Preparing Early Childhood Special Educators for Rural Settings

Abstract

Professionals who deliver early childhood special education services in rural areas commonly encounter problems and challenges. They must often serve children of diverse ages and with a wide range of handicapping conditions who are scattered over large geographical areas. To compound the problems of serving these children, support services in rural areas are often quite sparse. To prepare early childhood special educators to meet the needs of children and families in rural communities, the University of Washington has designed a rural track in the master's level training program in early childhood special education. This manuscript reports on the components of that training program, and the results of the first 2 years of teacher preparation, including placement of trainees in rural practicum sites.