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An increasing number of families are enrolling their children in out-of-home early childcare services. In addition, a growing number of community childcare programs are including children with developmental disabilities. While some studies have explored the effects of inclusion for preschool children with disabilities, there is little knowledge about the effects of inclusion for typically developing toddlers enrolled in such programs. We recently published a study examining parent perceptions of the benefits and limitations of their child’s toddler program (inclusion or typical), which found that parents were satisfied with and saw many benefits to inclusion. In the current study, we expand on that research by examining the social, behavioral, communication and cognitive development of toddlers enrolled in the same inclusion program. Scores on standardized assessments were compared with norms for those assessments, and outcomes indicate excellent gains in cognitive and language development and no detrimental behavioral effects of inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing number of community childcare programs are including children with developmental disabilities. While some studies have explored the effects of inclusion for preschool and school-age children without disabilities, there is little knowledge about inclusion for typically developing toddlers enrolled in such programs or about parent attitudes regarding inclusion. In this study, parent perceptions of the benefits and limitations of their child's toddler program (inclusion or typical) were assessed. Parents from both programs gave comparable responses to a semi-structured survey with regard to changes in their child's development and parental level of satisfaction. Parent feedback from the inclusion childcare program also provided insight into the advantages of an inclusion program. These findings suggest that there is little differentiation between inclusion programs and regular childcare programs in providing a quality experience for all children, but that there may be additional benefits to enrolling children without disabilities into inclusion programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]