TEACHING EXPERIENCE AND SPECIALIST SUPPORT - A SURVEY OF PRESCHOOL TEACHERS EMPLOYED IN PROGRAMS ACCREDITED BY NAEYC

A national mail survey of preschool teachers (N = 500, return rate of 55.2%) employed in programs accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children was conducted to gain descriptive inf ormation about (a) the teachers' preparation and program organization and (b) their experience with children with disabilities, the IEP proc ess, special educators, and other specialists. Results indicated that more than half of the respondents currently had a child with disabilit ies in their classroom and had participated in an IEP meeting. The maj ority of teachers were not certified in early childhood or early child hood special education, and only 25% of them currently worked with a s pecial educator concerning one or more children in their classroom. Im plications for practice, personnel preparation, and research are inclu ded.