April 18, 2018

Hello all,

"Courage is contagious. Every time we choose courage, we make everyone around us a little better and the world a little braver."

- Brene Brown

DEC members and our early childhood partners choose courage every day as they work towards and advocate for quality services for young children with disabilities and their families. Thank you. 

Peggy

Spotlight on DEC Policy and Advocacy Efforts

The Policy and Advocacy Team provides strategic direction and proposed recommendations for DEC’s policy and advocacy efforts. The Policy and Advocacy Team works collaboratively with the governmental relations consultant and the Children’s Action Network (CAN) coordinator. The Policy and Advocacy Team ensures DEC has a seat at the table with important stakeholders and will provide CAN with the tools needed to engage in effective advocacy. The Policy and Advocacy Council takes a proactive stance in the drafting of policy and legislative recommendations and issue briefs.

View the letters and briefs DEC has signed onto here .

Resource Highlight

The Challenging Behavior Toolkit

In honor of the DEC Position Statement on Challenging Behavior, DEC has put together Challenging Behavior Resource Toolkit. Comprised of five Learning Deck webinars and one Young Exceptional Children’s Series Monograph, the DEC toolkit provides valuable resources for practitioners in one convenient package. Order the toolkit here.

The Division for Early Childhood Recommended Practices – Pocket Guide

This hard copy version of the DEC Recommended Practices is designed to improve accessibility and dissemination of the DEC Recommended Practices. The DEC Recommended Practices provide guidance to practitioners and families about the most effective ways to improve the learning outcomes and promote the development of young children, birth through age 5, who have or are at-risk for developmental delays or disabilities. Place an order here.

  

New Bookstore

The DEC bookstore has moved! Visit the new website.

News

A New DEC Webinar - Supporting Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities in Child Care Settings: How Collaboration Supports Inclusion 

Join us for the webinar with presenter Jenna Weglarz-Ward, PhD, on Thursday, May 17th, 2018, 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST. Learn more. Register here.

2018 Awards Nominations Open Now

Each year, DEC recognizes members who excel in our field with prestigious awards. Please consider nominating a valued DEC member to receive a 2018 DEC Award to honor and celebrate their contributions.

Position Paper Revision: Response to Intervention

Position papers are reviewed every five years. At this time, as part of that review cycle, DEC is revising the 2013 “Frameworks for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood: Description and Implications”. The purpose of the revised paper is to share lessons learned and to offer future directions. . .  Read More.

Get Involved

Division for Early Childhood Policy and Advocacy Team: Call for Team Leader

One of the most powerful tools DEC has is the ability to use our collective voice to advocate for young children with disabilities and their families. To that end, the DEC Policy and Advocacy Team helps to develop DEC’s policy recommendations to ensure that proposed legislation, regulations, and documents from the US Departments of Education and Human Services increase opportunities for all young children including children with disabilities and their families.

At this time, DEC is seeking a new Policy and Advocacy Team Leader to continue the important work of planning and supporting DEC policy and advocacy activities.  View the Full Call and Learn How to Apply Here.

DEC Executive Board Nominations

The DEC Executive Board is seeking nominations for two Executive Board positions starting July 1, 2019. Read More

Manuscript submissions are open for the DEC Recommended Practices Monograph Series #6 – Teaming and Collaboration.  Manuscripts are due April 25, 2018. Thank you to Pam Winton, Chelsea Guillen, and Alana Schnitz for serving as co-editors for this work! View the full call here.

DEC Conference 2018

Division for Early Childhood’s 34th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families will take place October 23-26, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Visit the conference website and join the conference updates list to be notified of registration opening, family scholarship opportunities, keynote announcements and more.

Wishing you well! 

Peggy Kemp

Executive Director

Division for Early Childhood

Interested in working at DEC? Opportunities available for full time/ Part time employment and Doctoral student opportunities! Visit this link to learn more.

Connect with Us