Most children with special needs are more like normally developing children than they are different from them. They share the same zest for discovery, love for stories and music, and delight in dressing in adult clothes. They, too, need to learn to run and play, solve problems, have conversations with friends, and attend to their personal needs.
Finding an opening in a child care center can be a long, frustrating experience for families, particularly when employment is essential to cover basic needs. The problem of locating a satisfactory place increases tenfold when children have special needs. After learning that a prospective child has special needs, a child care center director will turn his or her attention to the impact the child's needs might have on center operations. The director fails to recall the commonalities these children share with other enrolled children. Multiple, abortive efforts to locate placement exacerbate family stress. In desperation, parents may drop the criteria they had believed to be important in selecting placement, feeling relieved and grateful that, at last, they can go to work.
To address this problem, we will first examine the characteristics of young children with special needs and indicate the prevalence of the problem. The traditional delivery models for early intervention and for child care will be reviewed, and barriers that inhibit provision for children with special needs in child care facilities will be noted. Some current models and practices that are effective will be reviewed. Finally, recommendations will be made for policy makers and providers of services.
The Impact of Child Care Center-Head Start Agency Partnership Characteristics on Parents’ Satisfaction with Child Care and Early Education
