Financial and Design Solutions for the Development of Inclusive Child Care Centers

There is an increasing need for child care programs that incorporate children with disabilities into their child care centers. This need is especially evident in low income communities where the percentage of children with disabilities is higher, and the availability of resources lower. Expanding and developing new child care centers that provide services to children of all abilities is a challenging proposition. Easter Seals has successfully met that challenge through a national network of Child Development Centers. In our experience, two of the major barriers to the operation of and inclusive model are managing the financial resources available and the development of appropriate facilities. With a grant from The Child Care Bureau, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, Easter Seals has developed two tools to help child care providers address these major barriers to inclusive child care.