Including Children with Special Needs in 5 Simple Steps

An estimated 600,000 school-age kids in California live with disabilities. Many participate and thrive in afterschool programs that work intentionally to be inclusive. Make your program one of them in five steps.

1. Commit to serving every child
By law, children with special needs are entitled to the same care as any other child, and, ethically, many providers feel a call to inclusion. Move beyond the fear of the unknown, suggests Mary Shea of Kids Included Together: “Think of it in terms of: If this were your child, what would you want?”

2. Apply the right resources
Grants and training exist to help programs transition to more inclusive care. This often involves lowering ratios and selecting “inclusion facilitators” – staff members who have received some basic training, such as free CalSAC Training – to help integrate children with special needs into activities.

3. Foster a culture of caring
Providers who model empathy and respect for differences will nurture the same attitudes in kids. “It’s important not to hide the fact that there are members with differences, but to sit down and discuss it as a group to create a collective community,” says ElizaBeth Parker Phillips of Lakeside Union School District.

4. Embrace flexibility
Good school-age programs provide kids with activity choices, and these choices are important for children with special needs, who may need the right to pass or to participate at their own pace.

5. Involve parents as partners
Parents are your best resource. Encourage them to share what they know about their child’s special needs and to be a resource from the moment of intake.

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