Chapter 2: One Course is not Enough: Preparing Preservice Teachers to Facilitate the Learning of All Young Children

I have been in the field of Early Childhood Education (ECE) for more than 30 years now, the last 20-plus years in early childhood teacher education. One constant during that time has been my belief that quality ECE is inclusive and hence should foreground policies and practices that value the rights of all young children to participate in a wide range of activities as full members of families, communities, and societies. Improving access to and the quality of education for all is part of a broader strand of educational policy and reform. This model of inclusion denies the necessity of two separate systems and two kinds of learners, “regular” and “special” (Sapon-Shevin, 2007). Aligned with this perspective, I have come to believe that inclusion requires a critical examination and reconceptualization of all aspects of school; therefore, issues of social justice are central to the struggle for inclusion.