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At the University of Washington Haring Center for Inclusive Education, amazing possibilities are within reach for each and every child, those with disabilities and those who are typically developing. The Haring Center provides early childhood education to children with and without disabilities, conducts leading-edge research to advance inclusive learning and champions the best inclusive education practices so that every child can reach their full potential.
Through their unique integrated model of the Experimental Education Unit (EEU) school, research and professional development & training, the Haring Center creates inclusive communities that empower all children to learn, play and grow together, guided by the vision that every child has meaningful opportunities to learn, to engage with others and to live in an inclusive community that values all its members.
Haring Center
Research: Haring Center researchers study the most difficult barriers to learning faced by children with disabilities and design leading-edge solutions. Their passion for improving educational outcomes for all students fuels a relentless drive for innovation.
Demonstration: Once strategies are developed, research is tested in the classrooms of the EEU, the Haring Center’s thriving and inclusive birth-through-kindergarten school. As a national model for inclusive early education, the EEU demonstrates that all children learn best when they learn together.
Professional Development & Training: Once they know that innovative practices work, the Haring Center trains educational leaders and professionals in Washington state and across the globe to put those techniques into practice. In partnership with school districts and community organizations, they provide consultation, training, coaching, follow-up and evaluations.
Additional contacts:
- Chris Matsumoto, EEU School Principal, ctm@uw.edu
- Kathleen Artman Meeker, Director of Research, kameeker@uw.edu
- Ariane Gauvreau, Senior Director of Professional Development & Training, ariane@uw.edu
For additional information about the Norris and Dorothy Haring Center, please visit their website.
Haring Center
Would you like to visit/train/research/learn more about us?
Contact: Chris Matsumoto (ctm@uw.edu)
Core Function: Clinical Services
The Infant and Toddler Program (ITP) serves children ages birth through 3 years. At the EEU we offer a variety of early-intervention services to meet the needs of families and their children. These services are delivered by different providers based on the area: special education teachers, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, physical therapists and family resource coordinators. The ITP provides intervention through inclusive playgroups where all children learn and play together. In addition to playgroups at the EEU, the ITP also serves children and their families by providing community and home-based services. These are determined by the needs of the child and the family and can take place in the home, at the center or in other community settings.
The ITP serves families in the King County area through contracts with the DDA (Developmental Disabilities Administration) and local school districts.
INFANT PLAYGROUP | The ITP offer a playgroup for newborn children to 12 months who have developmental delays. This is a weekly playgroup where parents and infants receive the support to address specific areas of need by each child as they arise throughout the year.
TODDLER PLAYGROUP | The ITP offers inclusive playgroups for children ages 1-3 years old. These twice-a-week sessions are inclusive, meaning that children with and without disabilities participate. At these sessions, toddlers work on socialization, communication, cognitive, self-help and motor skills and receive consultation services from occupational, physical and speech therapists.
DIRECT SERVICES | The ITP serves the EEU children and their families by providing direct services from occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, and physical therapists in home, center and community settings as determined by the individual needs of the child and family.
Contact: Chris Matsumoto (ctm@uw.edu)
Core Function: Clinical Services
The EEU provides a full-day, kindergarten program that includes students with and without disabilities. All children, regardless of ability, learn along-side their peers.
The kindergarten teams meet the needs of all students by following and adapting the district�s general education curriculum, and providing instruction in both large and small group settings. These decisions are made on a child-by-child basis and change based on learning outcome and needs throughout the school year. Our goal is to build a strong community of diverse learners, with an emphasis on membership and belonging. We celebrate the strengths of individual children, while providing them with responsive instruction to build academic and social skills and increase independence.
The program emphasizes the development of academic, social, communication and motor skills that enable children to be successfully in elementary school. Physical therapists, Occupational therapists and Speech Language Pathologists work with the teaching staff to provide services within the context of the general education and classroom environment. Special Education and Related Services are provided by EEU staff through a contract with Seattle Public Schools (SPS).
Contact: Chris Matsumoto (ctm@uw.edu)
Core Function: Clinical Services
Created by Haring Center educators, researchers, and graduate students Project DATA (Developmentally Appropriate Treatment for Autism) is a groundbreaking, replicable, sustainable, inclusive classroom model for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This program has been replicated by school districts throughout the state of Washington and the rest of the United States.
At the EEU, Project DATA (Developmentally Appropriate Treatment for Autism) is a program in which children on the autism spectrum currently enrolled in our preschool programs can receive additional services integrating the best, most current educational practices from the fields of early childhood special education and applied behavior analysis. In order to ensure the best possible outcomes for children with autism and their families, the program is also influenced by guiding principles, which serve as the cornerstone of Project DATA:
- Children with autism are children first, and the program must be a safe and nurturing place for children
- Data-based decision making must be employed across all aspects of the program
- Children with autism must have multiple opportunities to interact successfully with their typically developing peers every day
- The program must be acceptable to consumers and must fit in the social contexts of public schools
A nationally recognized program that began at the Haring Center, Project DATA is the model for which SPS designed its extended day special education program. Project DATA is provided through a contract with Seattle Public Schools.
Contact: Chris Matsumoto (ctm@uw.edu)
Core Function: Clinical Services
The Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) offers high quality, affordable preschool to children across the city of Seattle, making high quality early learning equitable, accessible, and affordable for all families.
In the SPP classrooms at the EEU, our teachers follow a general education curriculum called Creative Curriculum, which is a unit-based curriculum that provides students with the opportunity to explore a variety of topics while receiving instruction in all academic areas including literacy, mathematics, fine-motor, gross-motor, and social-emotional skills. The classroom staff adapts this curriculum to meet the needs of all students, and they embed specific learning targets within small or large-group lessons providing access and encouraging participation. Our SPP classrooms are play-based, and children are given many opportunities to follow their interests and play with their friends with a variety of materials in and outside of the classroom.
The SPP classrooms at the EEU emphasize the development of pre-academic, social, communication and motor skills that enable children to successfully transition to elementary school.
In addition, teams implement systematic instruction to children with special needs. Physical therapists, Occupational therapists and Speech Language Pathologists work with the teaching staff to provide services for students who qualify. Special Education and Related Services are provided by EEU staff through a contract with Seattle Public Schools (SPS).
Contact: Ilene Schwartz (ilene@uw.edu)
Core Function: Professional Training
The Professional Development Unit works with the next generation of professionals in special education, early learning, applied behavior analysis and related disciplines, providing hands-on experience and expert consulting and coaching in any educational context with an emphasis on how to build more inclusive settings. The PDU is a resource to any school or agency seeking assistance with staff training, coaching, program review, curriculum development and implementation of inclusive programs. The PDU also provides supervision for individuals fulfilling the requirements to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Supervision is provided for all Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) experience categories including Independent Fieldwork, Practicum, and Intensive Practicum. The Haring Center, PDU is an ACE provider and offers continuing education opportunities for BCBAs. These opportunities include a monthly journal club, speaker series, and workshops designed to help working professionals stay up to date with current research.
Core Function:
Haring Center research has led to 50 years of innovation in early childhood and special education. Researchers work with teachers, families and communities to create new curricular approaches, instructional strategies and technological advances in education. Researchers study how approaches are adopted and used to support children and families in everyday settings. As a result of this work and the widespread dissemination of our innovative practices, countless students are receiving the education they deserve in inclusive classrooms and community programs.
All research at the Haring Center is driven by a mission to build inclusive communities that support the learning and developmental needs of children and families of all abilities and backgrounds. The transformational research conducted informs policies and practices in inclusive education.
More details on all current research and past research at www.haringcenter.org.
Contact: Katherine Bateman (kjb27@uw.edu)
Core Function: Technical Assistance and Outreach Training
The purpose of this project is to provide education and support to parents, families and caregivers of children who engage in challenging behavior. This project seeks to provide parents with the education and support necessary to implement behavioral strategies and supports at home. Education and support are delivered using Project ECHO, a case-based telehealth learning program. This online platform provides opportunities for parents and caregivers to present difficult situations at home regarding challenging behavior to a group of parents with similar experiences, as well as other experts in the field, to brainstorm and develop sustainable interventions. Positive outcomes of this intervention include child, parent and family outcomes, as expertise is disseminated through this collaboration experience.