The following response came to me as listserve owner and not to the
whole group while I was on vacation, so I'm just now posting. It's
from "joliecarsten" <joliecarsten@...>.

I was a school social worker at Washington Early Childhood in Urbana
(and did my internship with the Champaign Early Childhood program).
First, I think the educational benefit to the students with IEPs is
increased by being exposed to "typically-developing" peers. Plus,
the
teachers' focus on the skills identified in the IEPs helps the growth
of all the students.


In addition, it is often difficult to pick out the students with
IEPs.
Because children learn best through their play and their
environmental
experiences, I believe it's vital that all children are exposed to a
variety of peers with various strengths and challenges and rates of
development.


Lastly, it's important to remember that the most important skills
children learn in preschool are social skills - following directions,
taking turns, sharing, etc. The impact of having a blended
classroom,
reflecting a blended world, is the increase in children's development
of empathy which is a requirement for violence prevention. Early
childhood is the place where children's views of school, and often
people, is formulated (as well as the parents' educational
experience).


Therefore, while saving money may be an outcome (I really don't know -

not my field), it is not the basis for a blended classroom or
mainstreaming in elementary and secondary schools or the acceptance
of
diversity at any age or any place. I'm sure the "pilot" will go
well.
I honestly had no idea that prekindergarten programs were done any
differently!


Jolie FranCoeur-Carsten, LCSW
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant