Including children with disabilities in preschool education. Experiences of Plan International Mozambique
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Between 2015 and 2017, Plan International Mozambique worked together with communities supporting 106 preschools in rural Mozambique. In late 2016, an approach was piloted in 18 community-based preschools to support them to be disability-inclusive. The overall goal was to increase the number of children with disabilities enrolled in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centres delivering quality early learning opportunities. The pilot took place over a 12 month period. Summarised findings about the current status of inclusion in preschool programmes run by Plan International Mozambique, case studies and lessons learned about the inclusion of children with disabilities in these programmes are provided.
They describe five aspects that need to be considered to remove barriers and ensure that children with disabilities can access and benefit from early childhood education:
1. Work directly with the parents of children with disabilities
2. Address individual physical and medical needs of children with disabilities
3. Build the skills and confidence of caretakers
4. Equip and build a strong implementing team
5. Build evidence on what is happening and what (doesn’t) work