A local education agency (LEA) preschool program serving 3-to 5-year-old children is committed to high-quality inclusion for young children with disabilities and their neurotypical peers. The school is investing in using evidence-based practices to support all children in learning and development, building meaningful friendships, and a sense of belonging in the community. Each classroom is staffed with a BA-level lead teacher and BA-level teaching assistant. The related service providers including early childhood special educator (ECSE), occupational therapist (OT), speech language pathologist (SLP), and physical therapist (PT) each spend one day in the preschool every week. On that one day, the specialists visit all three classrooms and work individually with each of the children whom they serve. It is becoming increasingly clear to the educational team that this is not enough time for the specialists to serve all the children on their caseload to the desired degree and children are not able to capitalize on learning opportunities throughout their school day. The team is looking at ways to better serve all children and provide more opportunities for children to learn during the natural routines of the day.

This qualitative phenomenological study utilized structured interviews with 23 preschool administrators to explore their beliefs about preschool inclusion and needed resources for providing high-quality preschool inclusion. Themes emerged regarding administrators’ beliefs about inclusion, including divergent understandings of inclusion as something that is either for all or for some children. Administrators placed a high value on families’ preferences regarding preschool inclusion and at times focused their descriptions of inclusion on logistical aspects of placements and funding. Administrators said they needed additional money and personnel resources to provide high-quality preschool inclusion. Study findings are discussed in the context of the paucity of research on administrator perspectives regarding inclusion and implications for supporting administrators who play a key role in implementing preschool inclusion. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10643-023-01448-0.

We utilized a survey to explore how early childhood personnel delivered high-quality and inclusive preschool special education and related services to young children with disabilities in one Western state. We conducted quantitative analyses on 418 participants’ survey responses, including t-tests and Mann Whitney tests to examine differences in the use of high-quality inclusion practices between early childhood special educators (ECSEs) ( n = 209) and related service personnel (RSP) ( n = 209). Findings indicated that ECSEs were more likely than RSP to implement high-quality inclusion practices. All personnel reported inconsistent use of teaming practices. Services were provided most often inside the classroom with peers; however, several personnel provided support to children inside their classroom but in a separate space or outside of their classroom. We discuss findings in the context of ways in which early childhood personnel can be supported to use high-quality inclusion practices.