In July, a cohort made up of 42 professionals was the first to complete our new Disability-Inclusive Child Development Course. This course was developed to help professionals working with children and families to learn essential skills in disability and early child development and to improve services and support for family care for children with disabilities.
Who created this course and why?
This course was developed by a team of organizations (including SPOON) that serve children with disabilities around the world. Our consortium included: SPOON (USA), Keystone Human Services (USA), Shonaquip Social Enterprise (South Africa), International Social Service (ISS, Switzerland), Gwendolyn Burchell (United Aid for Azerbaijan), Dr. Maya Thomas (India), Enablement (Netherlands), Mobility India, GHR Foundation (USA), Kuhenza (Kenya), and the Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya (AOSK). All partners recognized that there was a need for high-quality, foundational training materials on family care for children in order to support disability inclusion and for professionals to support family care for children with disabilities.
Who took the course and what did they learn?
Our first cohort included professionals from India, Kenya, and South Africa. They came from diverse backgrounds including social work, community-based rehabilitation, and early education. All worked with children with disabilities, either in inclusive services or in programs focused specifically on children with disability.
The Disability-Inclusive Child Development Course includes seven modules containing distance learning content, live remote sessions with trainers, and independent assignments. The modules cover topics such as understanding disability, early childhood development, early intervention, working with families, and management and technology.
What were the results?
Participants gave positive feedback on learning, course delivery, and the course environment.
- Most participants said that they would recommend the course to others, and that it would contribute to their work.
- Many participants said that the course provided a strong foundation and made them feel excited to learn more on the areas of disability, inclusion, and early child development.
- Participants also gave useful recommendations on how we can improve interactivity, update content, and overcome challenges with connectivity in future cohorts.
“After going through the module, I really understand why is it very important for a child to grow in a family environment.”
Participant
Kenya
What’s next?
This course was successful in giving participants foundational knowledge and skills, but there is more work to be done. In the next iteration, the consortium will focus on strengthening and scaling this training package and linking it with larger efforts to improve disability-inclusive early childhood development and support for families.
