Early Childhood Teachers Often Ill Prepared to Care for Children with Disabilities

This document indicates that while the majority of preschool classrooms have at least one child with a disability, teachers often have little or no training in education and caring for these children. The number of children (aged 3–5 years) with disabilities in regular classrooms has been on the rise for the past decade—increasing by 32 percent between 1992 and 2001. Teachers with coursework and practicum experience in working with children with disabilities are more confident in their skills, and express more positive attitudes toward inclusion. However, large numbers of graduates are leaving programs without having had a course or field experience in working with children with disabilities. It is suggested that teacher preparation programs should examine whether or not they are providing the foundation for their graduates to work with children with disabilities.