Child care – Supports for inclusion

Inclusive child care

The Provincial Inclusive Child Care (ICC) Program was developed to provide consistent and equitable services to licensed child care programs and family day home agencies across the province and the children and families they serve.

The ICC program assists child care programs and educators to build their capacity and confidence to include children who have extra support needs, increase families’ access to inclusive child care, and prevent the exclusion or removal of children from child care programs.

The ICC program is delivered by ICC agencies who have knowledge and expertise in early learning and child care and inclusion of children who have extra support needs. ICC agencies use Pyramid Model practices and other evidence informed approaches in the delivery of capacity building supports. The ICC program provides a range of short-term, intensive resources and supports to licensed child care programs that include:

access to on-site, evidence-based consultation to support quality enhancement of program delivery and/or guidance for individualized strategies
training and professional development delivered with coaching supports to promote capacity building of inclusive practices
access to funding for short-term engagement supports and resources to support knowledge and skill development

Inclusive child care program guide

How to apply

Complete the application form

Access Support and Participation (ASaP)

ASaP aims to provide access to the supports needed to ensure each child’s meaningful participation in child care programs. ASaP partners with child care programs who have staff committed to a long-term learning process (up to 2 years).

Through active participation in ASaP’s professional learning series and on-site coaching, educators and program leadership teams adopt the Pyramid Model framework to learn new professional practices. These practices include nurturing children’s social and emotional development, how to prevent and respond to challenging behaviour, and leadership development to create inclusive policy to guide the creation of a high quality inclusive Early Learning and Childcare program and to sustain change overtime.

Visit asapgrit.ca to learn more.