Inclusive Child Care resources and supports

Last updated on November 17, 2023

ChildCareBC is government's 10-year plan for an inclusive, universal child care system that is welcoming to all children, including those with support needs. The Province is working to deliver affordable, quality and inclusive child care.

Inclusive child care supports the individual strengths and needs of each child. All children are welcomed, supported, and valued, which allows them to participate meaningfully in all aspects of the child care program. In inclusive programs, children of all abilities have equitable access to quality child care and are provided supportive opportunities to learn through play with other children.

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Inclusive Child Care Toolkit

The Inclusive Child Care Toolkit is a user-friendly resource intended to support quality, inclusive practices in child care settings throughout British Columbia. This toolkit is designed for all child care staff, including early childhood educators, early childhood educator assistants, support workers, managers, and owners of child care programs. The Toolkit encourages reflective practice and provides guidance on developing an inclusion policy.

Inclusive Child Care Toolkit

The Foundations of Inclusive Child Care Training

The Foundations of Inclusive Child Care Training is a free, self-paced, professional development opportunity to learn more about inclusive practices. Completion of this course will award each learner 12 professional development hours. It is designed for child care providers, early childhood educators (ECEs), and other professionals in the child care sector.

The Foundations of Inclusive Child Care Training provides an introduction to inclusion and ways to incorporate its principles in child care settings. Inclusion is viewed as a broad and multi-dimensional concept which influences almost every aspect of a child care program. This course focuses on reflective practice and building plans for putting inclusion into action. We know that when more children with support needs and disabilities are included in community child care, everyone benefits!

Enrol in The Foundations of Inclusive Child Care Training today.

Behaviour in the Early Years Initiative

Early childhood educators and other child care professionals can benefit from additional training in responding to children’s behaviour. Funding was provided to CanAssist at the University of Victoria, with the goal of building capacity in the child care sector to support children’s behaviour in more inclusive ways. This initiative aims to reduce the number of children who are excluded from child care programs across the province in response to their behaviour. CanAssist developed several engaging resources for this initiative which you can explore below:

 

Behaviour in the Early Years Position Statement

The Behaviour in the Early Years Position Statement (PDF, 1MB) outlines a collective vision for understanding and approaching children’s behaviour as a BC Child Care Community. It includes discussion about various approaches and strategies for supporting a broad range of children, including those with support needs.

 

Behaviour in the Early Years online training

The Behaviour in the Early Years online training is a free, self-paced professional development opportunity. Completion of this course will award each learner 10 professional development hours. It is designed for child care providers, early childhood educators, and other professionals in the child care sector.

The training contains four modules:

  • Module 1: Understanding Children’s Behaviours
  • Module 2: The Learning Ecosystem - Relationships
  • Module 3: The Learning Ecosystem - Environments
  • Module 4: Applying Your Knowledge – Scenario Based Learning

Enroll in Behaviour in the Early Years online training today.

 

Additional resources

In addition to the position statement and online training, CanAssist is developing 3 additional resources. This includes a virtual webinar series, a digital toolkit, and a video series called Excellence in Action, which will showcase the great work early years programs are doing across BC.

These resources will be released in Spring 2024.

Visit CanAssist’s initiative web page to view their newsletter and stay connected for future updates!

Inclusive Toileting Initiative

Families and child care providers may find that the requirement for children to use the bathroom independently (toileting) is a barrier in accessing child care, specifically for families whose children have support needs. Funding was provided to CanAssist at the University of Victoria, that develops solutions for people with physical or cognitive barriers, to help make child care centres more inclusive for children with this barrier. CanAssist worked with more than 300 child care providers, parents and subject matter experts, including occupational therapists, to develop toileting resources and supports for child care providers and families:

 

Inclusive Bathroom Design Considerations

The Inclusive Bathroom Design Considerations resource includes questions and considerations when building, renovating, or furnishing bathroom spaces intended primarily for use by children. The Ministry of Health, Community Care Facility Licensing and Assisted Living Registry helped develop this resource.

 

Toilet Learning Position Statement

The Toilet Learning Position Statement outlines an inclusive, child centered approach to toileting. It includes discussion about various approaches and strategies for toileting that addresses a broad range of children, including those with support needs.

 

Toileting Resource Evaluation Tool

The Toileting Resource Evaluation Tool was developed to support child care providers, early childhood educators, and related staff in determining the quality and effectiveness of toileting resources and to help them identify resources that best meet the needs of the children and their families.

 

Toilet Step Stool

The Toilet Step Stool (TSS) is designed to offer more stability and a greater sense of security for children when toileting versus standard commercially available step stools. Key features of the TSS include, adjustable height, deep grab handles, a removable toilet paper holder, smooth surfaces for easy cleaning, and it can be collapsed for storage. 1000 step stools were delivered to child care programs across the province in 2021.

 

Supported Child Development and Aboriginal Supported Child Development

Supported Child Development and Aboriginal Supported Child Development are community-based programs that offer a range of consulting and support services to children, families, and child care centres to help children with support needs to fully participate in child care programs. The Aboriginal Supported Child Development program provides supports in a culturally relevant and meaningful way.

To find a Supported Child Development Program in your area, ask your public health nurse, healthcare provider, child care provider or contact your local Ministry of Children and Family Development office.