| What is inclusive child care? |
| Inclusive child care brings children and youth with and without special needs together in child care or out-of-school time programs. This means that all children and youth participate in the setting’s daily routines and activities.
Inclusive Child Care looks like any other child care. In inclusive child care children with and without disabilities participate together in the same routines and play activities. Inclusive child care providers learn to recognize children as distinct individuals with special strengths and needs. They continually make creative modifications to routines and activities so that each child benefits from participating.
All child care and out-of-school time programs have the potential to be fully inclusive. |
| What is the difference between child care and respite care? |
| Respite care is short-term, temporary care provided on an occasional basis. The purpose of respite is to give parents relief from the demands of intensive, constant care for a child with higher level needs.
Child care is used on a regular basis so that parents can go to their jobs, attend school, or participate in activities. Almost all families use child care, regardless of their child’s abilities or needs. |
| How do I find inclusive child care for a child or youth with special needs? |
| Every Oregon county has a child care resource and referral program (CCR&R). This is a good place to start searching for child care. The CCR&R may be able to tell parents about a provider’s training and experience in caring for children with special needs. The CCR&R may also have information about financial and other resources that can help with child care.
Finding child care can be a challenge for any parent. It can be even more difficult for a child who has complex care need, or for an older youth. For this reason parents often use a variety of ways to find care. The resources identified on this site in the Finding Child Care search category can help. Parents can also talk with:
- Service providers
- School
- Other parents
- Disability specific organizations
- Friends
Parents have also found providers by placing newspapers or online ads. |
| Do child care providers need to have special skills or equipment to offer inclusive care? |
| Most providers have the basic skills needed for inclusive care. If the provider does need something extra there are resources that can help—starting with parents. When any new child or youth is enrolled, there are a few things to learn and new ideas to try. Most of the time these new “specialized skills” are just slightly different ways to do the things that are required to meet the need of children and youth in care. If the child has a need that is unfamiliar the child’s parent is usually a great source for "how to's" or can identify someone who can help.
In many parts of Oregon there are trainings, child care consultants and/or mentors available to child care providers to help them gain any additional skills needed to care for children with disabilities. You can find these resources in the Provider Training, Disability Specific Training, Consultation/Technical Assistance, and Mentoring search categories.
The same applies to special equipment or modifications. It is difficult to anticipate what special equipment or modifications a child care setting might need until a particular child or youth is enrolled. Most typical toys, play materials and equipment are appropriate for children and youth with disabilities and could be adapted, if necessary.
Parents and other professionals who are aware of the child’s interests and abilities can help make adaptations, provide other appropriate materials, or assist in modifying the environment for the child.
Please refer to the Financial Help with Facilities Adaptation, Adaptive Equipment/Toys, or Medical Equipment resource search categories. |
| Can I get help with the costs of child care for a child with special needs? |
| In most cases including children with special needs does not require any more program resources than caring for other children in the program. There are, though, some situations in which there may be higher costs associated with child care.
There are two statewide programs that can help with the higher costs of care for some children with special needs. The Inclusive Child Care Program of the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities works with both of these subsidy programs.
The Oregon Department of Human Services provides child care subsidies to lower income working families and to families who are participating in the Department's self-sufficiency services. This program includes a "special needs" rate. There is also a "high needs" rate. This rate is for children with disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders or special health care needs who have exceptionally high care needs.
Other low income working and student families with children who require extra accommodations or supports to be in child care may be eligible for a supplemental child care subsidy through the Child Care Division Targeted Populations Program. Higher costs of care must be related to the child’s disabilities or special needs.
Both the high needs rate and the supplemental subsidy is determined on an individual basis for each child.
Information on eligibility and contacting the Inclusive Child Care Program and on other local resources which might be available to support child care for children with special needs is available in the Financial Assistance for Higher Costs search category. |
| Are there laws and regulations related to child care and children with special needs? |
| The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is very important to inclusive child care. The ADA is federal legislation that extends civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities, prohibiting discrimination by child care and after-school care providers against children with special needs. Almost all privately owned and publicly operated child care programs must comply with the ADA’s public accommodations sections as well as the employment provisions.
In Oregon, the state’s Child Care Division regulates most child care providers. Child Care Division rules say that child care providers must comply with the ADA. The rules for certified family child care and center programs also state that enrollment decisions must be made on an individual basis. The decision must be based upon information from parents and from professionals that are familiar with a child’s disabilities. |
