Edwin Pratt Early Learning Center selected by OSPI and UW as an Inclusionary Demonstration Site

Shoreline Public Schools’ Edwin Pratt Early Learning Center is being recognized and studied as a model for inclusionary preschool practices by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Haring Center for Inclusive Education at the University of Washington.

This fall, OSPI and the Haring Center expanded their K-12 Inclusionary Practice Project (IPP) to include preschools and selected four early learning programs across the state to serve as demonstration sites for using innovative and effective inclusion models in their preschool programs. The Edwin Pratt Early Learning Center was one of the four sites selected.

The Edwin Pratt Early Learning Center is home to three early learning programs that serve a variety of needs. This includes a tuition-based preschool, a Head Start program serving low-income students and an Early Childhood Education program serving students with special needs. Students in all three programs are blended in classrooms throughout the building, explained Director of Early Learning Hillery Clark.

“In Washington, less than 50 percent of students with disabilities are participating in early childhood classes separate from their peers,” said Clark. 

“In our school, 100 percent of students with disabilities are included in early childhood classes with their peers… students develop and grow together in inclusive classrooms, learning about and embracing individual differences.”

Clark credits her staff for their work in building the capacity to one of only four preschool sites in the state to be selected as a demonstration site. “This selection celebrates and honors their incredible hard work, dedication and love for every student and family we serve,” said Clark.

As an IPP demonstration site, staff and administrators in the early learning programs will receive additional coaching and mentoring on inclusive teaching practices to increase their capacity to meet the needs of all students, regardless of ability or background.

The other three preschools programs selected to be demonstration sites are:

• Robert Lince Early Learning Center – Selah, WA
• Kodiak Cubs Preschool – Leavenworth, WA
• Hood Canal School Inclusive Preschool – Skokomish, WA