"...I don't think he would have made nearly the gains that he has, had he been in the separate, Special Ed. class..."     What Helped Along the Way           He (Dylan) has serious developmental delays, and has had throughout the process. But, he has made such gains. It's a pretty amazing child. I think a lot of his gains have been due to the fact that he's been able to be with other children his age. He learns so much socially, and in speech, and just trying to keep up with the bigger kids… he's pretty small for his age. He wants to play baseball, play soccer, do all the things that the normal kids do... He's a very social child. But, I don't think he would have made nearly the gains that he has, had he been in the separate, Special Ed. class, where he's with all Special Ed kids.     Beth Griggs, Parent                             I’ve learned so much from the different specialists being in and out of my classroom. More than I learned in the…five years it took me to earn my bachelor’s degree. In my whole education, I think I’ve learned more in the first year, from having so many different consultants available to me, and in return, has probably made me a more effective teacher, and more readily available to the kids that I service. That’s one of the best benefits to the program.     Donna Fischer, Head Start teacher, Redcliff Head Start                               I know I've learned more from being involved with the inclusionary program. You can go to a workshop, you can take a class, but when you have that ongoing communication, between the Early Childhood teacher or the Speech and Language Clinician, or the O.T. or the P.T., I feel like I'm a more effective teacher than I was five years ago.       Linda Brown, Head Start teacher and Site Manager, Family Forum Head Start                               The… key thing is to keep those parents informed. All of a sudden, you've got an inclusionary program, and yes, the parents of children that have diagnosed services are privy to a lot more information… through I.E.P.s, talking to the specialists who have them. The big… thing was to involve all the parents: letting them know what the inclusionary program has, how is it benefitting all the children in their class.       Linda Brown, Head Start teacher and Site Manager, Family Forum Head Start                             From the school perspective, to appreciate the richness of the Head Start… institutional culture. It's both long term, very rich, and very deep, and it can be a great asset in terms of planning. Identify your knowledgeable people, who can speak -- who really know early childhood -- who can talk with various communities: the school board… professional educators, (etc.). The last thing… is communication, communication, communication.     Jeff Miller, Special Education Director, Bayfield School District
	<--previous • next-->