Examining the Perceptions of Families, Teachers, and Administrators of Preschool Programs Meeting the Needs of Young Children with Disabilities

Statefunded preschool programs in the United States (US) increased substantially in the recent years, often times without evaluating how effective the programs are at meeting the needs of all children, including children with special needs. This study sought to investigate how families, teachers, and principals perceived how state funded preschoolprograms in an urban school district in the US met the needs of young children with special needsand their families. Participants included 301 parents of children with special needs,45 teachers, and 30 principals. Overall, all stakeholders identified the programs’ structure, personnel, and home to school connections as strengths, and believed that the preschool programs were an appropriate place for young children with special needs. Parents and teachers indicated satisfaction with the frequency of communication; however, both parents and principals still wanted to see an increase in communication between home and school. Areas needing improvement included critical elements needed in preschool programs related to human resources, increased funding, and appropriate adult-child ratios.