Are you ready to advocate? Join us for Special Education Legislative Summit Wraparound Activities!

About the Special Education Legislative Summit In July, the Council for Exceptional Children and the Council for Administrators of Special Education, will be convening over 200 advocates to head to Capitol Hill and carry the message forward that NOW is the time to support our schools, our teachers, and our students with disabilities. Will you join us? The 2022 Special Education Legislative Summit (SELS) is your chance to connect with colleagues to build a collective voice toward a better future through federal action. Share with your Congressional delegation what’s really happening in the field of special education—this is your chance to advocate to address educator shortage, fully fund IDEA, for resources to address mental health, and to address the needs of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. The in-person summit will include federal policy-focused panel presentations covering pressing issues that impact the field, strategies for effective engagement with Members of Congress, and an opportunity to network with colleagues and plan for a day on Capitol Hill. The event will start on Sunday, July 10th and conclude on Wednesday, July 13th. Hill visits will take place in person on Tuesday, July 12th, subject to the in-person policies of Congressional offices. Registration closes June 15th, and we hope you will join us! Register here.

Division for Early Childhood SELS Wraparound Activities Hosted by the Division for Early Childhood Policy and Advocacy Community of Practice (PACoP). Learn more about the PACoP here.

DEC & SELS: How to Engage in Advocacy at SELS or From Home Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022, 4:00 - 5:00 PM Eastern Time - Register here. Presented by Nate Marsden & Kris Pedersen, Members of the Policy and Advocacy Committee Whether you are going to the Special Education Legislative Summit (SELS) 2022 or not, join us to talk about what to expect from the experience and what you can do from home to engage in legislative advocacy at the state & federal level.

What’s Happening in Washington, DC and How Can I Be Involved? Wednesday, July 6th, 2022, 4:00 - 5:15 PM Eastern Time - Register here. Presented by Sharon Walsh, DEC's Governmental Relations Consultant and Kris Pedersen, DEC Advocacy Lead from the Policy and Advocacy Committee The November 2022 midterm election is fast approaching! Join us as we discuss current priorities and timelines for the remainder of the 117th Congress. Topics to be addressed include updates on federal funding for the current year, the President’s Budget for the upcoming FFY 2023, progress toward passage of early childhood legislation including IDEA, Home Visiting, child care, Pre-K and Head Start including implications for these initiatives related to young children with disabilities and their families. Please come prepared with your advocacy hat on and your advocacy voice ready! Plan to leave the session with ways to stay involved in this important work!

DEC & SELS Follow-up: Taking It Back Home Wednesday, July 27th, 2022, 4:00 - 5:00 PM Eastern Time - Register here. Presented by Amanda Schwartz, Nate Marsden, James Young & Kristin Duncan, Members of the Policy and Advocacy Committee Join us to hear from state teams about their Special Education Legislative Summit (SELS) 2022 experience and what we can all do next to keep this work going.