Inclusive Early Education Resources

Resources to support inclusive policies and practices for early care and education.

California State Preschool Program (CSPP) Resources

Management Bulletin 23-02 on Serving Children with Disabilities
- Management Bulletin 23-02
Enrolling Children with Exceptional Needs in the Set Aside Diagram
- CSPP Enrollment for Children with Exceptional Needs (DOCX)
Children with Disabilities Survey Questions (DOCX)
- Children with Disabilities Survey Question Link
Frequently Asked Questions on Serving Children with Disabilities in CSPP
- For any questions, please email InclusionSupport@cde.ca.gov
Webinar Resources
- Webinar Recording February 10, 2023
  - CSPP Serving Children with Disabilities (Video; 1:25:42)
- Webinar Slides February 10, 2023
  - Serving Children with Disabilities in CSPP (PPTX)

Professional Development Resources 

In California and nationwide, children with disabilities and their families continue to face significant barriers to accessing inclusive high-quality preschool programs that can provide needed services. Research shows the benefits of inclusive education for young children with and without disabilities. Creating policies, programs, and practices that supports inclusion leads to positive and equity impacts for all children.

In an effort to uplift high-quality inclusive early education, the Early Education Division (EED) at the California Department of Education (CDE), in collaboration with the Impact Inclusion Workgroup has developed a resource matrix to support providers, administrators, and parents with information to help support increased access to children with disabilities in inclusive programs.

Governance and Leadership
Finance
Personnel, Workforce, and Quality Standards
Accountability and Quality
Family Engagement

Please note that an X indicates that the corresponding resource would be beneficial to the targeted audience, and an N/A indicates that the resource would not be beneficial.

Governance and Leadership

General Inclusion Resources

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Beginning Together	N/A	X	X
Talking with Parents When You Have Concerns About a Child in Your Care	N/A	X	X
Division of Early Childhood of the Council of Exceptional Children	X	X	X
Inclusion Works! Creating Child Care Programs That Promote Belonging for Children with Disabilities (PDF) California Preschool Instructional Network (Inclusion Works)	N/A	X	X
IRIS Center Peabody College Vanderbilt University	N/A	X	X
Los Angeles Unified Sschool District Position Paper	N/A	X	X
Orange County Department of Education - CA MTSS	X	X	X
A Joint Position Statement of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) (PDF)	X	X	X
National Center for Systemic Improvement: Transforming State Systems to Improve Outcomes for Children with Disabilities	N/A	N/A	X

California Department of Education (CDE)

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
California Multi- Tiered System of Support (CA MTSS)	X	X	X
Laws, Regulations, & Policies	X	X	X
Announcements & Current Issues	N/A	X	X
Handbook on Developing and Evaluating Interagency Collaboration in Early Childhood Special Education Programs (PDF)	N/A	X	X

Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center	X	X	X
Considerations for Developing State Policies and Guidance on Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs (PDF)	N/A	N/A	X
Key Principles Underlying the IEP Process: Supporting Family Participation, Inclusive Practices and Positive Outcomes for Preschool Children with Disabilities	X	X	X
Preschool LRE Reference Points and Discussion Prompts (PDF)	X	X	X
ECTA Center: Making Sound Preschool LRE Decisions	X	X	X

Head Start

Resource	Families	Providers or Teachers	Administrators
Collaboration on Head Start and Free and Appropriate Public Education (PDF)	N/A	X	X
Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center: Head Start Inclusion Webinars	N/A	X	X
Engaging Families of Children with Disabilities	N/A	X	X
Guidance on Creating an Effective Memorandum of Understanding to Support High-Quality Inclusive Early Childhood Systems	N/A	X	X
Head Start Center for Inclusion	N/A	X	X

Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) Part B, Sec 619

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR): Part 300 — Assistance to States for the Education of Children with Disabilitlies	N/A	X	X
Dear Colleague Letter - Preschool Least Restrictive Environments (LRE) (PDF)	N/A	X	X
Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8 (PDF)	N/A	X	X
Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) - Section 619	N/A	X	X
ECTA: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)	N/A	X	X
IDEA - Statute Chapter 33	X	X	X
POLICY STATEMENT: Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs (Nov. 28, 2023)	N/A	X	X

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Finance

Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
ECTA Center: System Framework: Finance	N/A	N/A	X
ECTA Center: Financing Strategies and Collaborative Funding for Inclusive Programs	N/A	N/A	X
Funds Supporting IDEA Services and Early Childhood Settings for Young Children with Disabilities (DOCX)	N/A	N/A	X
Preschool Inclusion Finance Toolkit (PDF)	N/A	N/A	X
Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs (PDF)	N/A	N/A	X

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Personnel, Workforce, and Quality Standards

Adaptations and Accommodations

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Desired Results Access Project: Planning Adaptations for Distance Learning	N/A	X	X
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education (STEMIE) Guide to Adaptations	N/A	X	X

Early Identification Tools

Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)-3

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
ASQ	X	X	X
ASQ and ASQ-SE Comprehensive Seminar	N/A	X	X
ASQ and ASQ-SE Training of Trainers	N/A	X	X

ASQ – Social Emotional (ASQ-SE)-2

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Social Emotional Screening of Young Children: Early Identification is Essential to Healthy SEL, by Barton and Steed	X	X	X

Assessment and Evaluation Process

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Desired Results Access Project	N/A	X	X
Special Education Division (SED): Individualized Education Program (IEP) process	X	X	X
Handbook on Assessment and Evaluation in Early Childhood Special Education Programs (PDF)	X	X	X
A Guide to the Individualized Education Program	X	X	X
California Courts: Assessments and Eligibility	X	X	X

California Special Education Technical Assistance Network

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
California Special Education Technical Assistance Network	N/A	X	X

Co-teaching

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
2 Teach Inclusive education...with a sense of humor!	N/A	X	X

Embedded Instruction

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Embedded Instruction Teaching Practices (California)	N/A	X	X
Embedded Instruction for Early Learning: National Center	N/A	X	X

Evidence-Based Practice

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
California Autism Professional Training and Information Network	X	X	X
Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children	N/A	X	X
Connect Modules	N/A	X	X

High-Quality Early Learning Environments

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Inclusive Classroom Profile	N/A	X	X
Seeds of Partnership - High Quality Early Learning Environment	X	X	X

Models of Inclusion and Natural Environment Stories

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Seeds of Partnership Project: Models of Inclusion and Natural Environment Stories	N/A	X	X

National Professional Development Center on Inclusion

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
National Professional Development Center on Inclusion	N/A	X	X

Preschool Learning Foundations

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Preschool Curriculum Framework	N/A	X	X
Preschool Learning Foundations	N/A	X	X

Social-Emotional Learning

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
California Early Childhood Online	N/A	X	X
California Teaching Pyramid (WestED)	N/A	X	X
Changing Perspectives Now: Disability Awareness	X	X	X
Pyramid Model Implemented with Practice-based Coaching	N/A	X	X
The National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPM)	N/A	X	X

Supporting Inclusive Practices

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Supporting Inclusive Practices	N/A	X	X
Universal Pre-kindergarten (UPK) Inclusion Resources	N/A	X	X
Supporting Inclusive Practices Inclusive Early Education Expansion Program (IEEEP)	N/A	X	X
Supporting Inclusive Practices Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) Inclusion Resources	N/A	X	X
Universal Pre-Kindergarten: Seeds of Change	N/A	X	X

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
CAST Professional Learning- the Data Inquiry UDL Cycle and UDL Implementation Work Together to Improve Teaching and Learning (PDF)	N/A	X	X
CAST Universal Design for Learning (UDL)	N/A	X	X
UDL in Early Learning for Distance Learning	N/A	X	X
UDL Guidelines Tool	N/A	X	X

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Accountability and Quality

Cultural Competencies and Implicit Bias

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Creating Brave Spaces: Disrupting Implicit Bias in Early Care and Education	N/A	X	X
DEC/ECTA Equity Webinar Series	N/A	X	X
Disrupting Implicit Bias in Early Childhood Programs	N/A	X	X
Family-Centered Approach for Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Considerations for Early Intervention	N/A	X	X
Race Today: What Kids Know as They Grow \| Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences	N/A	X	X
“Racing” Towards Equality: Why Talking to Your Kids About Race Is Good for Everyone	N/A	X	X
Reimagining Equity & Access for Diverse Youth	N/A	X	X
Understanding Implicit Bias and Its Role in Early Learning Environments	N/A	X	X
Zero To Three eLearn: Equity-Informed Practice	N/A	X	X

Data Support

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
DaSy (The Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems)	N/A	X	X

Effective Early Childhood Transitions

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
California Early Childhood Special Education Network (CalECSE)	N/A	X	X
California Early Childhood Online	N/A	X	X
California Resource and Referral Network	X	X	X
Effective Early Childhood Transitions: A Guide for Transition at Age Three — Early Start to Preschool	X	X	X
Federal IDEA Part C & Part B Transition Requirements for Late Referrals to IDEA Part C (PDF)	N/A	X	X
Part C to B for CA Kids Workgroup Recommendations-SB 75 Workgroup Recommendations (PDF)	X	X	X
Improving Transition Outcomes for Black and Latinx Children with Developmental Disabilities	X	X	X
Transitions from Early Start	N/A	X	X

Preventing Suspension and Expulsion of Young Children

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Discipline Discussions: Our Discipline Policies Reflect Our Priorities	X	X	X
Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports	N/A	X	X
Preventing Suspension and Expulsion of Young Children in Child Care & Early Education Settings	N/A	X	X

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Family Engagement

Developmental Milestones

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Centers for Disease Control: Learn the Signs, Act Early	X	X	N/A
Development is a Journey	X	X	X
Reasons for Concern: When you suspect your child or a child in your care may have a disability or special need(s)	X	X	N/A
What to do when there are concerns about a child’s development (PDF)	X	X	X
How to Get Help for Your Child (PDF)	X	N/A	N/A
Milestone Tracker	X	X	X
All About Young Children	X	X	X

Seeds of Partnership/Family Empowerment Centers

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Seeds of Partnership - FEC by County	X	X	X
Seeds of Partnership	X	X	X

Family Resources

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
California Parent Organizations	X	X	X
Seeds of Partnership	X	X	X
Tools and Resources for Families and Family Support Personnel - CAPTAIN	X	X	X
National Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)	X	N/A	N/A
Parents Helping Parents (PHP)	X	N/A	N/A
The Story of Max	X	X	X
La historia de Max	X	X	X

Strengthening Families

Resource	Families	Providers and Teachers	Administrators
Strengthening Families	X	X	X
Children's Trust Fund Alliance	X	X	X
Center for the Study of Social Policy: Ideas into Action	X	X	X

Questions: Early Education Division | 916-322-6233

Last Reviewed: Tuesday, December 5, 2023

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