This manual is designed to assist child care providers with
information on including children with disabilities in their
facilities. It shows you the process that is necessary for a child
to receive services, and helps you to identify which children may
be eligible. The manual also takes you through the steps of
setting up a collaborative inclusive program, and gives key
indicators of good inclusive programs, to help evaluate your
program. Many resources are listed in the back of this booklet,
should you want more information on any topic.
We hope that this manual serves as a useful guide to get you
started. We interviewed many day care providers and special
educators who provide services in a variety of inclusive settings,
and thank them for their valuable insights. This manual was
originally developed for providers in Onondaga County, New York.
This education has been revised to be applicable to a national
audience and thus the resources or procedures for eligibility and
referral are more general than the original. If your facility
is in New York and you would like specific information about
eligibility and referral procedures, call the Early Childhood
Direction Center at 1-800-962-5488 (NYS only).