Love Is a Classroom: Stories of Inclusion

Episode 1: Creating an Inclusive Community

In this episode, Rochelle shares her story about Archer and his family. We will talk about her preparation, her use of home visits to support inclusion, and the priorities she places on relationships. She will also share recommendations for teachers in inclusive classrooms or considering teaching in inclusive classrooms. 
Image Description: The image above is a woman named Rochelle with a child named Archer, both smiling. They are in a room with a bookcase and shelf in the background. Rochelle is wearing glasses and there is a book visible in the image. 
Resources mentioned in the episode
https://www.inclusiveschooling.com/
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/children-disabilities/article/head-start-center-inclusion
https://mesacountypcf.org/
https://www.d51schools.org/departments/early_childhood_education
 
If you have a story you want to share, go to Loveisaclassroom.com/contact
 

Episode 2: A Foundation From the Start

In this episode you will meet Anita and Zach Hamilton, the parents of Archer Hamilton. Archer was introduced in episode 1 by Ms. Rochelle. Anita and Zach share their story about Archer’s transition from preschool with Ms. Rochelle into a general education kindergarten classroom. We will talk along the way about the necessity for communication, the importance of continuity, receiving a one to one aid, their fears, priorities and advocating for Archer. This is the first of a two part episode with Anita and Zach. Subscribe to receive a notification for the release of the second episode.

Episode 3: Archer As Archer

In this powerful episode, we resume the conversation from episode 2 when I spoke with Zach and Anita about their story and experiences with Archer's transition from Ms. Rochelle's preschool classroom into kindergarten. In this episode, we delve into the emotions experienced by Archer's parents when he is genuinely included in every aspect of life. If you haven't listened to the first two episodes, I encourage you to give those a listen before continuing with this episode. 
 
Archer's CP Adventures Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/archerscpadventures?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Episode 4: Who He Is Not How He Is

In this episode, Archer, Aubrey, and Aaliyah, the children of Zach and Anita Hamilton, whose stories you heard in episodes 2 and 3, share their experiences growing up together. Their words, particularly those of Aubrey, reinforce the positive enduring impact of Archer's inclusion in Miss Rochelle's inclusive preschool classroom in District 51. In Episode 1, Rochelle Said, her conversation with Archer was as good as any she had with anyone. She did not oversell.
Cover art by Josie Filippelli https://www.linkedin.com/in/josie-filippelli/
 

Episode 5: Leading an Inclusive Program

We started with one teacher, Rochelle Buniger. Episodes 2 through 4 showed that the acts of one teacher have an impact that goes far beyond the classroom. In this episode, I hope you, my listener, will see that high-quality meaningful inclusion is more than the love of one teacher and the positive outcomes of inclusion have the potential to go just as far for children without disabilities as it does for children with disabilities. Episode 5, the final episode in this inaugural series features Christy Donathan, the director of the early childhood education department in District 51. Her stories and the responses to my questions provide a glimpse behind the scenes into a school district that creates inclusive experiences like the one Archer and his family received.
Resources mentioned in Episode 5
Pyramid Model Resources: https://challengingbehavior.org/pyramid-model/overview/basics/
Inclusive Schooling: https://www.inclusiveschooling.com/
The Circle Makers by Julie Causton https://a.co/d/7QIVnKW
Kristie Donathan kristie.donathan@d51schools.org
If you have a story you want to share, go to Loveisaclassroom.com/contact
 
Cover art by Josie Filippelli https://www.linkedin.com/in/josie-filippelli/
 
 

Focused Episode: Advocating For Your Child With Disability

This focused episode is about advocating for a child with a disability or who is neurodivergent. It features a panel of three distinguished parent advocates. The panelists share their experiences, stories, and professional knowledge. They talk about building meaningful relationships with IEP and IFSP team members, advocating when, from a parental perspective the district data isn't sufficient, continuity between classrooms, schools, and district policies, and influencing changes in culture and policy through meaningful relationships. The advocacy panel was recorded as a launch event for my memoir Love Is a Classroom. The topics discussed come from experiences I shared in the memoir.  
 
About the panelists:
Kimberly Travers is dedicated to enhancing the lives of families and their children with disabilities along with the professionals who serve them by focusing on Early Intervention policy, practice, and research. Kimberly’s professional and personal experience and expertise are critical elements that she brings to many classrooms, councils, boards, and workgroups, as well as professional development activities. Her passion for family-centered, natural environments, and evidence-based practices can be seen during her presentations and advisory work, inspiring families and professionals to team more successfully. Kimberly has extensive experience at the local, state, and national levels in the field of early intervention. Kimberly’s work experience includes service provision and service coordination to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families, training and technical assistance, and policy recommendations. Kimberly’s journey as a parent of a child with a disability elevated her understanding of the importance of the family voice and informed decision-making at all levels.
Sarah Davidon has over 30 years of experience in the field of policy, health promotion and prevention, early childhood models of impact, and children's mental health. She is a passionate and dedicated advocate for improving access to children's mental health care and creating effective public policies. As the Deputy Ombudsman at Colorado Ombudsman for Behavioral Health Access to Care (BHOCO), I provide leadership and co-create strategies to help those who are seeking care or providing care navigate complicated systems, investigate concerns and complaints, and assess recommendations for reform. In addition to my role as the Deputy Ombudsman, I am also the Principal and Owner of Davidon Consulting, LLC, a consulting firm that focuses on children's mental health and the intersection of mental health and educational systems. I have provided keynotes, presentations, facilitated dialogue, and policy strategy to various clients, including the Colorado School Medicaid Consortium, the Office of the Behavioral Health Ombudsman of Colorado, Georgetown Center for Child and Human Development, Community First Foundation (now Colorado Gives Foundation) and the Mental Health Center of Denver. I serve as an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, where I advise multiple states on funding and policies related to early childhood systems and mental health consultation.
Beth Cole has worked in early intervention since 1996. I began as a parent advocate after my son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2-1/2. I worked as a paraeducator for 6 years in the same K-8 school where my son was. I also worked at the local and state level in Colorado’s early intervention Part C program for children birth – 3 with developmental delays and disabilities. I was very involved in helping to develop Colorado’s Part C early intervention provider training and the telehealth training. I’ve now been working at WestEd since 2021, providing TA to state Part C programs on their fiscal systems and I’m a part of the team working on an OSEP-funded demonstration project that focuses on screening and referral to Part C or other early childhood programs. I received my masters in Nonprofit Management in 2004 and my Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Equity in 2019.
If you have a story you want to share, go to Loveisaclassroom.com/contact
Cover art by Josie Filippelli https://www.linkedin.com/in/josie-filippelli/