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Valley View Community Inclusion Team Vision Statement
The Valley View CIT is committed to fostering an inclusive early childhood community network where all children with disabilities are fully supported to learn, grow, and thrive alongside their same-age peers.
We commit to:
Promote early childhood inclusion across the Valley View community by building a strong foundation of support and shared commitment to inclusive practices.
Create high-quality early childhood environments where every child can actively participate, feel a deep sense of belonging, and develop new skills and competencies.
Expand capacity for inclusive practices in early childhood settings through shared learning and resource coordination.
Establish a network of collaboration across families, educators, and care providers to ensure that all children, with and without disabilities, are welcomed, supported, and meaningfully included in all early childhood settings.
What is a Community Inclusion Team?
Community Inclusion Teams (CIT) bring service providers and families together to build community-wide awareness and vision of the importance of early childhood inclusion (Creating Inclusive Preschool Services at the Community Level Through Community Inclusion Teams, Early CHOICES July 2024). The CIT works to ensure that all early childhood programs in the community are moving in the same direction toward shared goals. The team promotes collaboration by sharing information and resources across programs and agencies, facilitating agreements between the school district and community programs to deliver special education and related services in natural environments, and offering guidance on policies and procedures that strengthen high-quality inclusion.
The Valley View CIT uses the Community Indicators of High Quality Inclusion to monitor the progress of the Community Outreach Inclusion Program's work. These indicators were developed by the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center and the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) in conjunction with other partners and stakeholders from across the early care and education system. The CIT engages in regular self-assessment of the Community Indicators in order to identify goals and develop action plans toward addressing those goals.
Who is on the Valley View Community Inclusion Team?
The Valley View CIT is made up of 15 community members who are committed to high-quality early childhood education and inclusion. These members represent a variety of community stakeholders: families, community-based organizations (including preschools and daycares), state legislators, Valley View School District 365U, Lewis University, infant and early childhood mental health consultant, Early Intervention, Will County Health Department, community advocacy organizations, and an Early CHOICES consultant.
For a complete list of the Valley View CIT membership, or if you would like more information about attending a CIT meeting, please contact Megan Hillegass at hillegassm@vvsd.org.
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