Child Care Directors’ Perspectives on Inclusion and Classroom Performance on Quality Rating Observation Measures

Abstract This research examined child care center directors’ perceptions of inclusion, specifically related to staff’s knowledge and skills of how to care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with developmental delays and disabilities. They were also asked if their center’s ability to care for these children could affect performance on classroom observation measures such as those included in quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS). Two hundred forty-four directors in one southeastern state in the United States responded to a cross-sectional, electronic survey and provided the following insights: (1) staff were likely to have at least some knowledge of how to include and care for young children with delays and disabilities and (2) more than half of directors thought their program’s ability to care for young children with delays and disabilities affected their center’s performance on classroom observation measures. Implications for research, training, and child care operations are discussed, including the need for systemic changes in how child care professionals are provided training and technical assistance to facilitate high quality care for all children.