If You Want UDL to Stick, Start with Early Childhood Education Leadership

Guest post by Jessica L. Hammond, Ed.D., Founder of Ascend Teaching and Learning

Early childhood education looks different from every vantage point: in classrooms with young children, in school and district leadership, in state-level systems work, in higher education, in curriculum development, and in professional learning. Across these roles, my work has included partnering directly with children and families, supporting teachers, coaching leaders, supervising special education programs, guiding preschool implementation, contributing to state-level early childhood work, and designing professional learning and curriculum supports. Those experiences point to one consistent belief: UDL is most powerful when it is treated as a practical way to lead, plan, and remove barriers before children struggle. When leaders create the conditions for teachers to design flexible environments, children are more likely to participate, communicate, belong, and show what they know. That is why Universal Design for Learning is not only an instructional framework, but a leadership responsibility.

If there is one thing I have learned about UDL implementation, especially in early childhood settings, it is that culture is not built through compliance; it is built through leadership. What leaders do consistently becomes the message teachers hear. That matters because in schools, people pay attention to what is modeled and supported, and that becomes part of daily practice.

In early childhood, this is especially important because learner variability is simply part of the landscape. Children come into our classrooms with different strengths, needs, experiences, and ways of engaging with the world. That is why UDL makes so much sense in these settings. It gives us a way to plan for that variability from the start rather than waiting until a child struggles and then trying to fix it afterward. But that kind of approach does not take hold just because we talk about it; it takes hold when leaders help create the culture for it.

For me, that starts with modeling. If we want teachers to create flexible, responsive learning environments, then our professional learning should reflect that same mindset. Meetings, trainings, and coaching conversations should include choice, clarity, and multiple ways to participate. Teachers can tell the difference between something we truly believe in and something we are simply asking them to do. When leaders model UDL, it builds trust and makes the work feel real.

Coaching matters too. In early childhood classrooms, access can look like visual supports, movement, language scaffolds, flexible materials, and multiple ways for children to show what they know. Our walkthroughs and team conversations should help teachers think about those things. Instead of focusing only on whether a lesson was completed, we should be asking who was able to participate, who needed support, and what barriers may have gotten in the way.

Leaders also have to advocate for the conditions that make this possible. Teachers need time, support, and developmentally appropriate resources. If we want them to design for variability, then the system has to support that work. UDL is not an added initiative; it is a more effective way to think about access, inclusion, and learning. And that kind of shift begins with leadership.

One of the most practical responsibilities of a school leader is to make sure teachers have what they need to create open, flexible, and responsive environments. Administrators can begin by walking through classrooms with teachers and asking what materials, supports, and adjustments would make participation easier for more children. In practice, this often includes adaptive tools, visual supports, flexible seating, sensory materials, multilingual resources, culturally responsive books and materials, and curriculum supports that allow children to engage and respond in different ways. Leaders can also expand what is possible by building partnerships with families, community organizations, colleges, and local experts who can contribute materials, volunteers, expertise, and cultural knowledge. When administrators do this intentionally, they move UDL from an idea into daily practice. They make it clear that inclusion is not something teachers are expected to figure out on their own. It is something leaders help build.