New DEC/NAEYC Joint Position Statement on Early Childhood Inclusion
The Division for Early Childhood and the National Association for the Education of Young Children have recently approved a joint position statement that underscores their commitment to quality early childhood inclusion. Early Childhood Inclusion: A Joint Position Statement of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) takes a historic step by providing a shared national definition of inclusion as “the values, policies, and practices that support the right of every infant and young child and his or her family, regardless of ability, to participate in a broad range of activities and contexts as full members of families, communities, and society.” The document, which was developed through a collaborative national process that the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI) coordinated, represents the first time these two leading national organizations have partnered on a joint product that is expected to have a widespread impact on the early childhood field.
