The circular display of community, school and home choices on the Community Circle of LRE/NE Options reinforces an important point: any one setting is not more or less inclusive than another for all children.
“Providing access to a wide range of learning opportunities, activities, settings, and environments is a defining feature of high quality early childhood inclusion. Inclusion may take many different forms and may occur in various organizational and community contexts, such as homes, Head Start, child care, faith based programs, recreational programs, preschool, public prekindergarten through early elementary education, and blended early childhood education/early childhood special education programs.” (DEC/NAEYC, 2009, pg. 2)
The following options could provide the appropriate LRE/NE for a specific child after carefully considering where and how a child’s IEP goals/objectives or Extended IFSP outcomes can be achieved with appropriate supports and accommodations.
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Community Circle of LRE/NE Options
a. Public preschool, Pre-K & Kindergarten: local school districts may offer full or half day preschool, pre-K and kindergarten programs for children (eligibility and availability restrictions may apply for preschool and pre-K programs).
b. Head Start: a family development program offering a language enriched preschool program primarily for at-risk children whose families meet income eligibility requirements. Created in 1965, Head Start provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent services across the county. Many Head Start programs in Maryland partner with public preschool programs.
c. Judy Center Partnerships: named after Judith P. Hoyer, an early childhood educator and advocate, Judy Centers offer comprehensive early child care and education for children, birth through kindergarten age, who reside in specific Title I school districts across Maryland. They are located in or affiliated with elementary schools and provide full-day, full-year services to promote school readiness. Judy Centers collaborate with public schools, and community-based agencies, organizations, and businesses.
d. Private preschool and Pre-K: typically offer half and full day programs up to five days per week in settings such as private businesses, faith-based programs, college campuses, high school child development laboratories or for-profit organizations to prepare children for kindergarten.
e. Home: either the child’s own home or a relative’s provides opportunities for interaction with siblings, friends and extended family members through family activities, events and informal play groups.
f. Child care center: an agency or establishment for partial or full day provides care that may include an instructional program for children not younger than 2 and not older than 5 years of age, and is licensed by the Office of Child Care.
g. Family child care: a licensed provider cares for a small group of unrelated children in her own home.
h. Community recreation programs: Park and Recreation departments, YMCA programs, gymnastics, museums, nature centers offer creative movement and dance, gymnastics, puppet shows, music, swimming lessons, arts & crafts, and educational programs.
i. Library/book stores: Offer preliteracy activities for preschoolers through story hours, puppet shows, educational programs and special events such as story telling or book readings by children’s authors.
j. Special education preschool and kindergarten classrooms: School districts may include typically developing peers of children with disabilities in the same special education classroom. For this classroom to be considered a regular early childhood program (for federal data requirements), at least 50% of openings must be reserved for nondisabled peers and the majority (more than 50%) of special education and related services for the children with disabilities must be provided within this setting.
