Innovative Policy 2020 on Inclusive Education and ICT
700 early childhood centres across a whole country
| Laws and regulations involved: | Integrated Early Childhood Care Model |
|---|---|
| Responsible Body: | National Institute for Comprehensive Early Childhood Care (INAIPI) |
| Country of Implementation | Dominican Republic |
| Start Year | 2015 |
PROBLEMS TARGETED
Many young children with disabilities in the Dominican Republic do not access early diagnosis and support due to a lack of awareness, lack of follow-up by parents and medical staff, a lack of specialists, and few facilities to provide them with care.
SOLUTION, INNOVATION, AND IMPACT
The programme model foresees six components for successful and effective early childhood intervention. During the initial education component, assistants and education coordinators observe the first signs of deviation from regular development and make the appropriate referral for adequate support. This includes therapeutic support and inclusion in classrooms that have special equipment to play and learn. The training and education of parents supports violence prevention and facilitates greater awareness and acceptance by families. Finally, health and nutrition requirements are adjusted to the needs of the young children.
The children attend the early childhood care centres eight hours per day, Monday–Friday, for 11 months of the year. For children entering primary school there is a transition protocol whereby they are supervised for a year to ensure their support and inclusion. Since 2015, more than 195,000 children have enrolled, and 1,144 children with disabilities have received support.
Children attend the early childhood care centres eight hours per day, Monday to Friday
FUNDING, OUTLOOK AND TRANSFERABILITY
INAIPI has an annual budget assigned by law as well as annual operating and purchasing plans. In 2019, the budget is $97 million.
To enforce the policy, there are regular visits and checks from INAIPI staff to the centres and to parents. In addition, there are permanent awareness training campaigns for most of the 11,000 personnel to keep them up to date with the most recent developments in early childhood care.
INAIPI plans to improve the programme by maintaining and expanding agreements with other organizations to provide specialized care, and to further train staff to identify and support children with disabilities and their families.
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