Value One
We reject the notion that children with disabilities must be "fixed" (frequently couched in terms of meeting certain criteria) before they are ready to take their place in families, neighborhoods, and community environments and experience the normal flow of everyday life and friendships available to children without disabilities. Specifically we are concerned that preschool children with disabilities and their families have the opportunity for inclusion in high quality child care and preschool programs within the mainstream of community programs available to typically developing children and their families.

Value Two
We recognize that typically developing children must have an opportunity to develop relationships with children who experience disabling conditions including children with the most significant disabilities. We acknowledge the importance of children learning to live in a pluralistic society and to accept individual differences at an early age. We believe that typically developing preschool children are at a critical readiness period for the experience of knowing a child with a disability and that their lives will be enriched by reaching out to friends who experience disabilities.

Value Three
We believe that a viable program must reflect involvement, input, and ongoing collaborative efforts from all participants, including the families receiving services and the special education and mainstream early childhood program personnel.

Value Four
We hold deep respect for the uniqueness and dignity of each child as an individual human being who merits our careful observation and response to his or her needs. We reject the application of any aversive procedures and believe that the acknowledgment of child preference and the development of choice making skills, a sense of self, and personal autonomy are critical.

Value Five
We believe that inclusive programming efforts must incorporate exemplary practice approaches using developmentally appropriate activities and materials available to all children in a high-quality program. Objectives and activities must be guided by family priorities and developed via a team process with the family as the principal decision maker. The principle of partial participation should be used to maximize involvement when the child is not able to perform all aspects of an activity.

Value Six
We accept the concept of natural proportions and believe that it is best to place young children with disabilities in "mainstream" programs in accordance with realistic population distributions.

Value Seven
Our time and energy should be vested in investigating the variables that make inclusive endeavors work in the best possible way.