Establishing a program inclusive of children with disability

In this Illustration, four year old kindergarten teacher Mel, works closely with one child with a hearing device to support her literacy achievement. Mel describes her approach to support the success of children with disability in her program and shares examples of strategies to establish a work space in which the children with disability can be successful. She also describes how she works with the parents of children with disability to ensure their well-being and development.

Clarendon Children's Centre is an inner city long day care centre and kindergarten situated in South Melbourne. In this kindergarten classroom, there are three early childhood teachers. The children come from a variety of backgrounds and the teachers focus on the children's voice playing an important role in the classroom. The four year old kindergarten room serves 17 children daily, two of whom have a hearing disability.