“I worked with the disability services team to help classroom staff adjust materials. We glued small blocks to puzzle pieces so kids with coordination challenges could grab them more easily. We added Styrofoam to book pages, so they were easier to turn. We even used box lids to give each child their own workspace. The best part? It didn’t cost a thing!” – Head Start education manager

This chapter focuses on helping children with disabilities take part in classroom learning. Every program must use a curriculum to guide what children learn and set learning goals.

As the disability services coordinator, you play a key role in this process. You work with teachers, home visitors, and families to make sure all children can join in and learn.

Here’s how you can help:

• Support teachers and home visitors in adjusting the curriculum for children with disabilities.
• Work with families to help them understand how their children are learning and growing.
• Team up with specialists and other staff to check that classrooms and learning spaces meet the needs of all children, including those with delays or disabilities.

Your goal is to make sure every child has a chance to take part, learn, and succeed.

Key Ideas

• Adjust the curriculum when needed so children with disabilities can take part in all activities.
• Make sure the curriculum helps children grow socially and emotionally.
• Use materials and teaching styles that respect each child’s language and culture.
• Bring families, staff, and specialists together to build learning spaces that support every child — those with and without disabilities.
• Keep checking and improving the learning environment. There’s always room to grow.

What are the Head Start curriculum requirements?

The curriculum is a big part of how children learn. Teachers and staff use it to plan lessons and set learning goals. The Head Start Program Performance Standards at 45 CFR §1302.32 say that early childhood programs must follow certain standards when choosing and using a curriculum.

Here’s what the curriculum must do:

• Match the age and development of the children in the program.
• Be based on solid research that shows it helps children learn.
• Include materials to support implementation.
• Come with training so staff know how to use it the right way.
• Follow the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework and state learning standards.
• Offer clear plans and materials for learning activities, so each child can learn in a way that fits their needs.

These rules apply to classrooms, family child care homes, and home visiting programs.

Supporting Children’s Mental Health and Participation

The Performance Standards in Supports for mental health and well-being, 45 CFR §1302.45 address concerns about children's behavior and how mental health consultants can help staff manage their classrooms. 

Additional Services for Children with Disabilities, 45 CFR §1302 Subpart F requires that children with disabilities and their families receive program services in the least restrictive environment (LRE) and participate fully in all the program’s activities. These rules apply to all children with disabilities, including, but not limited to, children eligible for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) services. A program must also modify the environment and the instructional format and offer children specific help as needed.

Staff Involvement and Support

Other Performance Standards include rules about using a curriculum and supporting the staff. Human Resources Management, 45 CFR §1302 Subpart I address personnel and professional development. A program must:

• Monitor curriculum fidelity. The education manager, supervisors, coaches, and child development specialists are likely to be involved in this process.
• Support staff so they use the curriculum properly. The professional development system, including coaching, can facilitate staff learning
• Provide a mental health consultant to identify curriculum and teaching strategies for children with mental health and social and emotional concerns. A consultant helps staff, parents, and families understand children's behavior
• Hire well-qualified coaches and consultants.

Because of the inter-related systems and services, Head Start programs have a broad list of Performance Standards related to curricula.

Social and Emotional Curriculum

Head Start programs must use a curriculum that matches the ELOF. This curriculum must include goals for social and emotional growth. Many programs use a full curriculum that builds social and emotional learning into everyday activities. Your program’s mental health consultant can help you choose the right one.

Social and emotional skills matter because they help children:

• Get along with others
• Ask adults for help
• Manage their feelings, actions, and thoughts

These skills are key for school success and are the foundation of mental health in young children.

Choosing and Using a Curriculum

Picking the right curriculum can feel overwhelming. These Early Childhood Curriculum Resources can help teachers and family child care providers. These guides explain how a curriculum:

• Teaches children and supports learning.
• Covers different areas of development.
• Sets learning goals.
• Helps organize the classroom and daily schedule.
• Supports planning and teaching.
• Encourages family involvement.

Creating a Supportive Learning Environment

To create a learning space that works for all children, including those with disabilities:

• Make changes to the classroom and materials as needed.
• Build a caring and respectful social environment.

All children should be part of every learning activity. Some children may need extra help with social and emotional skills. Their support plans — like an IFSP, IEP, 504 Plan, or CAP — will include strategies to meet their needs. Health plans may also include behavior supports.

Your mental health consultant can suggest helpful strategies for both school and home. Special education and early intervention staff can also help you find the best ways to support each child. See Coordinating Health and Mental Health Program Services for information about children who exhibit mental health concerns.

Your Role in Using the Curriculum

As a leader, you help staff and home visitors understand how the curriculum supports children with disabilities. Keep using the Framework for Effective Practice — especially the first pillar, which focuses on using proven teaching practices. Just like a house needs a strong roof and foundation, all parts of the framework work together to support quality education.

Teach What “Curriculum” Really Means

Work with education managers, coaches, and child development specialists to explain that curriculum is more than just lesson plans. It includes:

• Daily schedules and routines
• Transitions between activities or spaces
• Learning materials
• How indoor and outdoor areas are set up
• Respectful relationships between adults and children
• Instruction and support provided during playful, joyous interactions

When staff adjust the curriculum for children with disabilities, they should think about all of these parts. For example:

• Are transitions easy for children who need more time to process information?
• Can all children reach and use the materials?
• Is there enough space for a wheelchair to move around?

Use Helpful Tools and Strategies

The Effective Practice Guides give tips and examples for teaching social and emotional skills. They focus on three areas:

• Interactions: How adults and children talk and work together
• Environment: How the space supports learning
• Individualization: How to meet each child’s unique needs

You can use or adjust many of these strategies to support children with disabilities.

Supporting Home Visitors

Your role with home visitors is similar. Help them adjust the curriculum when needed by looking at:

• The child’s daily routines.
• The learning materials.
• How the home space is set up.

If a child needs special tools or devices, help home visitors connect with early intervention teams or community resources. The goal is to improve the child’s learning and help parents feel confident as their child’s first teacher.

Show and Share Modifications

Show staff and families how to make changes to the curriculum. This builds trust and shows you’re there to help. Some changes are simple:

• Give a child with low vision a large-print book.
• Use sandpaper letters for a child who needs extra sensory input.

Talk with early intervention and special education partners about other helpful tools, like assistive technology. See Appendix E for a list of curriculum modifications.

What is assistive technology?

Assistive technology is any tool or device that helps a child with a disability do things more easily. It can be something bought from a store, changed to fit the child’s needs, or made just for them. (From the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988)

Planning Curriculum Changes

If a child qualifies for services under IDEA, the team will decide how to adjust the curriculum during the IFSP or IEP process.

If the child doesn’t qualify for IDEA but needs individualized support, work with:

• The child’s family
• Education staff
• Other team members, like the health or mental health coordinator

You Don’t Have to Know Everything

Staff may look to you as the expert on children with disabilities. While you know a lot, it’s okay to ask others for ideas and support.

Ongoing Assessment for All Children

You play an important role in making sure children with disabilities or delays can fully take part in the learning program. The curriculum and the learning space must work together to support every child.

Know the Rules

The IDEA law helps guide how and where children with disabilities should learn:

• Part C says babies and toddlers (under age 3) should get services in everyday places, like their home or child care center.
• Part B says children ages 3 and older should learn with their peers as much as possible. This is called the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).

You’ll often refer to IDEA when planning learning spaces and services. It helps make sure children get what they need to grow and learn.

Start with a Quick Check: Scan the Environment

A simple way to begin is by visiting a classroom or home for a short time — maybe an hour. Look around and ask:

• Is the room set up in a way that helps all children learn?
• Do the materials reflect the children’s needs, interests, cultures, and languages?
• Are there books or posters showing children with different abilities or using tools like wheelchairs?
• Can children with limited movement get around easily?
• Are adults and children interacting in a warm and respectful way?
• Are children happy, focused, and involved?

In home visiting programs, join a visit and observe how the space and materials support the child. Check that outdoor areas are also welcoming and usable for all children.

Take a Deeper Look: Environmental Assessment

To get a full picture, your program can do a more formal review of learning spaces. This is called an environmental assessment. It helps you see how well your program supports children with disabilities across all settings, such as:

• Classrooms
• Family child care homes
• Partner child care sites
• Socialization spaces for home visiting programs

If your program is large, you may need a team to help.

What to look for?

Make sure your assessment covers these areas:

• Physical: Is the space easy to move around in? Are the materials right for the children’s needs? Is the outdoor space usable?
• Social: How do adults and children interact? Do children play and talk with each other?
• Temporal: Does the daily schedule work well? Are transitions smooth and not rushed?

Environmental Assessment Process

To start your assessment, follow these steps:

Step 1. With your team, decide who to include. Should there be people from each of the systems and services? Early intervention and special education partners?

Step 2. Your program may create its own assessment tool, or you can use one already developed. The Environment Rating Scales (ERS) are observation-based tools. These include the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) for preschool classrooms, the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS) for center-based programs, and the Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale (FCCRS). ERS tools are not specific to environments that serve children with and without disabilities together but can provide helpful information about quality.

Although the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®) is not designed to focus on children with disabilities, your program's CLASS® domain scores may be one indicator of a learning environment that supports all children. 

Head Start programs must comply with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Your facilities manager can help you ensure that the facilities comply.

Step 3. Organize the information you collect so it's easy to understand and analyze.

Step 4. Identify strengths and challenges in each environment. Analyze your data about children with disabilities. Consider the physical, social, and temporal aspects of the learning environments.

Step 5. Share what you see in the data with education staff to learn more about what they observed.

Step 6. Identify environments where children with disabilities and staff are successful or struggling. Analyze what contributes to that.

Step 7. Based on the results, you may want to review IFSPs, IEPs, Section 504 plans, and CAPs. This information will help ensure all children have access to all areas of learning and individualized lesson plans.

The environmental assessment is meant to improve services for children with disabilities and to ensure the program’s coordinated approach makes the best use of the environment.

Your program must make continuous improvement efforts. Education staff continue to monitor the progress of children with disabilities, seek guidance from specialists, and plan effective services. This information informs training for staff who work with children with disabilities. See Improving Your Program’s Coordinated Approach for information about improving the coordinated approach.

Tips to Support a Curriculum That Works for All Children

The Performance Standards have clear rules for education services. These rules cover:

• The learning space (e.g., classrooms, homes, or group areas)
• Teaching and home visiting practices
• What the curriculum should include

Below are some helpful tips for your work.

Support Children with Disabilities in Daily Activities

• Review daily schedules, home visit plans, and routines. Make sure they include ways to support children with disabilities.
• Look at the curriculum and see if anything is missing for children with disabilities. Use the child’s IFSP or IEP to guide changes.
• Watch how children respond to changes in the curriculum. Use both numbers (like progress data) and stories (like teacher notes) to decide what works.

Focus on Social and Emotional Growth

• Make sure your program uses a strong social and emotional curriculum.
• Work with teachers, consultants, and specialists to help children with disabilities meet their social and emotional goals.
• Help families understand that social and emotional skills are part of getting ready for school.

Respect Family Cultures and Practices

• Adjust the curriculum in ways that respect each family’s culture and parenting style.
• Talk with family engagement staff and caregivers to make sure services match their values and needs.

Check the Learning Environment

• Look at the physical space, social interactions, and daily schedule.
• Use data from across your program to find what’s working and what needs improvement.

Train and Support Staff

• Plan staff training based on what you learn from reviewing the environment.
• Work with community partners and the TTA system to give staff the support they need.

Use the Right Tools

• Learn about tools that help you check if learning spaces support children with and without disabilities together.
• Talk with early intervention and special education partners, and other disability services coordinators, to find the best tools.

Keep Assistive Devices Up to Date

• Check that children’s assistive devices are working and being used correctly.
• Make sure staff know how to use them, too.

Be a Strong Voice for Welcoming Practices

• Be ready to explain why it’s important for children with disabilities to learn and grow alongside their peers.
• Help others understand the benefits of a welcoming and supportive learning space.

Use a Team Approach

• Review your program’s budget, staff policies, training plans, and facilities.
• Make sure everything works together to support children with disabilities.

Questions to Ask Your Team

Use these questions to reflect on how your program supports all children, including those with disabilities:

• What types of changes or supports (modifications or accommodations) do we use most often? Are they working well?
• Does our curriculum include social and emotional goals?
• How do we help families use these supports at home?
• What assistive technology do we use with children?
• What are the strengths of our learning spaces that welcome and support all children?
• What help do we need to make our learning spaces even more supportive?
• What support do we offer inside our program (like training or coaching)?
• What support do we get from outside partners (like joint training or classroom visits with special education staff)?
• How do we choose the right curriculum, strategies, and changes for children with and without disabilities?
• Who helps make these decisions?
• How do we check if our strategies and changes are working?

Scenario: Supporting Maya in the Classroom

Maya is a new student in the Head Start program. She has autism and finds it hard to communicate with others. Clyde, the disability services coordinator, supports Maya’s teacher and works closely with special education staff from the school district. A mental health consultant also visits the classroom to help.

During music and movement time, Maya often gets upset. She yells and kicks. A volunteer usually takes her out of the activity to calm down. While this keeps others safe, it isn’t a good long-term solution. Maya doesn’t like being separated from the group, and it can make things worse.

The team — Clyde, the teacher, the mental health consultant, and a special educator — talks with Maya’s family. Together, they come up with a new plan.

The New Plan

• Before music and movement starts, the teacher gives Maya a choice:
  “Movement” or “Break.”
• She says each word slowly and points to the group area and then to a quiet space with headphones.
• When Maya chooses “Break,” the teacher helps her go to the quiet area.
• Maya listens to the same songs and rhymes the class is using, but through headphones.

For most of the year, Maya chooses to wear the headphones during this activity. Her behavior improves, and she stays calmer. Clyde and the mental health consultant keep checking in, and the plan continues to work well.

Why This Works

This small change — letting Maya use headphones — has a big impact:

• Maya still takes part in the music and movement activity in a way that works for her.
• She learns to use one word to make a choice, which builds her communication skills.
• She feels more confident and independent.
• Because she enjoys the headphones, she’s more willing to join other activities too.
• She stays more engaged and makes progress on her learning goals.

This is a great example of how a simple change can help a child with a disability fully take part in the classroom.