Reaching every child: Evidence from a multisensory, play-based inclusive education program across diverse global contexts
Background: Children with disabilities are disproportionately excluded from quality early childhood education globally. Inclusive education requires tools, training, and systemic capacity to enable genuine participation. Reach & Match is a multisensory, play-based inclusive education program developed through postgraduate research in inclusive design, now implemented across multiple countries in mainstream, special education, and education-in-emergency settings.
Aim: This presentation examines outcomes of the Reach & Match program on children’s participation, learning development, and peer inclusion, and on educator confidence and capacity to deliver inclusive, play-based learning across diverse cultural and resource contexts.
Method/approach: Primary evidence draws from a longitudinal Save the Children impact evaluation in Papua New Guinea, involving baseline and endline child development assessments using IDELA, educator surveys, caregiver interviews, and practitioner observations across three provinces. The evaluation was conducted by Save the Children under their organisational ethical review protocols, with informed consent obtained from caregivers and school authorities. Multi-country implementation evidence from the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Thailand provides further context.
Results/findings: Children demonstrated improvements in letter identification (7.19 to 9.79/20), number identification (7.05 to 10.24/20), addition and subtraction, emergent numeracy, empathy (+10%), and inhibitory control. While the sample was too small for statistical significance, qualitative evidence showed improved attendance, increased peer inclusion, and facilitator confidence. Several children with disabilities transitioned to mainstream school.
Conclusion: Reach & Match demonstrates that an inclusive design-led approach, centred on children’s participation rather than deficit, can be implemented sustainably across diverse cultural and resource contexts. Consistent findings across qualitative and quantitative data suggest that play-based, multisensory tools paired with structured educator training can meaningfully advance inclusion in early childhood settings, including in humanitarian contexts.
Implications for children and families: Too many children with disabilities sit on the edges of their classroom, watching others learn. This research shows that play-based, multisensory learning can change that, for your child, and for every child in the room.
Implications for practitioners: You don’t need specialist expertise to make your classroom more inclusive. Reach & Match gives you practical, play-based tools and structured training to support children of all abilities to participate, connect, and learn together.
Funding: Program implementation and evaluation were supported by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Save the Children.
Keywords: inclusive education, play-based learning, disability inclusion, early childhood, multisensory design, educator capacity
This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: