Advancing Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Reducing Inequalities (SDGs 4 & 10)

Addressing Systemic Barriers in Early Childhood Care

A significant challenge in the provision of early childhood care is the high rate of expulsion for children with disabilities. This systemic issue creates profound difficulties for families and represents a critical barrier to inclusive education. The experience of Selina Likely, a child care director in Columbus, Ohio, whose own daughter was expelled from a daycare program as a toddler, highlights the urgent need for systemic reform. The disproportionate exclusion of children with disabilities from these foundational educational settings directly contravenes the principles of Sustainable Development Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 4 (Quality Education).

State-Level Initiatives for Inclusive Child Care

In response to these challenges, several states are implementing initiatives to foster more inclusive environments in early childhood education. Ohio has launched a new program aimed at equipping child care providers with specialized training to support children with disabilities and developmental delays. The primary objective is to ensure all children have the opportunity to thrive in educational settings.

• Capacity Building for Educators: The initiative provides additional training for child care professionals, enhancing their ability to support children with diverse needs. This aligns with SDG 4, Target 4.c, which aims to increase the supply of qualified teachers.
• Promoting Inclusive Access: By reducing expulsion rates, the program seeks to create more child care placements for children with disabilities, directly supporting SDG 4, Target 4.2, which calls for universal access to quality early childhood development and pre-primary education.
• Reducing Inequality: The program specifically targets the inequality faced by children with disabilities, contributing to SDG 10, Target 10.2, which focuses on the social and economic inclusion of all, irrespective of disability.

Legislative Action to Strengthen Early Intervention Systems

A parallel movement is evident in Illinois, where the legislature has passed a bill to improve access to critical early intervention services. This legislative action was reportedly spurred by investigative journalism highlighting gaps in support for families of premature infants.

1. Mandatory Information Dissemination: The bill requires hospitals to provide families of severely premature infants with detailed information on early intervention therapies. This measure supports SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by ensuring access to essential health services and information.
2. Public Awareness Campaigns: The legislation mandates a state-run public awareness campaign prioritizing the identification of infants who qualify for therapies due to low birth weight. This strengthens institutional mechanisms (SDG 16) to protect vulnerable populations.
3. Fostering Equitable Development: By ensuring that infants with disabilities and developmental delays receive timely support, the bill lays the groundwork for equitable participation in education, reinforcing the goals of SDG 4 and SDG 10.

SDGs Addressed or Connected to the Issues Highlighted

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • The article directly addresses early childhood education and care by discussing the challenges of finding “a good placement for their children with disabilities” in child care programs. The Ohio initiative aims to provide “additional training” to child care providers, which is a key component of improving the quality of education and care. The ultimate goal is to create “more child care slots where young children with disabilities and delays can thrive,” which aligns with ensuring quality educational environments from an early age.

2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • This goal is central to the article, which focuses on the inequalities faced by children with disabilities and developmental delays. It highlights that these children are “far more likely than other children to be expelled from child care programs.” The initiatives described, such as the training in Ohio and the proposed bill in Illinois, are direct efforts to reduce these inequalities and “ensure equal opportunity” for vulnerable children. The article’s producer, The Hechinger Report, is explicitly described as focusing on “inequality and innovation in education.”

3. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • The article connects to SDG 3 by discussing the health and developmental needs of premature babies and toddlers. It mentions the struggle for families to get “critical therapies they are entitled to” for babies and toddlers with “disabilities and developmental delays.” The Illinois bill focuses on the “early identification of infants who automatically qualify for the therapies because of their low birth weight,” which is a crucial health intervention to ensure the well-being and healthy development of newborns and young children.

Specific Targets Identified

1. Target 4.2: Ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.

   • The article’s focus on creating more and better child care placements for young children with disabilities directly supports this target. The Ohio initiative, which provides training to child care providers, aims to improve the quality of early childhood care, while the overall goal of creating “more child care slots” addresses the access component for a particularly vulnerable group.

2. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

   • This target is addressed through the efforts to prevent the expulsion of children with disabilities from daycare centers. By training providers on “how to support children with disabilities,” the Ohio program promotes their social inclusion in mainstream child care environments, preventing the exclusion that families like Selina Likely’s experienced.

3. Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard.

   • The Illinois bill is a direct example of promoting legislation to ensure equal opportunity. By requiring hospitals to provide information on early intervention therapies, the bill aims to reduce the inequality of outcome for premature infants who might otherwise miss out on “critical therapies they are entitled to.”

4. Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including… access to quality essential health-care services… for all.

   • The “critical therapies” and “early intervention” services mentioned for babies and toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays are forms of essential health-care services. The article highlights a gap in access, noting that “many families of premature babies are leaving the hospital with no information or guidance.” The Illinois bill aims to close this gap, thereby improving access to these essential services.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

1. Rate of expulsion of children with disabilities from child care programs.

   • The article explicitly states that children with disabilities are “far more likely than other children to be expelled from child care programs.” A reduction in this expulsion rate would be a direct indicator of the success of initiatives like the one in Ohio, which provides training to prevent such outcomes.

2. Number of inclusive child care slots available for children with disabilities.

   • The article mentions that the “ultimate goal” of state programs is “creating more child care slots where young children with disabilities and delays can thrive.” Tracking the increase in the number of these dedicated or inclusive slots would measure progress towards this goal.

3. Proportion of families with premature infants receiving information on early intervention therapies upon hospital discharge.

   • The Illinois bill would “require hospitals to distribute detailed information on early intervention.” An indicator of its success would be the percentage of eligible families who receive this information, compared to the current situation where “many families… are leaving the hospital with no information.”

4. Number of child care providers who have received specialized training on supporting children with disabilities.

   • The article describes a “new state initiative” where “child care providers… can now receive additional training.” The number of providers completing this training is a clear, quantifiable indicator of the program’s implementation and reach.

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: hechingerreport.org