Project Include is designed to provide a statewide system of training, equipment, program support, customized coaching, and materials support for the development of inclusive learning environments in licensed Colorado family child care homes, child care centers, and preschools. The goal is to better prepare child care staff to meet the needs of children with delays and disabilities in their inclusive child care settings.

Project Include and Inclusion & Universal Design are two distinct opportunities for licensed child care providers in Colorado to learn about supporting children with delays or disabilities. Review this summary document to better understand the similarities and differences.

Assistive Technology (AT) describes any device or adaptation that helps increase the independence and functioning of a child with delays and disabilities so they can participate with their peers. AT includes items that help with communication, movement, positioning, play and learning. Although it has the word “technology” in it, AT can include using simple, everyday materials, like popsicle sticks attached to the pages of a book, to create an adaptation for a child with a delay or disability. The terms AT and adaptive equipment are often used interchangeably.

Explore our website to learn more about the project and all it offers.

The time commitment varies based on what child care program staff are seeking. The initial training is 90 minutes. After that, it is up to each program to determine what they need in terms of support. 

Complete the Interest Form which collects simple information such as your child care name, address, license number, and contact information. Once you have submitted the interest form, we’ll reach out to you to discuss next steps.

There is no cost to the child care program or its employees. All resources are provided by the Center for Inclusive Design and Engineering (CIDE), Department of Bioengineering at the University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus. Funding for this support is provided by the Colorado Department of Human Services – Office of Early Childhood through stimulus funding. You can read more about other stimulus-supported initiatives here. 

 

All resources offered through the project are available to licensed family child care homes. Participants will be offered training, access to quick program support, customized coaching and materials support, and Universal Design and Inclusion kits containing equipment and video resources to support the development of inclusive learning environments. This includes numerous online resources and an option to borrow four Universal Design and Inclusion kits: Communication & Literacy, Behavior & Cognition, Hearing & Vision, and Fine Motor & Gross Motor. Each kit contains a  variety of simple technology, adaptations, information guides, and a flash drive of digital and printable materials  to increase inclusion and participation by young children with delays and disabilities. The materials are also linked via QR code to a series of quick tip videos of about 5 minutes each to describe how the material can be used. Once programs receive introductory training and check out a kit, they are eligible to seek customized coaching and materials support.

Fill out an Interest Form to get started!

 

All resources offered through the project (see question above) are available to licensed child care centers and preschools. The program should select one representative to be the liaison with the Project Include staff. This designated representative should fill out an Interest Form to get started!

Teachers can encourage their program to apply to participate in Project Include. Once the program applies, teachers can work with the designated program liaison to get access to the offered training, customized coaching and materials support, and adapted materials.

If you are a license-exempt family, friend, or neighbor (FFN) caregiver in Colorado, we encourage you to watch the Introduction to Universal Design and Inclusion course available at no cost on the Office of Early Childhood’s Professional Development Information System (PDIS), and explore other resources on our website, which include:

• Links to local and national resources on Universal Design and Inclusion
• Community forum to house frequently asked questions about creating inclusive and universally designed early education environments

• The Universal Design and Inclusion for Learning training module, available through the PDIS system
• Links to local and national resources on Universal Design and Inclusion on the website
• Community forum to house frequently asked questions about creating inclusive and universally designed early education environment

Yes, only licensed Colorado child care programs are eligible to participate.

If you are a licensed Colorado child care program, you can participate in Project Include by first submitting an Interest Form. After you complete the form, we will contact you to discuss next steps. You will have access to the  Introduction to Universal Design & Inclusion training online. We recommend you complete this training early on, prior to using further project resources. You will also be eligible to receive quick program support and check out a Universal Design and Inclusion Kit to try adapted equipment in your program. These kits are organized by domain: Communication & Literacy, Fine & Gross Motor, Vision & Hearing, and Behavior & Cognition. If you need more customized coaching and materials support beyond this, you can complete the Customized Coaching and Materials Support Application.

Yes, if more than one kit is available you may request more than one. However, we would strongly recommend you start with just one. The kits are available for 4-6 week periods and there are numerous materials (more than 20 items) to explore and interact with in each kit.

Yes, you will complete the online training through PDIS and get credit for its completion.

Explore our website and view the numerous resources on UDL.

 

 

There are 2 levels of support that are available through the project: quick program support and customized coaching and materials support.

Quick Program Support  –  Will occur through a centralized email, followed up with phone or web-based support.  Providers can make requests for support on any of the materials offered through Project Include or other inclusion topics, and staff will respond within 48 business hours. Broad support will also be offered by creation of a community forum to house frequently asked questions and share ideas about creating inclusive and universally designed early education environments. This will include content with practical tips on how to adapt learning materials and opportunities to accommodate children with disabilities, delays, or differences. These resources will be available on-demand through the Project Include website.

Customized Coaching and Materials Support Packages – Once programs complete the training and check out at least one Universal Design and Inclusion kit, they can apply for customized coaching and materials support packages for their program. The application will occur through completion of an online form. Project Include staff will tier the support offered based on the needs of the providers. These packages will help providers create universally designed, inclusive classrooms and learning materials by pairing customized coaching with the opportunity for Project Include to purchase necessary materials and/or equipment for your program.

Licensed child care programs in Colorado, including family child care homes, child care centers, and preschools that serve children birth to age 5 can fully participate in Project Include at no cost to the program.  Whether you have a child with a delay or disability in your program now, or simply want to make your program more inclusive, Project Include is a great resource to help you be better prepared to support any child.

Programs that wish to participate in Project Include do not need prior experience with adaptive equipment. Project Include aims to give your program new ideas and expert guidance to start using adaptive equipment in your program. Adaptive equipment is any device or product that supports young children with delays or disabilities to do something they could not otherwise do.

Learn more about how participating programs benefit from Project Include resources. [Link to “Available Resources for Participants” tab]

If you are a license-exempt FFN caregiver in Colorado, we encourage you to:

• watch the Introduction to Universal Design and Inclusion course available in English and Spanish (coming soon) at no cost on the Office of Early Childhood’s Professional Development Information System (PDIS)

• visit the  Additional Resources page of this website to learn more about universal design and inclusion in early childhood settings

Although you are not eligible to participate directly in Project Include, please visit the Additional Resources page of this website to learn more about universal design and inclusion in early childhood settings.

The Introduction to Universal Design and Inclusion online course is available at no cost on the Office of Early Childhood’s Professional Development Information System (PDIS). This course will introduce you to concepts of universal design and provide ideas that you can implement right away to make your program more inclusive! 

Participants who have quick questions, would like more information, or need brief consultation, may contact us at ProjectInclude@ucdenver.edu at any time. 

The Universal Design and Inclusion Kits are available for check out by licensed child care programs in the state of Colorado who have completed the Project Include interest form. The kits are designed to address one of the following topics:

• Communication and Literacy

• Behavior and Cognition (coming soon!)

• Fine and Gross Motor (coming soon!)

• Vision and Hearing (coming soon!)

Each kit contains a variety of simple technology, adaptations, information guides, and a flash drive of digital and printable materials to help create a more universally designed and inclusive program to better support children with delays and disabilities. The kits can be checked out for up to 6 weeks. The materials in each kit contain QR codes that link to instructional videos detailing how to use each item. Our team is also available to respond to questions that programs may have about how to use the kits most effectively. 

After completing online training and kit exploration, participants are eligible to apply for customized coaching and support to purchase materials recommended by Project Include staff. Tiered support is based on the needs of each program:

•  Tier I - includes up to 5 hours of customized coaching and materials support

•  Tier II - includes up to 10 hours of customized coaching and materials support 

•  Tier III - includes up to 15 hours of customized coaching and materials support

Learn more about how to access these project resources [links to “How to Participate” tab]

OR [BUTTON] Get Started with Project Include [links to “how to participate” tab]