(Formerly titled: Developing an Inclusive Early Learning and Child Care Community: Strategies for Supporting Inclusive Practices in your Early Learning Environment for Educators and Leaders)

What does meaningful inclusion actually look like in an early learning environment? Join Dr. Kathryn Underwood, one of the featured authors of Think, Feel, Act, for a practical, research-informed workshop exploring how educators and leaders can think deeply about inclusive practice and how it is embedded in their program. Drawing on research and the experiences of children, families, and educators, participants will explore new ways of thinking about inclusion, examine the language and assumptions that shape practice, and consider practical strategies for creating environments where children, families, and staff feel a genuine sense of belonging.

Learning Outcomes

• Reflect on current understanding of inclusion and consider how inclusion is experienced by children, families, and educators within their early learning environment.
• Identify practical strategies for creating more inclusive environments reflective of children’s identities, strengths, and needs.
• Examine the effect of language and assumptions on how we understand children, families, disability, and inclusion.
• Consider the impact of inclusion not only for children, but also families, educators, and staff teams.

Dr. Kathryn Underwood is a professor in the School of Early Childhood Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University. Dr. Underwood’s interests are in disabled children and their families’ experiences and contributions to our understanding of social services, social life, and society. The focus of her program of research has been on how constructions of disability in early childhood programs and care, early intervention, and health and social service contexts are used to organize children, with particular interest in intersectional identities of all disabled children. Dr. Underwood has conducted a number of studies that focus on parent viewpoints and the work of families to engage with institutions.