Winter 2002 Volume 9, Issue 4
Official Newsletter of the Illinois Subdivision of the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children.
Table of contents
Kathleen W. McCartan Award
by Christy Lee
Illinois DEC is proud to announce that Eliza (Ellie) Kim will receive the Kathleen W. McCartan Award from the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children. Ellie is concurrently working on her early childhood teaching certificate and her master's degree in Early Childhood Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her advisor had this to say about Ellie: "Ellie is an extremely energetic, enthusiastic, personable, hard-working student…has a strong knowledge base and leadership skills. She constantly evaluates her skills, seeking to achieve the high standards that she has set for herself. She is the type of student who should be acknowledged for her hard work and the promise that she shows to the early childhood community." This award will be presented at the international DEC conference in San Diego in December.
The Kathleen W. McCartan Award is designed to acknowledge undergraduate/ masters level students who are entering the field of early childhood education and who have made contributions to young children with special needs and their families through their service to the field, community, and professional organizations. Dr. McCartan was a leader in the field of personnel preparation and served for many years on the Board of DEC. Applications are evaluated based on scholarship, service, membership and involvement in professional organizations, and leadership experiences. In order to be eligible for this award, students must be a student member of DEC and must be enrolled at the time of their nomination in a degree program in early childhood special education or a discipline related to service for young children with special needs and their families.
Congratulations Ellie! Return to top
Our Work has Just Begun
The election is over, but we still have work to do. Establishing and maintaining positive relationships with elected officials is an important step in building support for children's issues. Take the time now to get to know your elected officials before you need something.
If your legislator was recently elected or reelected, call, write, or email him or her to congratulate him or her on winning the election. Make you note brief. Share some personal experience or specialized knowledge related to children's issues. Don'forget to let the individual know that you are a constituent and to include your address.
Call and make an appointment. Personal contact is perhaps the best way to build a relationship. Prepare yourself before you meet and be ready to share a real life story. Focus on a single topic and bring a fact sheet. Use the meeting as an opportunity to educate your elected official about children's issues and encourage him or her to contact you in the future. Don't forget to bring a card with your contact information and to thank the elected official for his or her time.
Return to topCAN Update
11/18/02 - The House passed another Continuing Resolution that will keep the government funded though January 11, 2003. The Resolution has gone to the Senate where easy passage is anticipated. The House also passed a Homeland Security bill and a terrorism insurance measure prior to ending the lame duck session. It appears that Congress is putting off budget issues and other major bills until the new Congress is seated. The current Resolution will keep education funding at current FY 2002 levels until the new 108th Congress convenes in January.
In other legislative news, Senator DeWine (R-OH) has introduced a bill (S.3164) to provide loan forgiveness to early childhood teachers seeking their AA or BA degree under certain federal student financial aid loan programs. Early childhood teachers (in licensed center and family child care programs, Head Start, and schools) would be eligible if they work in a program located in a low income community and then commit to staying in their program for a period of time. The bill also reauthorizes the current Child Care Worker Loan Forgiveness program. In a very gracious gesture, Senator DeWine named the bill after Senator Wellstone, who had intended to cosponsor the bill: the "Paul Wellstone Early Educator Loan Forgiveness Act."
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is conducting a national assessment to examine how the changes in the 1997 IDEA amendments are affecting states, districts, and schools, as well as infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities and their families. The study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, SLIIDEA, has been designed to address the issues of interest to Congress and the public. More detailed information about SLIIDEA can be found at the end of this message.
Finally, The Association of University Centers on Disabilities has released its Annual Report on IDEA Partnerships: Creating Opportunities for Change. The 2001-2002 report outlines many of the accomplishments of the OSEP sponsored IDEA Partnerships now in their fourth year (ASPIIRE, FAPE, ILIAD, and PMP). The Annual Report can be used to share the work of the partnerships with those unfamiliar with these projects, IDEA '97, and special education. The report may be found at: http://www.ideapractices.org
Return to topAttention Families and Professionals: Elmhurst College Family Mentor Program
Elmhurst College is now accepting applications for their Family Mentor Program. Families will be matched up with graduate level students in Early Childhood Special Education. The families will be mentors for the students in either a birth to three or a three to five focus area. Families are needed in the following counties: DuPage, Kane-Kendall, Northwest Cook, Southwest Cook (and surrounding counties), Lake, and McHenry. This is a unique opportunity for families to share their insight, expertise, and experiences to the future leaders in the ECSE field. For additional information, please contact Nancy Cheeseman from Elmhurst College at: 630-617-3211 or ncheeseman@ameritech.net.
President's Message
It's the end of the year and that means our annual International DEC Conference is just around the corner. This year's DEC Conference in sunny San Diego (December 5-8) promises to be yet another exciting event. Illinois DEC will be well represented in different conference sessions and at various events throughout the conference.
Be sure to stop in and say hello to your fellow Illinoisans. Also don't forget to visit our display on Friday night (December 6) at the Exhibit Hall.
Finally, be there at the Plenary Session on Thursday night (December 5) to show support for our very own Ellie Kim, a master's student in the ECSE program at UIUC. Ellie is this year's recipient of DEC's Kathleen W. McCartan Award. This award honors undergraduate and master's students … Congratulations Ellie!
If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please contact:
Return to topAmy Santos
1310 South Sixth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
Voice: 217/333-0260
Fax: 217/333-6555
Email: rsantos@uiuc.edu
Webliography
Illinois Council for Exceptional Children
http://illinoiscec.org
Illinois Early Learning Project
http://illinoisearlylearning.org
National Lekotek Center
http://www.lekotek.org
Designs for Change
http://www.designsforchange.org
ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education
http://www.ericec.org
Upcoming Meeting Dates
Sharing A Vision Planning Committee
All meetings from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
January 24, 2003, Bloomington
March 28, 2003, Naperville
May 9, 2003, Champaign
July 18, 2003, Springfield
IDEC Board Meeting
All meetings from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
March 28, 2003, Naperville
July 18, 2003, Springfield
Upcoming Events
2003 CEC Annual Convention and Expo
April 9-12, 2003
Seattle, Washington
For registration information:
http://www.cec.sped.org/
The 8th Annual Illinois Statewide Collaborative Early Childhood Conference
Sept. 29 - Oct. 1, 2003
Springfield, IL
More information coming soon to:
http://idec.crc.uiuc.edu/conference.html
