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:

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

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’

Join the Division for Early Childhood for an overview of the progress and future direction of the  “Be Part of EI”  campaign on Friday, March 13th, 2026 at 12:30 PM Eastern Time. Register here to attend. This session will introduce opportunities for a grassroots, crowd-sharing approach to strengthening awareness and encouraging engagement. Together, we will explore: What we can accomplish collectively! How we can pool our resources, share our stories, and influence others! Ho

Save the Date for the DEC Virtual Institutes! Download the flyer here.

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) invites practitioners, researchers, faculty, family members, and community partners to express interest in facilitating professional development opportunities in 2026. DEC is currently recruiting volunteers who are interested in sharing their wisdom, lived experience, and expertise with the early childhood special education and early intervention community. Facilitator opportunities include pre-conference workshops and hot topic sessions