Ms. Hanline and Mr. Daley discuss and dismiss the myths surrounding the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood education programs. LEIGHA, THE 5-year-old daughter of one of the authors, recently asked, Mom, will Kaelie always have possibilities? Since she was just a year old, Leigha has attended a child-care program that actively includes children with disabilities. And she was trying to understand her friend Kaelie's disabilities. While she confused possibilities and Leigha innocently identified the main reasons for creating inclusive early education programs: to create normalized expectations for children with disabilities and to foster an understanding of disabilities among the nondisabled. However, while practices in early childhood education and in early childhood special education support the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs,1 about half of all young children with disabilities receive services in settings that serve only children with disabilities.2 Thus many preschoolers with disabilities are isolated from the learning benefits that may occur when they have daily contact with their nondisabled peers. Children who do not have disabilities are also deprived of the positive outcomes that may occur when they interact with peers who have disabilities. Moreover, family members and teachers are unable to experience the potential advantages of inclusion if young children with disabilities are educated exclusively in segregated settings. We wish to identify here some beliefs that work to prevent the implementation of inclusive programs. These beliefs focus on the perceived needs of young children with disabilities, on the potential reactions of nondisabled children, on the anticipated demands on teachers, and on parental concerns. We have become familiar with them through our reading of the literature on inclusion, as well as through our own experiences with inclusive programs. Belief 1. The instructional needs of young children with disabilities can't be met in an early childhood education setting, because young children with disabilities need highly structured programs. Reality 1. Best practice in early childhood education is based on developmental theories, such as those of Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and Erik Erikson, and on a philosophy of constructivism. The primary vehicle for promoting development in these programs is child-initiated, child-directed, teacher-supported play. In contrast, the field of early childhood special education is based primarily on the behavioral theories of John Watson, Edward Thorndike, and B. F. Skinner and on the educational psychology of mastery learning. The message from these theories is that the more time the child spends in direct instruction, the more the child will learn. A further assumption is that a child with disabilities will be unable to take advantage of environmental experiences that typically promote development. Thus special education programs for young children have traditionally been more teacher- directed than typical early education programs. These philosophical differences between the two approaches have contributed to the belief that learning opportunities in early childhood programs may not be adequate to promote the development of children with disabilities. Recently, professionals have begun to realize that there is much in common in the practice of both approaches and that polarized thinking regarding best practice may prevent children from experiencing inclusion. For example, early childhood education in general has come to recognize that teacher-directed approaches have their place, and the best practice guidelines for early childhood special education programs increasingly recognize the importance of play-oriented approaches. Research findings indicate that inclusive settings (compared to disabled-only environments) are more stimulating and responsive to young children with disabilities. …