Abstract
I used a questionnaire to find out the nature and problems of the support system for young children with disabilities in centers for early childhood education.
The questionnaire was distributed to 762 centers for early childhood education throughout Japan in October and November 2011, and 255 were collected (33.4%).
① There is a difference in the support system between the kindergartens and nursery schools.
② It is likely that the geographical distance between kindergartens and nurseries may be the cause of the difference in the support system.
③ Only a few kindergartens and nurseries introduced the new support system after they changed to centers for early childhood education, and some centers for early childhood education are still using the conventional support system.
④ Those who have been appointed as special needs coordinators include nursery teachers.
⑤ There are some centers for early childhood education which adopt good points from kindergartens and nurseries. And they feel that these will help them to provide more support for young children with disabilities.
