When we prioritize the whole child and draw on educators’ expertise in early learning, we create benefits for children with disabilities, their families, and the educators who support them.
In this 30-minute archived webinar, learn how Beginning Together integrates child intentions and developmentally appropriate practices to create meaningful and supportive environments for young children with disabilities from birth through age 5. Our featured speakers highlight key strategies for honoring each child’s unique strengths; collaborating with families, educators, and specialists; and fostering a sense of belonging.
Gain a clear understanding of effective, evidence-based approaches in early learning settings and a few practical tools that can be used right away.
Session Topics
- Integrating Child Intentions Into Inclusive Practices
- Supporting the Whole Child in Early Childhood Settings
Resources From the Session
- Inclusion Works! Resources (Website)
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (Website)
- The Need to Belong: Rediscovering Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Website)
- Working Together for Inclusion & Belonging (Website)
Featured Speakers
Linda Brault, Director of Working Together for Inclusion and Belonging at WestEd
Brault oversees initiatives like Beginning Together, the California Making Access Possible (MAP) to Inclusion & Belonging, and the California Teaching Pyramid. Starting as an early childhood special education teacher and early interventionist, Brault has been focused on professional development to support inclusive practice for over 30 years. Brault is passionate about the inclusion of children with disabilities and behavior that adults find challenging and frequently speaks and writes on early childhood issues.
Ine Jack, Program Manager and Training and Support Specialist at WestEd
Jack is instrumental in the Supporting Inclusive Early Learning: Working Together for Inclusion and Belonging project and the CA Teaching Pyramid. She facilitates workshops on Universal Design for Learning, inclusion strategies, and multi-tiered systems of support. Jack also serves as an inclusion liaison, guiding participants through the Beginning Together Inclusion Facilitator Institute. With a background in early childhood and special education, she brings expertise in literacy, inclusion, and educator support.
About Beginning Together
For over 25 years, Beginning Together: Caring for Young Children With Disabilities in Inclusive Settings—a collaboration of the California Department of Education, the California Department of Social Services, and WestEd—has been providing training, team building, and technical assistance to early childhood educators across general and special education, early intervention, Head Start, Early Head Start, family child care, and preschool settings.
