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Improving Systems, Practices, and Outcomes

Indicators of High-Quality Inclusion

Inclusion is defined as the values, policies, and practices that support the right of every infant and young child and their family to participate in a broad range of activities and contexts as full members of families, communities, and society—regardless of ability. The desired results of inclusive experiences for children with and without disabilities and their families include a sense of belonging, positive social relationships and friendships, and development and learning to reach their full potential.

The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Education have underscored the importance of each agency to support children with disabilities. The 2023 Joint Policy Statement on the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs is a detailed resource that outlines the beliefs, research, requirements, and strategies that states, and communities should undertake to ensure the inclusion of infants, toddlers, and preschool children with disabilities in high-quality early childhood programs.

"Disability is a natural part of the human experience and in no way diminishes the right of individuals to participate in or contribute to society. Improving educational results for children with disabilities is an essential element of our national policy of ensuring equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities."

Children with disabilities receive care in a variety of settings including schools, childcare centers, Head Start programs, and family childcare environments. Yet, families encounter difficulties in securing care for their children with disabilities, leading to a reliance on fragmented settings and services (The Center for American Progress, 2020). Systems and supports for inclusion are important in addressing the challenges that children with disabilities and their families face because inclusion supports the building of a unified system that connects children, families, and professionals to the resources that build a network of centralized early childhood education services and wraparound supports.

To address these challenges and provide access and experiences that lead to positive outcomes for children with disabilities, the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center presents the Indicators of High-Quality Inclusion.

Key Features

The four sets of indicators were designed by a group of cross-sector national partners to respond to the evolving needs of the early childhood education system. The Indicators of High-Quality Inclusion should be used as a capacity building tool rather than a performance checklist or assessment. The indicators help teams implement inclusive practices at all system levels: state, community, local program, and environments where children receive care. They also help teams discuss barriers to inclusion and develop effective solutions.

The Indicators of High-Quality Inclusion and the supporting elements are written broadly enough to allow state, community, and local program teams to implement inclusion in various settings, and specifically enough to be a coaching tool once implementation plans are developed.

The indicators are used to support children with disabilities to receive educational supports in the settings selected by their families. These include public schools, childcare centers, Head Start programs, or family childcare environments. The indicators are used to create state programs, policies and processes that are aligned with and supportive of children and families in flexible special education delivery.

The indicators are designed to uphold the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by ensuring that all children receive supports and services that lead to educational access, experiences and outcomes.

The indicators build on the existing capacity of all programs, policies, processes and personnel at the state, community, local program and environment levels where children receive supports and services. The indicators are responsive to the many ways states and local programs implement IDEA.

Teams at the state, community, local program and environment level use the indicators to design and implement inclusive systems, processes and practices, understand challenges in the field, and generate solutions.

The indicators support the use of inclusive practices that fit the unique needs and conditions of each state and community, starting with identifying local strengths.

The indicators help all agencies build or revise systems that support children with disabilities in the early childhood settings selected by their families. Partners include state and local agencies of education, early childhood, health and human services, and child welfare.

In line with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 20 U.S.C. §1400(c)(1), the indicators ensure the long-term equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.

Indicators of High-Quality Inclusion

Using and Implementing the Indicators

Inclusion Indicator Decision Tree

This tool guides cross-sector teams to use the Indicators of High Quality Inclusion across all levels of a system. It also provides resources for addressing supports and barriers to implementation.

Get Started: Decision Tree

What Matters Most in the First Three Years

This tool offers guidance for using the Early Care and Education Environment Indicators of High-Quality Inclusion to promote inclusive environments for children ages birth–3 and their families.

Get Started: What Matters Most

Key Assumptions About Teaching and Learning

The Indicators of High Quality Inclusion were developed from several key assumptions about teaching and learning in the early childhood system. They have been adapted to support the implementation of the Inclusion Indicators in a birth–8 system.

Adapted from the Council of Chief State School Officers' Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning Progressions for Teachers 1.0 (2013).

Children, families, and providers are autonomous and unique. Social experiences drive how children learn and develop. Providers must pay close attention to the assumptions they bring to the teaching and learning experience. Authentic and affirming experiences and environments set the stage for children's learning. Teaching occurs within this dynamic. Learning depends on how these experiences are shared.

Professional development is key to supporting a learning process for providers. Building capacity for effective teaching takes time, energy, and resources. The Inclusion Indicators support creating a system that provides the time and space to develop teaching expertise.

Teaching expertise is gained through an engaged process with opportunities to observe, practice, reflect, and try again. Capacity building is an individual process or shared group process which is clear, intentional, and non-evaluative.

Building capacity depends on the conditions under which the provider is learning. Provider learning is more likely to occur where provider wellness is a central consideration. The Inclusion Indicators acknowledge that building teaching expertise requires both training and coaching implemented over time.

The Inclusion Indicators help ensure that the entire system supports building teacher practices and capacity. Provider success in building provider capacity is the responsibility of the entire system. The success of the provider is based on how effectively policies and processes across the system are implemented.

The Foundation for Inclusion in Early Childhood Programs

"Young children with disabilities must be given access to the early childhood programs, services, and experiences that children without disabilities have within a State or local community. Specifically, high-quality inclusive early childhood programs are ones that:

  • Include children with disabilities in early childhood programs they would participate in if they did not have a disability, so they can learn together with their peers without disabilities;
  • Provide high-quality teaching and learning environments that support children's development and allow all children to meet high expectations;
  • Intentionally promote children's participation in all learning and social activities, facilitated by individualized accommodations and differentiated interventions and instruction;
  • Use high-quality, evidence-based services and supports that are developmentally appropriate and, culturally and linguistically responsive and that foster children's—
    • acquisition and use of knowledge and skills,
    • use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs,
    • positive social emotional skills, including friendships with peers, and
    • sense of belonging;
  • Provide services and supports to children with disabilities in early childhood programs with peers without disabilities, and within daily routines and learning and social activities;
  • Recognize families as collaborative partners, experts, and engaged decision-makers in their children's lives and value and treat children with disabilities and their families with respect; and
  • Ensure supports, such as screening and identification processes, early childhood program and school partnerships, access to and use of data, and PD are in place to enable early childhood programs and providers to successfully include children with disabilities and their families."
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The contents of this page were developed under cooperative agreements #H326P220002 (ECTA Center) and #H326B220002 (NCPMI), from the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.