Inclusion in Quebec childcare centers: financial support, adaptation, and training

Frontiers in Education

Education

Colombe Lemire¹  Carmen Dionne¹  Annie Paquet¹  Stéphanie Girard² 

[1] Département de Psychoéducation, Université du Quebec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada;UNESCO Chair: Early Childhood and Inclusive Early Intervention, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada;Équipe FRQSC Des Leviers Multiples Pour une Inclusion de Qualité en Petite Enfance, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada;Équipe FRQSC Des Leviers Multiples Pour une Inclusion de Qualité en Petite Enfance, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada;Département des sciences de l’activité physique, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada;

关键词: inclusion;    childcare centers;    financial support;    adaptations;    children with special needs;   

DOI  :  10.3389/feduc.2023.1241618

 received in 2023-06-16, accepted in 2023-07-20,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundInclusion in childcare centers involves a support system that includes funding policies, inclusive practices and access to ongoing training. The province of Quebec (Canada) benefits from a network of subsidized childcare services for children from birth to 5 years old. Although two financial measures support educational childcare centers welcoming children with disabilities, there is a lack of knowledge about how these measures are used.Research questionsThe research questions are: (1) How do childcare centers use financial measures to support inclusion? (2) What adaptations are made in childcare centers? and (3) What is the ongoing training of educators to support inclusion?MethodThis research presents the results of an online survey completed by 94 childcare management staff and 154 childcare educators. The survey was developed using a two-way process involving the researchers along with representatives from government ministries and agencies and childcare management staff.ResultsResults reveal that just over half of management staff request financial measures for all children with special needs and does so mainly to hire additional and specialized human resources and replace staff in meetings with specialized services. The financial measures are perceived to meet material adaptation needs better than those for human resources. Adaptations made by educators relate to instructions, individual interventions, equipment, group activities, physical environment, and schedule and routines. Over half the educators report that adaptations involving group activities and schedules and routines are the most difficult to implement. Less than half the managers and educators had received ongoing training on inclusive practices. Issues addressed during such training include commonly recognized interventions based on diagnoses, collaboration with parents, collaboration with partner agencies or institutions, instructions, individual interventions, group activities, equipment, physical environment, and schedules and routines.DiscussionResults are discussed in terms of (1) needs met and funding model, and (2) dimensions of quality inclusive practices such as leadership of childcare management staff, training and professional development, collaboration with health and specialized social services, learning environments and partnership with families.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Dionne, Paquet, Lemire and Girard.