Yooralla Kindergarten Inclusion Support Service KISS SMR Creating

Yooralla Kindergarten Inclusion Support Service… KISS SMR ‘Creating pathways to participation – our journey together with Early Childhood Teams to enhance their inclusive practices. ’ Welcome

Outline of presentation Outline Introduction • What is the KISS program? • Our roles • Our ‘learning’, the PUZZLE • Background to the support program • Research: enhancing inclusive practices • ‘Educators voice’… “I want…” “I need you to…” • Tiered service delivery model

Yooralla Kindergarten Inclusion Support Service Our Team is: 116 Additional Assistants in 128 Kindergartens supporting 225 children (and growing) www. yooralla. com. au Southern Metropolitan Region

Ww What is KISS? The objective of the KISS Packages- disability is to build the capacity of funded kindergartens to support the access and participation of children with a disability and high support needs in inclusive kindergarten programs. (2013) The resources allocated to the kindergarten program are intended to support the needs of the whole group during the Kindergarten An additional team member –not an integration aide.

Early Childhood Intervention services : been a paradigm shift… “Over the past 20 to 30 years there has from a deficit model of disability to a social model” (Centre Community Health, 2010, p. 16). “ what we need are more supportive communities, better coordinated services, and improved forms of dialogue between communities and services including all levels of government and the future role of specialists” Moore. (2008) p. 11 Social model

Expert to all children The identity of early childhood educators as ‘experts’ for all children (and that includes children with disabilities) challenges previous held beliefs. Question: How do we strengthened universal services and create opportunities to expand the role of specialists (p. 19) How can skills be transferred, early educators skilled up to gain confidence and knowledge? (Moore, (2008) p. 24) Coming ready or not…

Doing it together and learning from each other. ” (Tim Moore)

EYLF: Reflective practices: Early childhood professionals gather information that supports, informs, assesses and enriches decisionmaking about appropriate professional practices (VEYLDF, p. 14). “Child’s Voice” “How can this child succeed in this program? ” … Cheryl “ The potential of Kindergarten”

Respectful relationships The child “Every child needs one person who is crazy about him”… Uri Bronfenbrenner How is the child being viewed in this environment? (by their family, the EC professionals, the community)

“Do young children with disabilities get to play the same way those without disabilities do? ” (Brooker, L, Edwards, S, (2010) p. 183) Strengths and interests of child

Relationships • When do we start building relationships? • What is your role in these relationships? Where do we build our relationships with an EC service? • How do we know we are getting the relationship right? • How do you maintain relationships? • What are the strengths, what are the priorities?

Supporting Inclusive Practices Intensive Intervention Targeted Social & emotional support P. S. G. Role Model Resources & information Feedback High Quality Supportive Environments Nurturing and Responsive relationships Reflective Practices Strengthen our capacity Trust Common language EYLF & VEYLDF

Putting the pieces together

High expectations for every child A child’s voice… “This is for you You are having a rest. You are dreaming of what you are going to do when you grow up You can fly a rocket”