Day care and the integration of disabled children in Norway

More than 40 per cent of all children in Norway under seven years of age participate in formal day care. The priority right of disabled children to place in mainstream care is enshrined in the Norwegian Child Day Care Centre Act of 1975, and applies to a wide range of disabilities including physical, intellectual, learning and behavioural. This article discussed the experience in Norway of integrating disabled children into mainstream day care. It is based on a Norwegian study which looked at factors conditioning admission of disabled children to mainstream day care centres, with particular attention to the role of the mandatory right of disabled children to day care centres. (Introduction)