Abstract
SpecialCare training is a model of training for home- and center-based child care providers. It fosters collaboration between caregivers and early intervention and early childhood special education personnel to support successful placement of children with disabilities in inclusive child care settings. The SpecialCare model of training offers a six-unit, 8-hour curriculum, trainer's manual, and supporting materials that are used to provide SpecialCare training to home- and center-based child care providers. Model efficacy data provide strong evidence that training results in increased knowledge about and comfort with caring for children with disabilities and expanded placement options for children with disabilities.
AT THE END OF A busy, activity-filled day, two trainers pack away post-tests and training forms as well as the adapted glasses, large gloves, and marshmallows used in a training activity. As two caregivers leave, one says, "This training made me realize that kids with disabilities are more like other children than different, and I already know how to care for children." Her colleague responds, "I know what you mean. I'm not so afraid. I think I could do it." Their comments are typical of those made by caregivers after SpecialCare training. Post-test data from more than 2,600 caregivers indicate that SpecialCare training results in increased knowledge about and comfort with caring for children with disabilities.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997 not only reaffirmed the law's original mandate for least restrictive environments but also, in several substantive provisions, strengthened the federal statutory requirements for full inclusion. 1 To meet the mandate of the reauthorized IDEA, states and localities must provide early intervention services for children with disabilities within natural and inclusive settings. Child care now plays an increasingly prominent role in both the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and Individualized Education Program (IEP) as the natural or least restrictive environment in which early intervention or early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) services are provided. The child care setting can serve not only as a natural and inclusive placement option for children with disabilities but also as a family support service under Part C of IDEA.
The need for high-quality, affordable child care is a critical issue for families with young children. National research shows there is a wide range in the quality of child care available across our country. 2 According to Census Bureau data from 1998, more than 65% of mothers with children under age 6 are in the labor force. Every day over six million babies and toddlersthree out of five young childrenare in child care. 3 Conservative estimates indicate that 3% of these children have disabilities, using the incidence of developmental disabilities alone. If the infants and toddlers who are developmentally delayed or at risk for delay were to be counted, the number would grow considerably.
Families of children with disabilities want many of the same things that all families look for in a child care setting. They want their children to be free from teasing, harm, and danger. 4 Most important, they want their children to be valued and supported, to develop friendships, and to participate fully in activities. 4 However, for families of children with disabilities, finding adequate child care is a difficult, if not impossible, task.
A significant barrier for families striving to meet the work requirement of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) is the difficulty of obtaining child care for a young child with a disability. 5 "The absence of appropriate and affordable therapeutic and specialized child care options for young children with disabilities may force many parents to place their children in unlicensed day-care homes, many of which are ill-equipped to manage the often complex requirements of caring for children with special needs." 5(p196) Although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA; Public Law 101-336) entitles children with disabilities access to child care and requires child care providers to take "readily achievable" steps to accommodate children with disabilities, inclusion in child care continues to present a challenge to families. 6
As states have implemented Parts B and C of IDEA, a cadre of trained child care providers has become the essential but frequently missing ingredient in the successful placement of children in natural settings with typically developing peers. Training of caregivers traditionally has focused on curriculum and skill development. However, the attitudes of caregivers and what they believe about children with disabilities are of primary importance to the success of inclusion. 7,8 Inclusion requires a positive attitude from caregivers about accepting children with varying abilities into their settings. 9 The need to address the professional development needs of child care providers at both the preservice and inservice levels is critical. 10
SpecialCare training, a model of training home- and center-based child care providers, has been proven to increase caregiver knowledge and comfort in caring for children with disabilities. The model fosters collaboration between caregivers and EI/ECSE personnel to support successful placement of children with disabilities in inclusive child care settings within the context of their IFSPs or IEPs. The SpecialCare model of training, developed by personnel at Child Development Resources (CDR) through an Early Education Program for Children with Disabilities (EEPCD) model demonstration project, offers a six-unit, 8-hour curriculum, trainer's manual, and supporting materials that are used in training both home- and center-based child care providers. Model efficacy data offer strong evidence that this training results in increased knowledge about and comfort with caring for children with disabilities and expanded placement options for these children.