This seminar offers practical solutions to the everyday challenges preschool teachers encounter when they’re teaching children with special needs in typical classrooms. The author explains the Building Blocks model and how teachers can use it to more effectively include young children with disabilities and other special needs in preschool classrooms or other child care settings.

The model consists of four blocks of educational practices – high quality early childhood programs, curriculum modifications and adaptations, embedded learning opportunities, and child-focused instructional strategies. With these blocks, all children will be able to participate in and benefit from typical classroom activities, and the strategies will help students achieve individual learning objectives such as IEP goals. These blocks are held together by the effective collaboration of all the team members, including families.

The speakers provide examples of Building Blocks in use in everyday classroom situations such as free play, circle time, book corner, clean-up, and outdoor play. They also discuss how strategies can be modified for participants’ own classrooms.

Participants will learn

• step by step approaches to including preschoolers with special needs using the Building Blocks model
  
  
• strategies for implementing the model with children with diverse abilities and different challenges
  
  
• strategies for promoting independent classroom behavior, developmentally appropriate behavior, early literacy skills, and friendships
  
  
• how to collaborate with team members and families within the Building Blocks model