This webinar series has been funded through the NSW Department of Education’s Sector Development Program.
The first webinar in this series will introduce participants to the concept of early childhood inclusion for children with disabilities and developmental delays, including ethical and legal obligations and best practice in early childhood intervention. The following three webinars will assist participants to plan for and implement research-based Individual Learning Plans for young children with disabilities/delays in collaboration with their families and other professionals. The fifth webinar will focus on the transition to school for children with disabilities.
After each webinar participants will be invited to attend smaller, interactive follow-up webinars and to join a facilitated peer community.
Register for upcoming webinars
In this 90-minute webinar, family day care educators, educator assistants and coordinators will learn about inclusion, including legal obligations and why family day care is a setting of choice for many families of children with disability and/or delays. They will reflect on barriers to access, and the role of the Approved Provider, the service/scheme coordinator, family day care educator and assistants in overcoming these barriers. Participants will be guided through how to plan for and support the participation and engagement of all children in their family day care program. Case study examples will be used throughout, and the positive outcomes of inclusion will be presented.
At the conclusion of this webinar, you will have the knowledge to:
- Describe the ethical and legal reasons for the inclusion of children with disabilities and/or delays in FDC services.
- Collaborate with families, staff within your FDC service/scheme, Inclusion Professionals, and others to identify and overcome barriers to access.
- Structure the environment and learning experiences to support the engagement and participation of all children in your FDC setting.
Links to National Quality Standard Descriptors
1.1.3 Program learning opportunities
1.3.1 Assessment and planning cycle
4.2.1 Professional collaboration
6.2.2 Access and participation
Watch the Recordings
In this 90-minute webinar, you will be introduced to the concept of early childhood inclusion for children with disabilities and developmental delays, including ethical and legal obligations related to including children with disability or developmental delay in your early childhood education and care service. You will reflect on what participation and engagement of children with disabilities or delays can look like in practice and identify potential barriers to inclusion. An overview of best practice in early childhood intervention will be provided, including examples of how these practices can be implemented in regular early childhood education and care settings.
At the conclusion of this webinar, you will have the knowledge to:
- identify best-practice in inclusive early childhood education
- describe the ethical and legal reasons for the inclusion of children with disabilities and additional needs in early childhood education and care programs
In this 90-minute webinar you will be guided through the process of taking observations that will assist you in planning for the inclusion of a child or children with disabilities or developmental delay within your early childhood service. An overview of the planning cycle will be provided, along with an overview of different types of observations and their purposes. Case studies will demonstrate how different types of data collection can be used to inform planning.
At the conclusion of this webinar, you will have the knowledge to:
- record objective observations to support conversations with families about their child’s development
- record observations that demonstrate frequency, intensity and duration of educational supports required
In this 90-minute webinar you will be presented with strategies to support the inclusion of children with disability or developmental delay in your early childhood service. You will be guided through how to best structure your early childhood environment to support the access, engagement, and participation of all children in regular routines and learning experiences. An overview of different evidence-based strategies will be presented, along with real-life examples of how they can be implemented in early childhood services.
At the conclusion of this webinar, you will have the knowledge to:
- structure the early childhood environment to support the engagement and participation of all children in early childhood routines and learning experiences, including environmental changes to improve access and support participation.
- implement strategies to support the child’s participation and learning within the routines and learning experiences of the early childhood setting (as written in the ILP).
In this 90-minute webinar you will be guided through the process of writing and implementing an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) for a child with disability or developmental delay in your early childhood service. You will learn about what an ILP is and when one should be used. You will be guided through how to use observations and other data collected to write an ILP in collaboration with your colleagues, the child’s family and other professionals. Finally, tips on how to work collaboratively to implement, monitor, review and update the ILP will be provided.
At the conclusion of this webinar, you will have the knowledge to:
- explain what an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) is and when one should be used
- develop an ILP
- monitor, review and update the ILP in collaboration with others including colleagues, the child’s family and other professionals.
This 90 minute webinar will equip early childhood educators with the research-based knowledge and skills needed to provide a successful transition to school for children with disabilities. You will learn about the range of school options for children with disabilities and practical strategies for supporting the children, their families, and the receiving schools to be as well prepared as possible for this important milestone.
At the conclusion of this webinar, you will have the knowledge to:
- describe the transition to school process for children with disability
- identify the role of early childhood educators in the transition to school process
- work with others including the family and the receiving school to support the child’s transition to school.
This 90-minute webinar is for educators and service leaders who work in school age care settings. Participants will learn about what inclusion is and their legal and ethical obligations related to the inclusion of children with disabilities or delays in outside of school hours care services. Barriers to access and potential solutions to these barriers will be presented. Participants will consider what participation in school age care settings looks like in practice and will be provided with information about how they can collaborate with others and structure their environment to support the participation of all children. Case study examples will be used throughout, and the positive outcomes of inclusion for different community members will be presented.
At the conclusion of this webinar, you will have the knowledge to:
- Describe the ethical and legal reasons for the inclusion of children with disabilities and delays in OSHC services.
- Collaborate with families and schools to implement strategies to support the participation and learning of children with disability or delays in your OSHC service.
- Structure the OSHC environment and learning experiences to support the engagement and participation of all children.
Links to National Quality Standard Descriptors
1.1.3 Program learning opportunities
1.2.1 Intentional teaching
5.2.1 Collaborative learning
6.2.2 Access and participation
