Moving toward Inclusive Practices for Children and Families: A Preschool’s Journey

Abstract

As a college of education was charged with transforming a campus preschool program into a teacher-educator lab school, a community of practice was formed to look at current practices and make changes to create a more inclusive program using culturally relevant pedagogy and blended practices. Using a qualitative case study, data were collected for one year to determine what was taking place in the program. In years two through five, changes were implemented and reflected upon. Transformative learning guided data collection and analysis to support the process of reflecting critically on experiences, engaging in reflective dialogue, and taking action toward increasingly deep levels of authentic inclusive practices. Findings indicate that changes in the environment, curriculum frameworks, considerations for teachers, and bringing families in were the keys to developing a more inclusive program for elevating children and families.