Inclusive Educational Practices in Childcare Settings: Perspective of Parents of Children with Special Needs

Background. While the benefits of including children with special needs in an educational childcare program are widely recognized for the children, their peers and their parents or caregivers, the approach calls for flexibility. It is also essential to consider the parents' perspective and involve them in their child's inclusion. However, there is little published information on parents' view of childcare, especially as regards children with special needs. The present article helps correct this information gap by documenting parents' perspective on the inclusive educational practices implemented by the educational childcare program in Quebec. Method. For purposes of this study, relevant information was collected from 76 parents of children with special needs based on a large-scale online Quebec survey. Three research objectives aimed to determine if parents: 1) approved of the adaptation measures implemented in the childcare setting; 2) agreed with the identification of their children’s developmental needs; and 3) agreed that their children’s inclusion experience was a positive one. Descriptive statistics were used to quantify responses. Results. Seventy-four percent of parents agreed or strongly agreed that their children’s developmental needs had been correctly identified. Sixty percent or more acknowledged that available materials, instructions and individual interventions were adequate, confirming that the childcare setting implemented diverse adaptation measures to meet the specific needs of their children. Finally, parents’ responses indicated that they are involved in their children’s inclusion, with 75% agreeing or strongly agreeing that the inclusion experience in the childcare setting was a positive one. Conclusion. Although preliminary, this study paints a portrait of certain educational practices in childcare settings attended by children with disabilities. Our findings highlight the importance of individualized practices and parental involvement to improve the inclusion experience for children with special needs in Quebec childcare settings