Inclusive Early Childhood Education in Turkey

In this article, we examine the historical development of inclusive early childhood education in Turkey, current policies and practices, challenges, and recommendations for the future. Inclusive education aims to ensure that all children, especially those with special needs and disadvantaged groups, have equal opportunities to receive early childhood education. We review the progress made in Turkey within the field of inclusive early childhood education, in light of the transformations occurring in educational policies and practices. We will then discuss inclusive education in Turkey with a focus on social prejudices, gaps in legislation, problems of legal supervision, staff training, family involvement, shortages in resources, and issues in real practice settings. Recommendations are made to help ensure that all children in Turkey have access to high-quality inclusive early childhood education. We hope that our recommendations, which are based on national and international literature, help bridge the gap between research, practice, and policies for inclusive early childhood education in Turkey.