Improving Quality in Early Childhood Environments Through On-Site Consultation

Abstract

The implementation of early childhood inclusion has been challenged by the lack of adequate staff development and high-quality community programs. Although consultation is a viable option for providing teachers with new knowledge, skills, and support to facilitate inclusion, few models use as their foundation assessing and improving global program quality. This article presents one model for preparing community-based consultants to work on-site alongside the staff of early care and education programs to improve the quality of their early childhood environments. We provide measures of global quality in the participating community-based programs, including infant-toddler, early childhood, and family childcare home settings, to determine the quality of care that children were receiving before and after consultation.