The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) is an international membership organization for those who work with or on behalf of young children with disabilities and other special needs. 

Our mission is to promote policies and advance evidence-based practices to support the optimal development of young children with special needs. (2)

As a mother to a child with special needs, I feel very passionate about the inclusion practices that have been put in place by the DEC in order to allow children with special needs to integrate with typical peers. Although my son Ari who has been diagnosed with Autism is no longer in the mainstream of his school, now he is in a self-contained room, however, he still spends music, art, Spanish, PE, recess and lunch with his typical peers. He has a "shadow/buddy" or as they call it a "para support" person who is with him while he is integrated. Historically, children with special needs were segregated from typical peers, but we live in a changing world. As an early childhood professional, it is important we find ways to include all children, despite disabilities, and help support their abilities and also help them find peers who can make a real connection. Integrating children with special needs with typical peers does not only help the children with disabilities, but also teaches typical peers important lessons about empathy,tolerance and acceptance. 

The primary goal of the NAEYC Code of Ethics is to "provide a moral compass for early childhood educators. Based on the core values of the early care and education field, it spells out some important

ethical responsibilities and provides guidance for practitioners who face would a good early childhood educator do?” It was designed to be a living document that would always reflect the field’s current understanding of how early childhood educators can best serve young children and their families." (1)

As an early childhood professional, we will be faced with difficult situations, that is why the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct is so important because it allows all educators to have a moral compass to  follow and also reminds us of our responsibility to children.

According to Eric Feigenbaum,(3) the NAEYC Code of Conduct centers around children and the following:

Collective Wisdom

• Educating young children is as much an art as a science. The NAEYC believes that how you treat children is more important than any particular curriculum or project you might offer them. The beliefs and core principles of the people who pioneered the early childhood education field have been compiled and refined into a document that elaborates their vision. It continues to be revised and updated using the collective wisdom of NAEYC members to account for new situations in an ever-changing world. NAEYC offers membership to anyone who cares about early childhood education, so Code of Ethical Conduct input comes from both highly educated specialists as well as those who may have more experience and caring than they do degrees.

Responsibilities To Children

• The NAEYC approach centers around responsibility to children. The code calls for educators to put children's interests first and to take ownership of the important role they play in the lives of young children. This manifests itself in many forms including how they approach education itself, avoiding anything that can be considered degrading to a child, reporting child abuse and protecting children's physical and emotional safety. The code also calls for teachers and daycare professionals to collaborate with parents and anyone else relevant in children's lives to inform, make decisions and work in their best interests.

Responsibilities to Parents

• Being a parent is a difficult job and even the most ready and capable need help. Teachers and daycare professionals play a pivotal role in a child's development and according to the code, should act as resources and partners to parents and guardians. Early childhood educators have a responsibility to collaborate and consult with parents and respect parental approaches to child-rearing--particularly religious and cultural beliefs and practices. When educators have concerns about a child, they have a responsibility to discuss it with parents and guardians to inform and work with them for the betterment of the child.

Responsibilities to Community

• Ethics often merge into standards of professionalism. The NAEYC is a group that furthers the interests of its industry and advocates for the advancement of early childhood education. Therefore, the Code of Ethical Conduct addresses the role that early childhood educators should play in the community, which includes offering useful, nurturing and positive educational programs wherever and for whomever they work. Among many things, the code tasks educators with furthering community knowledge and understanding of early childhood education, its direction and new research and findings. Educators should also play an active role in forming and working for policies that support early childhood education, as well as lobbying against policies that pose a threat to children's best interests.

Reference: (1)Nancy K. Freeman and Stephanie Feeney:  

http://journal.naeyc.org/btj/200411/FreemanEthics.pdf  

(2) www.dec-sped.org
(3)Eric Feigenbaum

www.ehow.com/info_7789814_naeycs_ethical-conduct-early-childhood.html