Division for Early Childhood -
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DEC Vision & Mission

To cultivate a society where inclusion and belonging is a lived reality for young children and their families across a diverse diaspora that embraces, celebrates, and empowers them to be actively engaged in their communities.

It is the collective responsibility of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children to center the needs and realities of those who are most negatively impacted by systemic inequity. We advance and shape leadership, research, policy, and practice that supports, engages, and informs those who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children with or at risk for developmental delays and disabilities. DEC works to identify, interrogate, and dismantle systemic inequities so that young children and their families thrive.

News

Registration is Open Now for the DEC Virtual Institute Spring 2026!

This spring, the Division for Early Childhood invites you to engage in deep, practice-focused learning during our three-day virtual institute, Tuesday, April 14th - Thursday, April 16th, 2026! Grounded in DEC Recommended Practices and EI/ECSE Professional Standards, this institute will emphasize real-world application, collaborative problem solving, and strategies that strengthen equitable outcomes for young children and their families. Each day will run from 11:00 AM to 4:

Call for Co‑Facilitator: Inclusion, Equity, and Social Justice (IESJ) CoP

The DEC Inclusion, Equity, and Social Justice Community of Practice (IESJ CoP) is recruiting a new co‑facilitator to join current facilitator Ashley Watts, EdD beginning in April 2026. This is an opportunity for DEC members to deepen their leadership, strengthen our collective capacity, and help sustain a CoP committed to advancing equity, anti‑racist practice, and justice‑centered early childhood systems. We strongly encourage applications from members who reflect the ful

Call for Peer Reviewers: DEC Monograph Series – Issue 1, Deconstructing and Reframing Challenging Behavior

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) is seeking reviewers for the first issue of the DEC Monograph Series, focused on Deconstructing and Reframing Challenging Behavior. Reviewers are being sought for both scholarly manuscripts and Spotlights on Strength. This monograph brings together research, policy, practice, and lived experience to challenge deficit-oriented narratives and to center equity, context, and systems-level perspectives in early childhood. Consistent with DEC’