Policies & Standards
Inclusive Practices Systems Change
People and organizations operate inside of larger systems, and these are critical to the sustainability of inclusive practices. KIT serves systems through policy development, standards setting, strategic planning, community engagement, and working with leadership to create inclusive cultures. KIT also shares evidence-based practices with broader systems through research, evaluation and advocacy activities.
Policy Development
While training and on-going support are critical to the adoption of inclusive practices, sustainable organizational change does not occur without non-discriminatory policies. Well-designed policies help organizations and systems reduce legal exposure. KIT guides the development of inclusive policies for organizations and systems and designs roll-out programs to help staff implement them.
Past projects include the US Navy Child & Youth Programs Inclusion Operating Manual, the US Army Army Child, Youth & School Services Operational Guidance for Behavior Support, US Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Center Topic Guides Lessons from the Field series.
Standards Setting
KIT has developed standards for inclusive practices in child and youth programs and partners with accreditation agencies to embed them into childcare and youth development licensing protocols. KIT helps organizations benchmark their existing practices against the standards using a research-validated tool called The Inclusive Classroom Profile.
Strategic Planning & Community Engagement
KIT facilitators are available to lead task forces and action learning groups to develop multi-year plans to enhance inclusive practices. This work can be done in-person or using remote technology, or a combination of both.
KIT can also lead working sessions for diverse stakeholders (parents, administrators, the business community, youth representatives) to explore creating more inclusive communities.
To affect inclusive practices on a global level, KIT is a special consultative organization to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.