DEC and CEC are preparing to review the Initial Early Interventionist/Early Childhood Special Educator Professional Preparation Standards (EI/ECSE Standards) for birth through 8 years. Would you like to be a part of this process? If so, DEC and CEC are currently seeking volunteers to serve on the EI/ECSE Standards Revision Workgroup. This group will be charged with reviewing and recommending revisions to the EI/ECSE Standards and preparing additional resources and guidance

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

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

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

This research is in collaboration with Elmhurst University, George Mason University, and Southern Illinois University. If your work involves supporting young children (birth through age 8) and their families receiving early intervention (EI) or early childhood special education (ECSE), we want to hear your perspective on the Leadership strand of the DEC Recommended Practices. Whatever your role and experience in EI/ECSE, we are interested in learning about how you think of le

Sunday, November 16th, 2025, 1:00 PM Eastern Time - Register here. The DEC Awards Committee invites all members of the DEC community to the 2025 Division for Early Childhood Awards Ceremony. This special virtual event will honor outstanding leaders, advocates, and changemakers whose work has made a lasting impact on young children with disabilities, their families, and the professionals who support them. We encourage all DEC members, colleagues, families, and friends to atten

Calling all DEC CoP members! The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Community of Practice (CoP) Development Committee is seeking to understand the value and impact DEC CoPs have had on you and your practices. All DEC CoP members are invited to respond no matter how much or little you have participated in DEC CoP meetings, events, and activities. Information will be used to determine the effectiveness of CoPs and resources needed to better support CoP participants and facili

Thursday, November 13th, 2025, 4:00 - 5:00 PM Eastern Time - Register here. Join the National Coalition of Personnel Shortages in Special Education and Related Services (NCPSSERS) for a powerful Virtual Town Hall commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This special event will feature a dynamic panel of parents and professionals reflecting on how IDEA has shaped their personal and professional lives over the past five dec

DEC is sponsoring a new initiative to promote the adoption, alignment, or integration of EI/ECSE Standards and resources into systems (i.e., local, regional, state/territory) that serve young children and their families. The pilot program will identify a Standards Ambassador(s) for each of a small number of states/territories. The roles and expectations for the EI/ECSE Standards Ambassador are to: Promote awareness of the EI/ECSE Standards; Support higher education faculty an

On October 23, 2025, the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) joined 59 national organizations in urging the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee to conduct an oversight hearing of the Executive Branch as it actively seeks to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (Department) and decimate implementation of key education and disability laws. Read the full letter here. Take Action Join DEC and our partners in speaking up for children, families,