Early Childhood Development Services
The Supported Child Care Program:
Children with Special Needs in Child Care Programs
Children with special needs can be included in licensed, centre-based child
care programs with the support of funding provided through the Department of
Community Services’ office of Early Childhood Development Services.
These funds are designated to support inclusive
childcare. They may be used to contribute to the salary of an early childhood
special educator, or they may be used to purchase materials, equipment or
resources that will assist with this process. A Routine Based Plan will guide
the process of inclusion, organizing an individual child’s developmental
outcomes along the lines of the centre’s daily program. Developmental
outcomes will be determined by a team of professionals which includes the
child’s parents, the centre’s early childhood educators and other
community based developmental professionals (eg. physiotherapist, occupational
therapist, speech-language pathologist, early interventionist) who work with
the child.
The Director of a child care centre must complete an Application for Supported
Child Care Funding on behalf of the child with special needs. Any one of the
developmental professionals working with the child must confirm and briefly
describe the child’s developmental needs on that form. For purposes of
this funding, special needs are described as either a developmental delay or
behavioral issue presented by the child that requires extraordinary interventions.
Once the application is complete, it is forwarded to the centre’s Early
Childhood Development Officer (ECDO) who will review both the application and
the plans for inclusion with the centre’s director. Centres receive confirmation
of allocation of funding, upon approval.
It is intended that centre based child care will offer children both a developmentally
and individually appropriate daily program for all children in a natural setting.
Developmentally appropriate ensures that infants and young children are engaged
in play based activities to encourage development across all domains; and,
individually appropriate requires that these play based opportunities are individualized
to address the child’s personal sense of timing, personality, learning
style, cultural and familial background.
For additional information please contact your local District
Office of the Department of Community Services.
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