Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) and Assistive Technologies (AT) in Early Childhood Education - What, Why, and How

Oct 15, 2026

Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) and Assistive Technologies (AT) are presented as core supports for inclusive early childhood education. The document explains what early childhood education and inclusion mean, defines AEM and AT, and clarifies why these resources strengthen equity for learners with disabilities. It then outlines practical implementation steps across education settings, including system-level indicators for coordinated provision, timely access, clear written guidelines, learning opportunities, technical assistance, secure data processes, and sustainable resource allocation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

What is early childhood education?

What is “inclusion” in early childhood?

What are AEM and AT?

Why AEM and AT are essential in early childhood education?

How to implement AEM and AT in early childhood education

System-Level Implementation

Conclusion

Declaration of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process

Acknowledgements

References and recommended reading

Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) and Assistive Technologies (AT) in Early Childhood Education: What, Why, and How By AEM Center at CAST Published: September 2024 The contents of this document were developed under a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Education,\#H327Z190004 . However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Rebecca Sheffield, Ph. D. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) National Center on Accessible Educational Materials (2024) . Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) and Assistive Technologies (AT) in Early Childhood Education: What, Why, and How. Lynnfield, MA: National Center on Accessible Educational Materials. Table of Contents Introduction 2 What is early childhood education? 2 What is “inclusion” in early childhood? 3 What are AEM and AT? 5 Why AEM and AT are essential in early childhood education 6 How to implement AEM and AT in early childhood education 7 System-Level Implementation 9 Indicator 1: Coordinated System for Provision of Accessible Materials and Technologies 9 Indicator 2: Timely Provision of Accessible Materials and Technologies 10 Indicator 3: Written Guidelines on Provision and Use of Accessible Materials and Technologies 11 Indicator 4: Learning Opportunities and Technical Assistance 12 Indicators 5 and 6: Secure, Systematic Data Collection Process and Plan for Secure Use of Data for Continuous Improvement 13 Indicator 7: Allocation of Resources for Delivery and Sustainability of Services 13 Conclusion 14 Declaration of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process 16 Acknowledgements 16 References and recommended reading 16 Introduction In early childhood education, ensuring that all students, including those with disabilities, can access and engage with learning materials is a pivotal aspect of educational equity and inclusion. Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) and Assistive Technologies (AT) are central to this endeavor, providing essential resources that accommodate diverse learning needs (CAST, 2023) . This paper explores the use of AEM and AT supports in inclusive early childhood settings by explaining what they are, why they are crucial for fostering inclusive learning environments, and how they can be implemented effectively. What is early childhood education? While the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) considers the early childhood period to span from birth through age eight (NAEYC, 2020), federal legislation related to children with disabilities considers the early childhood period to be from birth through age five (20 USC 1400, 2004; 42 USC 9801, 2007) . Though the definition of early childhood varies, the importance of programs and services during this crucial period is widely recognized. In addition to providing support for families’ busy lives, early childhood programs also promote positive outcomes for children. Programs such as Head Start, childcare, early intervention, and home visiting have been found to serve as protective factors from negative outcomes (Chacon and Reschke, 2021; Kozlowski, 2022) . “Childcare” is the term widely used to describe early learning and care provided by an adult other than a parent or guardian. Childcare is sometimes called “daycare,” but the early childhood field strongly prefers the terms “childcare” or “early care and education”instead. These are umbrella terms that include education and care provided in childcare centers, family childcare homes, school-age childcare programs, childcare options for military families, and informal in-home childcare. Informal in-home childcare is care provided in the child’s or caregiver’s ho

FAQs

AEM和AT在早期儿童教育中为什么至关重要？

它们为多样化学习需求提供可访问的资源与技术支持，帮助学生能够参与并获得平等的学习机会，从而促进包容性学习环境。

文档将“早期儿童教育”和“包容(inclusion)”如何看待？

“早期儿童教育”在不同定义中涵盖不同年龄范围，而“inclusion”强调所有学生（包括残障学生）都能访问并参与学习。

如何在系统层面实施AEM和AT？

文档提出多个指标要求，包括建立协同的提供机制、及时提供可访问材料与技术、制定书面指南、提供学习机会与技术支持、采用安全的数据收集与持续改进流程，并为服务交付与可持续性配置资源。

Oct 15, 2026

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