Inclusive STEAM Education in Early Childhood

Use these developmentally appropriate strategies and STEAM-based activities to support young children with disabilities (K–3).

This user-friendly guide offers educators and specialists—in both general and special education classrooms—a strengths-based approach to improving access to STEAM learning for young children with disabilities, while promoting inclusion within early childhood education.

The author provides strategies for effectively embedding science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math within the learning areas of the classroom in developmentally appropriate ways (K–3). Each chapter includes vignettes, specific lessons, and examples from each discipline showing how STEAM-based activities can help meet goals within a child’s individualized educational program (IEP). The book also demonstrates ways to support cooperative and collaborative play within specific activities.

Readers will find templates for lesson plans and progress monitoring that are designed to align educational goals with play-based approaches centered around the STEAM disciplines.

Book Features:

• Demonstrates how STEAM-based activities can help meet goals within a child’s IEP.
• Provides a framework to help teachers use STEAM to promote skill development, social interaction, and friendship building within inclusive early childhood settings.
• Offers both informational and practical approaches to embed open-ended STEAM activities for diverse learners within the learning areas of the classroom.
• Connects activities to educational goals with a lesson plan, a goal monitoring template, and an example from each discipline.

Yvette Meré-Cook is the program director and department chair within the Occupational Therapy Programs at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, California. She has worked as an early intervention and school-based occupational therapist within underrepresented communities for over 20 years.

“Through careful research and real-world examples, readers are invited to explore how STEAM can become a powerful tool to promote cognitive, social, and emotional growth for all children, particularly those who are neurodiverse or have disabilities.”
—From the Foreword by Christine M. Cunningham, Museum of Science, Boston

“This book covers an impressive breadth and depth while remaining practical and accessible, enabling readers to immediately facilitate intentional STEM learning for young children with and without disabilities. It is a must-have resource for educators, families, therapists, and everyone committed to fostering STEM learning for each and every child.”
—Chih-Ing Lim and Megan Vinh, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, UNC–Chapel Hill

“Inclusive STEAM Education in Early Childhood is an excellent resource for early educators committed to high-quality inclusion and early STEAM learning. Meré-Cook does a fantastic job blending evidence-informed practices with practical strategies to support early educators in integrating STEAM learning into their daily routines and activities. The strength-based approach in this book is so important in building classrooms where all children—especially those with disabilities—can thrive, explore, and authentically belong.”
—Jessica Amsbary, technical assistance specialist, STEM Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education Center, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, UNC–Chapel Hill