Fiseha Teklu (PhD)Ljalem Tsegaye2024-11-202024-11-202024-06https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/3664During visits to preschools in certain areas of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, I became aware of significant issues in the early childhood care and education (ECCE) system. These issues stemmed from a disconnect between the stated policies and the actual practices in terms of the participation of children with special needs in inclusive preschool education.The central purpose of this study was to investigate the gap between policy and practice in the implementation of inclusive education in two government preschools, Netsanet Chora and Hawaria Petros. To address this, I employed a qualitative case study approach, which allowed me to deeply explore and describe the perspectives, experiences, and practices of the inclusive education policy implementers. The study involved 16 carefully selected participants.The findings revealed that the teachers lacked the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively implement the inclusive education policies. Teachers were also working with inadequate resources and support, and there were shortcomings in terms of policy guidelines, standards, a common curriculum, and teamwork. Based on these findings, I recommended the adoption of an interaction model of policy implementation. This model integrates both top-down and bottom-up approaches to foster positive and active collaboration between policymakers at the higher level and the implementers at the local level. KEY TERMS: Early childhood education, preschool education, Education policy implementation, Policy framework CHAPTERenEarly childhood educationpreschool educationEducation policy implementationPolicy frameworkThesis