children's deficits is not the only important goal of special education

• A community-wide philosophy of acceptance of diversity and learning variance

• A high degree of collaboration and participation in designing the program and in making operating decisions for the program

• Mutual ownership of the program and of all the children attending

• Compatibility between the design of the special education instruction and the routines and practices of the child care setting

• Positive adult relationships, with rewarding experiences in teaming and collaborating

• Differences of opinions resolved through a problem-solving strategy

"You need a major sense of human and a realistic idealism; having one's head in the clouds and one's feet on the ground at the same time."