Call for Professional Development (PD) Community of Practice (CoP) Facilitators
Do you have experience providing in-service professional development in early intervention, early childhood, and/or early childhood special education?
Are you highly interested in the design and delivery of evidence-informed professional development?
Are you interested in developing new relationships, networks, and professional collaborations with others who share your passion and practices as a professional development provider?
Are you looking for a way to level-up your leadership while finding ways to work smarter (not harder) as a professional development provider?
If so, then consider applying for the opportunity below! And, if you have questions you’d like answered before you apply, then join us on May 31st at 11:00 AM ET or June 1st at 1:00 PM for a 30-minute Q&A to answer any questions that you may have about the role and responsibilities. Register here for the May 31st Q&A Session. Register here for the June 1st Q&A Session.
PD CoP Call for Facilitators
After being dormant for a number of years, the DEC PD CoP (formerly known as PD Special interest Group or PD SIG) is joining forces with the Early Intervention-Early Childhood Professional Development Community of Practice (EI-EC PD CoP). The EI-EC PD CoP has more than 50 members (representing more than 20 states) who have been focused on designing and delivering high quality PD in early intervention and early childhood special education for more than a decade. The EI-EC PD CoP includes many active DEC members (and subgroups) and the merger with the DEC will reboot the DEC PD CoP. With the support to facilitators that DEC offers, it will allow for continued growth, sustainability, and the ability to reach more professionals in the field who share interests, practices and seek a network of support with other PD providers.
At this time, the DEC is seeking to recruit two co-facilitators to partner with the existing EI-EC PD CoP facilitator and DEC CoP Development Committee member, Sarah Nichols, as the EI-EC PD CoP transitions into a rebooted DEC PD CoP. Duties would begin in July 2023. Once co-facilitators are identified, transition steps and joint planning for future DEC PD CoP activities may take some time. Therefore, the DEC anticipates an official launch of the rebooted DEC PD CoP no later than November 2023 at the DEC conference (attendance preferred but not required).
Activities co-facilitators may assist with include and are not limited to: 1) ongoing outreach and awareness of the DEC PD CoP, 2) periodic meetings to plan/prepare for future PD CoP meetings/activities, 3) identification and sharing of PD related resources, 4) facilitating PD CoP meetings where members share practices and problem-solve with one another, 5) participating in and/or supporting members working together in subgroups to co-create PD materials, and 6) participate in periodic DEC CoP Facilitators CoP meetings where you get support in community with other CoP facilitators within DEC.
Co-facilitators of the PD CoP:
must be DEC members (learn how to become a member);
must understand the shared interests/practices of the groups’ members (designing and delivering evidence-informed professional development in early intervention, early childhood, and/or early childhood special education);
should have knowledge and experience as a professional development provider in early intervention, early childhood, or early childhood special education;
should bring a diverse and unique perspective, knowledge, and/or skills to the CoP and have ideas about how to engage and support members as a facilitator (e.g.multifaceted ways to connect/participate, development of subgroups, co-creating tools/resources, etc.);
do NOT have to be a member of the EI-EC PD CoP transitioning into the rebooted DEC PD CoP;
must be able to commit a minimum of 2-5 volunteer hours each month to sustain the level of activity/involvement of members for at least two years; and
should not currently hold (or anticipate holding) a leadership position elsewhere in DEC.
Members representative of the diversity of DEC’s membership/the EI/ECSE field, including race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, geography, life experiences, and ability, are encouraged to apply. Further, we seek applicants who represent all member categories (e.g., practitioners, families, higher education faculty, etc.) with varied experiences from a variety of organizations (e.g., B-3 agencies, public and private schools, universities).
Please respond to this survey to indicate your interest in co-facilitating the DEC PD CoP by June 5, 2023. If you need assistance or would like to request accommodations for how you may complete your application contact Britt@dec-sped.org. The selected co-facilitators will be contacted after applications are reviewed by the DEC CoP Development Committee and the Executive Office. The selected CoP co-facilitators can anticipate a start date in their new role in July 2023.
