How did you make the decision to have your child participate in the program?
Christian had been in several other programs that, overall, were not meeting his needs for improved language and social interaction skills. Our daycare provider highly recommended the Barkley Center and after visiting the center and meeting with Nancy, we decided to give it a try. We then visited for the first few days Christian was in the program and left feeling satisfied every day.

How have you been able to give input into how your child's needs are met?
Initially, we had an opportunity to discuss Christian's needs with Nancy, who then went to the daycare to observe him and get a "feel" for his personality. Next, we met and discussed some of Christian's strengths and also set some goals for improvement. A team of several staff members was assigned to assist in Christian's success. We have been encouraged to participate and visit as often as we want and the team is willing to make changes as needed.

Who are the ongoing participants on your child's IEP team?
The IEP team includes us (the parents), a speech-language pathologist, an early childhood special education teacher, and an assistant principal. This is the basic core team, but we are also given the option of including anyone else we felt we needed to attend.

How are you communicated with on a daily or weekly basis?
We have been provided with a notebook that is kept in Christian's backpack. We can write comments or concerns as often as daily and have also been encouraged to visit the center as well as call with questions. Also, a weekly newsletter is sent home with updates on classroom topics and what we can do to follow up at home.

How has the program benefited your child?
Christian's main focus of improvement was his speech-language and social interaction skills. Within the first month, we noticed dramatic improvements in Christian's communication skills, and his level of frustration decreased tremendously, therefore we spent less time trying to figure out what he was saying and more time finding out about his personality - his like and dislikes. We could, for the first time, really talk with him.

Does your child have a special friend?
It would be unfair to say that Christian has only one or two special friends, because all of his teachers interact with him and he knows all of them by name. But one name we hear quite often is "my Shannon." He gets very excited when he can show her a new toy or tell her a new story.

What advice would you give to other parents in placing their children in inclusive programs?
#1 Get all the information you can.
#2 Ask all the questions you can.
#3 Visit the center as often as it takes in order to feel confident that your child's needs will be met.
#4 Talk to the teachers and get to know them . Allow them to get to know you and your preferences.
#5 Talk to your child. He or she will be the best indicator for any program's success.

To what extent do you feel involved in the overall program?
We have been included in the process since the first day. We have been asked our opinions and have been allowed to express our concerns and have also received very helpful advice for day to day issues. We know that our opinions count because we see the results at home.

How do you feel your child is benefiting from the inclusive aspect of the program?
Christian has been in a "special needs only" group. He was with children who were all severely compromised and I felt that Christian's mild speech delay was not being addressed - rather he was being grouped with a population that did not necessarily reflect society. Now that he is at Barkley, he can interact with Head Start children as well as children with diverse backgrounds. He has the benefit of learning at his own skill level with models of appropriate language and unique perspectives from children similar to himself.

Have you had any concerns? If so, how have these concerns been addressed?
As mentioned previously, every comment, concern, or question has been promptly and appropriately answered in writing or in person. One of our first concerns was that Christian would have too many transitions during the day (daycare to school, and back, etc.). Everyone at the center planned and prepared for what turned out to be a very smooth transition. Christian looks forward to his special routine. The entire staff was very open to communicating with us.