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Fall 2004 Volume 11, Issue 3

Official Newsletter of the Illinois Subdivision of the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children.

DEC International Conference in Chicago
Lessons Learned: Weaving our Future from Threads of the Past

Please come and join us at the Chicago Sheraton Hotel and Towers in downtown Chicago for the 20th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families. At this conference, parents, teachers, and researchers from around the world come together to discuss educational practices and policy that effect young children and their families.

We are extremely excited about hosting this event in Illinois this year! However, to make this conference a success, we need your help. Volunteers are still needed to help in numerous ways at the conference. If you are interested in volunteering for this event there is still time! Remember, volunteering will save you 50% on your registration fee! Please contact the DEC President Elect, Jeffri Brookfield, at jeffrib@uic.edu with questions or to express an interest in volunteering!

To better meet the needs of all participants, a number of sessions are geared specifically for families. Some of these sessions include, “Brothers and sisters in early intervention”, Interweaving roles of families and providers in integrated systems”, and a “Family consortium committee town meeting” just to name a few.

In addition to the outstanding sessions, there are many opportunities for you to meet and mingle with other professionals in the field. This conference provides the unique opportunity to converse with the top researchers in the field, parents of children with disabilities and practitioners who are in classrooms working with young children everyday. Some of the exciting events that are planned are:

To register go to: http://www.dec-sped.org/

See you in Chicago !

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Preparing Relationship-based Early Intervention Personnel: PREP Project

by Mary-alayne Hughes, University of Illinois

The Early Childhood/Infancy program in the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been awarded federal funding to support students interested in attaining a master's degree in early childhood special education, with an emphasis on working with infants/toddlers with disabilities and their families. This is a 2 year program of study for full-time students; some students also work toward this degree on a part-time basis.

Completion of the master's program will provide the student with the coursework and practicum experiences necessary to apply for the Illinois Early Intervention Developmental Therapist credential. Future employment opportunities for individuals holding this credential include: a) early interventionist in a social service agency that serves infants/toddlers with disabilities, b) independent service provider in early intervention, c) child care provider or early interventionist in an integrated child care setting.

Funding (traineeship plus tuition waiver and waiver of some fees) will be available through the PREP Project to 10 students per year, beginning Spring 2005 through 2009. Funding is limited and will be awarded on a competitive basis.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact one of the following individuals:

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Department of Special Education
1310 S. Sixth St .
Champaign , IL 61821
(217) 333-0260

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Upcoming Events

IDEC GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING:

The Illinois Division for Early Childhood will hold an open membership meeting in conjunction with the International DEC conference in the Chicago . The meeting will be held Monday, December 6 th, from 5:00 to 6:00 PM in the IDEC hospitality suite at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, 301 East North Water Street . Please plan to join your colleagues, meet the IDEC executive board members, and help set IDEC’s agenda for the coming year.

OPENING MINDS: The Chicago Early Education, Child Care & School-Age Conference  

Once again, the Chicago Metro AEYC unites with Action for Children and MOST (Making the Most of Out-of-School Time) to offer a comprehensive 3-day conference with exciting opportunities for learning, mentoring and networking for the many talented workers committed to the care and education of our most promising natural resource: children.

Dates: January 27, 28 and 29, 2005
Hyatt Regency McCormick Place , 2233 S. Martin L. King Drive
Register by December 15 and pay only $75.
For information go to http://www.chicagometroaeyc.org.
Learning begins at birth.  That it never stops is entirely up to you.

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President's Message

by Beth Delaney Purvis

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for the privilege of serving as president of the Illinois Division for Early Childhood (IDEC). We are an organization of approximately 250 members, all of whom are deeply committed to doing everything necessary to ensure that intervention services, supports, and resources of the highest quality are available for young children in Illinois , and their families. Our collective efforts include: (a) advocating for legislation and regulation that represent the interests of young children and their families; (b) active participation in policy development as it relates to the early intervention service system, training for practitioners, and personnel standards and preservice training; (c) provision of both inservice and preservice training; (d) conducting and keeping up to date with research related to the efficacy of early intervention policies and practices; and, most importantly, (e) our day to day interactions with the children and families we serve.

In addition to all the things you are already doing, I’d like you to consider doing just a little bit more. You might consider selecting something from the following list:

1. Encourage a colleague to become a member of our organization. Information and membership materials can be found at http://www.dec-sped.org/.

2. Visit our web page at http://illinois-dec.org/index.html for information about what we’re doing in Illinois.

3. Register to attend our international conference, which is being held in Chicago on December 5th through the 8th.

4. While at the conference, plan to attend our general membership meeting for Illinois DEC members. The meeting will be held from 5:00 to 6:00 PM , Monday, December 6th in our hospitality suite.

5. Volunteer to host conference sessions, and register for the conference at half the regular cost. Contact me at jeffrib@uic.edu if you are interested.

6. Let us know what issues you believe IDEC should address during the next year.

7. Volunteer to run for office in IDEC. Unlike the current national campaign, if you run for office in IDEC everyone is friendly, supportive, and not at all contentious.

Thank you for your interest, support, and participation in IDEC. Most especially, thank you for your ongoing efforts in support of young children and their families.

You may contact Beth Delaney Purvis at:

Beth Delaney Purvis
Executive Director
Chicago Charter School Foundation
228 S. Wabash , Suite 600
Chicago , IL 60604
P: 312.455.7890
F: 312.455.7891
bpurvis@ccsfonline.org

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Interested in Advanced Study in ECSE?

by Therese Wehman, Elmhurst College

If you have been thinking of furthering your education, check out the Masters Degree Program in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) at Elmhurst College. This Masters in ECSE is an innovative, interdisciplinary, collaborative program designed to prepare professionals to meet the increasing needs in the rapidly emerging field of early childhood special education.

The Masters Program requires 37 semester hours and adheres to the cohort model to fulfill course requirements, strengthen cohesion and student-centered practices.

For more information about this program contact:

Dr. Therese Wehman, Program Coordinator
(630) 617-3231
e-mail theresew@elmhurst.edu
Elmhurst College
190 Prospect Ave.
Elmhurst , IL   60126-3296

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20th Annual DEC International Conference

20th Annual DEC
International Conference
on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families

“Lessons Learned: Weaving Our
Future from the Threads of the Past”

December 5-8, 2004
Chicago , IL

Visit the DEC website for updates:
http://www.dec-sped.org

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9th Illinois Statewide Collaborative

The 9th Illinois
Statewide Collaborative
Early Childhood Conference

October 19-21, 2005
Oak Brook , IL

For more information visit:
http://sharingavision.org/