Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children

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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

Announcing the JEI Reviewer of the Year 2025

DEC congratulates the 2025 DEC Journal of Early Intervention Reviewer of the Year, Sondra M. Stegenga! The Reviewer of the Year Award recognizes a Journal of Early Intervention (JEI) reviewer whose work reflects exceptional rigor, clarity, and commitment to equity in early intervention and early childhood special education. This reviewer provides thorough, constructive feedback that highlights strengths, identifies meaningful opportunities for improvement, and upholds COPE’s

Call for Leadership: DEC Family Partnership Community of Practice (FP CoP)

The DEC Family Partnership Community of Practice is recruiting two new co-facilitators. This is an opportunity for the family members involved in the DEC community and/or professionals who are also family members to level up their leadership and help ensure the CoP's sustainability through future leadership transitions. Members representative of the diversity of DEC membership are encouraged to apply, including race, ethnicity, culture, language, dialect, age, ability, gende

Deconstructing and Reframing Challenging Behavior: From Understanding Children’s Needs to Supporting Development Across Contexts

Division for Early Childhood Monograph Series — Issue 1 Call for Manuscripts The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC) will publish its first monograph in the DEC Monograph Series in 2026. The topic of this inaugural issue is children’s behaviors that adults perceive as challenging. The series will be aligned with DEC Racial Equity Point of View. Racial equity is both a process and an outcome. It is the intentional and continual practice o