DECIDE
The Division for Early Childhood Consortium for Innovations in Doctoral Excellence (DECIDE), strives to enhance the quality of doctoral education for DEC’s future leaders through the use of innovative approaches to learning. Doctoral student members of DECIDE are from disciplines related to early childhood intervention and special education. For a doctoral student to benefit from DECIDE, they must be a DEC member or have a faculty advisor who is a DEC member. Higher education faculty, researchers, and policy/advocacy members of DECIDE can have a role in the preparation of doctoral students as a contributor to DECIDE.
DECIDE seeks to engage higher education faculty, researchers, policymakers, and early childhood special education advocates and current doctoral students in a reciprocal relationship that provides doctoral students with support and mentorship while offering participating leaders in the field an opportunity to collaborate with future leaders, thereby creating a meaningful community of practice. Together, professionals and students work together to help shape the future of the fields of early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE).
DECIDE student members are working together to:
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Participate in webinars hosted by DECIDE on topics of interest to the students.
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Have the opportunity to take doctoral-level courses specific to early childhood special education via distance learning at universities represented among DECIDE faculty.
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Meet face-to-face at regional gatherings as well as the annual DEC conference.
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Obtain “virtual internships” that offer preparation for leadership positions in the EI/ECSE community.
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Identify and capitalize on opportunities for doctoral students to engage in research with members of DEC who have a research focus.
Opportunities to Get Involved
Call for a DECIDE Co-Chair
The mission of DECIDE is to enhance the quality of doctoral education for DEC’s future leaders through the use of innovative approaches to learning. DECIDE seeks to provide doctoral students with support and mentorship while offering participating leaders in the field an opportunity to collaborate with future leaders, thereby creating a meaningful community of practice. DECIDE is the gathering space for higher education faculty, researchers, policymakers, and early childhood special education advocates, as well as current doctoral students.
DECIDE is a community of practice that includes the Chair, Co-Chair, and members. The Co-Chair serves in the role for one year and then takes over the Chair position for the following year. The Chair and Co-Chair collectively support networking between faculty and doctoral students. Together, they lead DECIDE monthly meetings and guide projects such as webinars, faculty-doctoral student mentoring programs, and doctoral-level courses. The Co-Chair must be a DEC member in good standing. It is preferred that they have previously or currently participate in DECIDE. The role of the Co-Chair is considered a volunteer position and is not considered a member of the DEC Executive Board.
Activities and Expected Time Commitment It is expected that the DECIDE Co-Chair will be committing to about 4-6 hours per month depending on the mutually agreed upon agenda. Members will serve a 12-month term as Co-Chair, moving into a 12-month term as Chair immediately following.
We invite you to take this opportunity to become an engaged and active leader within DEC! Members representative of the diversity of DEC membership are encouraged to apply, including race, ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin, age, and ability. We seek representation of geography, organizations, agencies, universities and experience. We seek members representing all member categories (practitioners, family members, higher education faculty, etc.)
Apply here by September 19, 2023 for consideration.
DECIDE Mentoring Program
The DECIDE Mentoring program facilitates meaningful learning and networking experiences for doctoral students by cultivating collaborative relationships with higher education faculty, researchers, and/or other professionals in the field of Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE).
The DECIDE Mentoring Program is actively seeking mentors for doctoral students! We are looking for higher education faculty, researchers, policy makers, or administrators who previously had experience in a EI/ECSE focused doctoral program to be matched with a doctoral student mentee. The topics for mentoring can range from research, teaching, community engagement, policy/advocacy, to networking, self-care/management, and many more. Please email Nikki (nicole.adams@louisville.edu) and Veronica Kang (vkang@umd.edu) for any questions you may have.
Interested in participating in the DECIDE Mentoring Program?
Sign Up Here.
Matching will be completed in September 2023, during the DECIDE Mentoring Meet and Greet at the DEC Conference, and in January 2024.
Call for DECIDE Mentoring Co-Chair
The DECIDE Co-Mentoring Coordinator position involves a commitment of about 4-6 hours per month depending on the mutually agreed upon agenda which may include participation in monthly DECIDE meetings, working closely with the DECIDE Chair and Co-Chair to support the mission of DECIDE, connecting mentors and mentees with one another, and coordinating activities to support the growth and development of the mentoring initiative. This role of Co-Mentoring Coordinator is a 12-month term and transitions into a 12-month term as Chair immediately following. Please email Nikki (nicole.adams@louisville.edu) and Veronica Kang (vkang@umd.edu) with any questions about the Co-Mentoring Coordinator!
Apply here for the DECIDE Mentoring Co-Coordinator by August 25, 2023!
DECIDE and Young Exceptional Children
DECIDE is partnering with the Young Exceptional Children Editorial Board to provide graduate students mentorship in gaining experiences on the journal review process. Graduate students will be paired with a YEC editorial board member who will offer you the support you need to review practitioner articles submitted to Young Exceptional Journal.
DECIDE Events
DECIDE Monthly Writing Groups
Interested in virtually gathering with fellow graduate students/faculty members within DECIDE to work on preparing a manuscript for publication? This is an optional academic writing experience in which we will gather together in a collegial and supportive environment to buckle down and simply write, write, write.
Monthly Writing Groups
Fourth Fridays of the month, 1:00 - 3:00 PM Eastern Time - Join on Zoom here (passcode: 699650).
DECIDE 2022-2023 Monthly Meetings
First Tuesdays of the month, 1:00 - 2:00 PM Eastern Time - Register here.
DECIDE will continue MONTHLY Business Meetings on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 from 1-2pm EST. For our September Meeting, we will explore DEC Journals-- Young Exceptional Children and the Journal of Early Intervention. We will have a focus article from YEC or JEI to read before the meeting and hold an interactive discussion on the content, methodology, and connections to our own research. For our September Meeting, we will discuss the article “Maryland’s PRIDE: Evaluation of an Early Intervention Program Embedded Within a NICU and NICU Follow-Up Program”.
Xue, X., Zong, X., Valentine, G., & Hussey-Gardner, B. (2023). Maryland’s PRIDE: Evaluation of an Early Intervention Program Embedded Within a NICU and NICU Follow-Up Program. Journal of Early Intervention, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10538151231179113
