Noting that the provision of early childhood education (ECE) services to linguistically and culturally diverse groups of children representing a wide range of abilities and income levels requires the scrutiny of current systems and practices, this book proposes a new paradigm of early childhood education, the Early Childhood Inclusion (ECI) Model, that promotes the design of programs that are inclusive of all children. Chapter 1 of the book summarizes background information on inclusion, outlines the historical context for the model, and offers a rationale for adopting a comprehensive definition of inclusion in ECE. Chapter 2 describes the characteristics, goals, theoretical foundations, and major components of the ECI Model. Chapter 3 describes the socio-organizational contexts that teachers using the ECI strive to implement. Chapter 4 emphasizes the creation of personalized learning environments that afford teachers the flexibility to match their teaching strategies to individual learning styles and abilities. Chapter 5 includes discussions on accommodating each child through an assessment-driven instructional planning cycle and by using alternative assessment. Chapter 6 details instructional strategies, focusing on the teacher as a mediator of children's learning environments. Chapter 7 concludes the book by proposing future directions for policy development, personnel preparation, and research to advance and solidify the inclusion movement in ECE. Each chapter contains references. (KB)