Lynette K. Chandler

Dr. Lynette K. Chandler, Professor and Special Education Program Coordinator, Department of Special and Early Education (SEED), Northern Illinois University (NIU), was named as the recipient of the Jeanette A. McCollum (JAM) Award for Service to the Field by the Illinois Division of Early Childhood (IDEC).  The announcement took place on Thursday, October 3rd, 2013  at the SharingAVision (SAV) early childhood conference held in Springfield, IL.   The JAM Award for Service to the Field is presented to an early childhood professional, family member, student, or community member who meets high-standards of professional practice and leadership set by Jeanette A. McCollum, Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign.  The recipient must have made significant contributions on a state, regional, or local level which have improved or will improve the lives of young children with special needs, their families, or those who work on their behalf.   An IDEC committee, charged with selecting the most deserving nominee for this highly prestigious award from among those nominated, chose Dr. Chandler as the 2013 award recipient.

Dr. Chandler’s nomination packet was presented to the committee by Dr. Robin Miller Young, Director of Early Childhood Education at Rockford University.  A few highlights from the eight letters supporting Dr. Chandler’s nomination are presented below.

In terms of Dr. Chandler’s work preparing new early childhood educators, Associate Dean of the NIU College of Education, Connie Fox, stated, “By serving as a role model and mentor for decades long, the number of new teachers who have been influenced by Dr. Chandler is incalculable.  But it is the teachers who continue the work that Dr. Chandler began.  It is her influence on them that betters the profession and the conditions for young learners with special needs”.    When asked about Dr. Chandler’s impact engaging and current educators in on-going professional development, LuAnn Shields, the retired principal at Prairie Children Preschool (IPSD # 204) replied, “Lynette consistently focused on what was best for children and their families.  While supporting staff with embracing new ways of thinking about teaching and learning, she was instrumental in helping staff to make connections between the strategies/interventions being implemented and the progress of students toward clearly defined outcomes.  She has the innate ability to translate concepts, program models, and state/federal regulations into quality learning experiences for young children. Lynette is passionate about encouraging teachers to maintain high expectations for children while applying solid instructional practices.”

Other letter writers attested to Dr. Chandler’s fulfillment of Dr. McCollum’s standards for professional practice and leadership.  Specifically, Dr. Toni Van Laarhoven, NIU Associate Professor wrote that she has had the pleasure of working with Dr. Chandler for more than 15 years and “ … Dr. Chandler epitomizes what it means to contribute significantly to the field.  She is one of the most collaborative and hardworking individuals with whom I have ever worked.  She is one of the most outstanding, unbelievably productive and genuine human beings I have ever met.”   Dr. Susan Fowler, former Dean of the College of Education at the University of Illinois commented, “I saw Lynette’s strong commitment and passion for improving the quality of life for young children with disabilities and have seen over the years, her ability to translate this commitment and passion to her scholarship and her service.  As a colleague of Dr. McCollum at the University of Illinois, I strongly believe that Lynette follows closely in the footsteps of Jeanette and has contributed immensely to personnel preparation, policy development and research through her work.  Illinois has been extremely fortunate in that Dr. Chandler chose to spend her career in the State.”   Donna Nylander, Principal of the Valley View Early Childhood Center (District #365U) added these insightful comments:  “Through her work at the university, state and national level, Lynette continues to be a tireless voice for young children.  In her career path she had the opportunity to implement the projects and visions of Jeannette McCollum.  Illinois is a respected state because of her vision and contributions for our youngest learners. No one has made a difference at the local, regional, state and national level like Lynette Chandler.  Illinois is blessed to have such a visionary collaborator and mentor.”

Dr. Susan Maude, a colleague with the Division for Early Childhood (DEC), echoed the previously stated sentiments, in her own words: “For more than 25 years, Dr. Chandler’s research, scholarship, and most importantly her service and leadership has had significant influences on the field of early intervention, early childhood special education, personnel preparation, and leadership in the Division for Early Childhood at both the state and national levels. Most important, her research, scholarship, and service has impacted directly how practitioners interact with and support young children with disabilities and their families in inclusive setting. Dr. Chandler is an outstanding role model for young scholars and for her colleagues. She is widely regarded scholar and mentor in our field. She has brought important recognition not only to herself but also to Northern Illinois University.”  In another letter, written jointly by colleagues Dr. Micki  Ostrosky and Dr. Amy Santos, they describe Dr. Chandler as “ . . . type of colleague who is recruited to provide service to the field because she is bright, capable, organized, pleasant to work with, and she gets things done.”  They added, “We believe that Dr. Lynette Chandler should rise to the top of those being considered for IDEC’s prestigious Jeanette McCollum Service to the Field Award. She has made significant contributions to the field of ECSE and has improved the lives of young children and their families through her research, teaching, and service. She is deserving of this recognition and the honor that this award signifies.”

Finally, these summary comments were offered by Dr. Young:  “Quite simply, Dr. Chandler has a vision of a world in which children with disabilities and their families, and children who are at-risk of developing disabilities, have their hopes and dreams come true. Dr. Chandler accomplishes this by creating dynamic partnerships among parents and families, students, practitioners, researchers, higher education faculty and other stakeholders that focus on proactive practices.  These are practices that promote attitude development, skill acquisition and application, and development of knowledge bases that achieve essential goals right out of the gate.  Additionally, her leadership creates partnership and teaming efforts to promote systemic, synergistic solutions to our most entrenched challenges and implement them with integrity.  Dr. Chandler’s leadership and advocacy work in this area is simply unparalleled.”    

To honor Dr. Chandler’s accomplishments, she was presented with an Isabel Bloom statue titled “Tiny Treasures”; the phrase paired with the statue states, “Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and find that they were the big things.”  The IDEC is extremely proud to count Dr. Lynette Chandler as one of our founding members and as the 2013 JAM award recipient.  

Bernadette “Bernie” Laumann was named as the 2011 winner of the Jeanette A. McCollum (JAM) Award for Service to the Field by the Illinois Division of Early Childhood (IDEC).  The announcement took place on Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at the SharingAVision early childhood conference held in Springfield, IL.   The Jeanette A. McCollum Award for Service to the Field is presented to an early childhood professional, family member, student, or community member who meets high-standards of professional practice and leadership set by Jeanette A. McCollum, Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign.  The winner must have made significant contributions on a state, regional, or local level which have improved or will improve the lives of young children with special needs, their families, or those who work on their behalf.   Bernie was chosen by a committee of IDEC members including LuAnn Shields and Kristy Herrell, Prairie Children Preschool, IPSD # 204; Jennifer Loncola Walberg, Associate Professor, Depaul University and Wu-Ying Hsieh, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago.

Bernie was nominated by a joint committee of her former colleagues at the University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign, including Drs. Mary-alayne Hughes, Micki Ostrosky, Amy Santos and Susan Fowler.   A few of the many highlights from the nomination letters submitted by these four colleagues and three additional colleagues who also wrote letters of support are provided below.

According to Dr. Hughes, “Bernie has worked tirelessly on behalf of young children with disabilities and their families for over 30 years.  She has a wealth of experience across a broad range of Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) roles, including serving as an ECSE teacher and principal of one of the first inclusive preschool programs in the state of Illinois.  In her role as principal, she worked diligently with the classroom teachers and staff to make the inclusive early childhood program a model site in the state of Illinois. As indicated by Dr. Susan Maude, Iowa State University, “Dr. Laumann’s program was one of seven sites out of 50 recognized as a Finalist in the Search for Exemplary Practices.  She also gave generously of her time to educate program visitors about developing inclusive educational opportunities for children in their own sites”.

Additionally, Dr. Laumann has worked in a variety of capacities in the University of Illinois’ Department of Special Education and was included on the University’s “Teachers Ranked as Excellent” list a total of 17 semesters!  One of her former students, Laura Czopek, who is now a Developmental Therapist, said, “Bernie demonstrated her vast understanding of the field of early childhood and presented class material in a creatively organized and easy-to-understand fashion. She helped many college students find success in the college classroom, in turn, positively impacting the lives of countless young children”.  Bernie is continuing to train new teachers at Eastern Illinois University.  One of her new colleagues at Eastern, Dr. Rebecca Cook, stated the following: “Bernie’s career appears to be driven by priorities to have high expectations of teacher candidates, strong collaborative relationships within and across fields, a tireless consumption of research, in-depth knowledge of current issues, and being a strong proponent of families and their pivotal role in their children’s development”.

Each letter writer also commented on Bernie’s outstanding leadership abilities.  She is a “quiet” leader who simply gets things done without a lot of fanfare.  She has served IDEC in various roles, including President, and she capably served as the Chairperson of the Past President’s Council, a position created especially to keep her on the board and to develop new leaders in the organization.

Finally, please note the following comments written by Jeanette McCollum, for whom the award is named, which were shared at the time of the announcement.  She knew that Bernie had been chosen as the 2011 winner of the award named in her honor and although she could not be present to congratulate Bernie in person, she asked that these words be shared on her behalf.

“Bernie - I feel like I've known you most of my professional career, and so am wondering why I'm still older than you are! You came to the U of I in what was, I think, my second year of teaching. I remember your cohort with great fondness because you were all eager to learn and very supportive of one another.   In these respects you haven't changed very much! You have had a successful career as a teacher and as an administrator. Teacher education has always been your passion, whether as an administrator or more recently as a college teacher and now professor. You have always set your standards high, and have never wavered in your commitment to high quality early childhood education.  I am very proud of you, and proud to have been one of your mentors. And of course proud that you were selected for this award. 

Congratulations, to Bernie, on her selection as the 2011 Jeanette A. McCollum Service to the Field award winner!

Early in her career, Kay was one of the founders of the Illinois Support and Technical Assistance Regional Network (STAR NET) system for early childhood special education professionals.  She was the lead Preschool Resource Specialist for Region I and III in Macomb, and she was also involved in the development of the “Apple” magazine video conferencing.  After departing STAR NET, Kay became a consultant for the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and currently is the Senior Consultant of ISBE’s Early Childhood Division.  Throughout her tenure at ISBE, she has been a generous supporter of the Sharing a Vision statewide conference and the Illinois Resource Center, thus enabling hundreds of early childhood professionals to benefit from high quality professional development activities including presentations, workshops, and technical assistance.

Kay also has made an impact on the Illinois early childhood community through her continuous work in state-funded Pre-K and Birth-to-Three programs.  Currently, she works closely with the Governor’s office through her participation on the Early Learning Council where she advocates strongly about the importance of early learning.  She was instrumental in coordinating the development of Illinois’ Early Learning Standards and was committed to the development of the kindergarten standards.  Donna Nylander, principal of Valley View District 365U Early Childhood Center, wrote the following in her nomination letter:  “Through her work at ISBE, Kay continues to be a tireless voice for young children….Illinois is a respected state and is continually ranked as one of the top three states for quality preschool programming in the country due to her vision and contribution for our youngest learners.” 

IDEC congratulates Kay Henderson for her work and advocacy on behalf of all young children and their families!

Ted Burke began working in Illinois as an administrator for a Head Start program in the Rockford area. He has subsequently held a variety of roles in Illinois’ early intervention system, including serving as a Child and Family Connections manager for two CFC’s in suburban Cook County. Currently, he is the Director of Illinois’ early intervention training program where he coordinates trainings, regional conferences and a variety of other professional development activities. He has also brought Illinois training programs into the technology age. For example, Sarah Nichols, a regional training consultant and service coordinator, stated that “Ted’s innovative ideas have put him on the cutting edge when it comes to online learning. He presented a poster session related to online learning at DEC 2006 and will do so again in 2007. Better, more efficient training techniques will only provide earlier learning opportunities for new professionals as well as ongoing support to those already working with children and families.”

Ted has participated on numerous committees and professional organizations, and is a strong advocate for young children and their families as evidenced by his letters of nomination. Kirsten Hammock, Part C Coordinator for Kentucky’s First Steps program, wrote the following:

“Ted is a vocal advocate for young children with special needs and their families. He has spear-headed grass roots efforts to benefit Illinois’ children and families as well as championed national campaigns for young children through groups like the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children.”

IDEC congratulates Ted Burke for his work and advocacy on behalf of young children with disabilities and their families!

At each Sharing a Vision Conference, the Illinois Division for Early Childhood announces the recipient of a competitive award, the Jeanette McCollum Award for Service to the Field.

The Jeanette McCollum Award for Service to the Field is earmarked for an individual who meets the high standards of professional practice set by Jeanette, a leader in ECSE research and personnel preparation. Guidelines state that this award be given to an individual who has made significant contributions on a state, regional, or local level which have improved or will improve the lives of young children with special needs, their families, or those who work on their behalf.

The Award committee had a difficult task this year as we had excellent nominees - all who have significantly impacted the lives of young children and their families in Illinois.

Before announcing our newest award recipient, we would like to describe a few of the reasons she was selected for this prestigious award.

This year's recipient has been a direct service provider, staff development facilitator, university instructor, presenter at local/state/national conferences, NAEYC validator, and committee member and board member for numerous organizations. For the past 9 years she has coordinated STARNET Regions I and III ECSE Technical Assistant Training Project. Additionally, she coordinates the Apples Magazine satellite program, focusing on cutting edge early childhood topics. In her current roles, this year's recipient constantly seeks to ensure high quality training with a focus on developmentally appropriate practices.

She is described by colleagues as a mentor to other EC professionals and family members of young children, especially children with special needs. Her "nominators" report that she not only knows the principles of scaffolding children's learning, but she is able to apply these principles as she scaffolds staff learning too.

This year's recipient is passionate about the importance of providing quality services to young children and their families. She is an advocate of inclusion who has touched many lives in the 30+ years that she has been in early education.

By now I am sure that most of you have figured out that Dr. Char Ward is this year's recipient of the IDEC's Jeanette McCollum Award for Service to the Field. We are thrilled to present Char with this award. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Char Ward.

In 2001, the Illinois DEC sought nominations for this prestigious award. After reviewing the nominations received, IDEC's Executive Board is pleased to announce that Sharon Andersen, Early Childhood Inclusive Teacher, is its first recipient. Ms. Andersen has been in the field of early childhood for 18 years. She currently is a teacher at Prairie Children's Preschool in Naperville, IL, an inclusive early childhood center in the Indian Prairie School Distrcit #204. Kim Philo, a speech and language pathologist, who is also a member of the transdisciplinary classroom team on which Sharon serves, nominated Sharon. Ms. Philo submitted an extensive portfolio of Sharon's stellar accomplishments, outlining her impact on young children, their families, and Sharon's colleagues.

Testimony from families, colleagues, and administrators strongly supported Sharon's leadership, dedication, and resourcefulness at the classroom, school, regional, and state levels. As noted by family members in their letters of support, "Sharon has all the skills and tools needed to help each child unlock their potential." Another stated, "I have been able to witness the dedication, commitment, and best of all the God given gift that Sharon possesses in educating our littlest blessings." And finally, "All I could do was cry (after seeing her son participate in everyday routines at school which he had not originally been able to do) knowing that at school he had such a cheerleader and someone that cared for him as much as his family. Sharon never once took all the credit, and instead made me feel that if we weren't working so hard with him at home he would not have made such improvements. What I know is without Sharon working so closely with us that Trevor would not be the awesome, confident, and hard-working boy he is today."

Sharon is on the Curriculum Committee at her school, coordinates the Extended School Year Program for Prairie Children Preschool, has been a trainer of trainers on the new Learning Standards issued by the Illinois State Board of Education, has in the past and is currently presenting at the Sharing A Vision conference, and is working on her master's degree in administration at Northern Illinois University. Please join IDEC in congratulating Sharon Andersen on her award winning service to the field!

In 1999, the Illinois Division for Early Childhood (IDEC) established the Jeanette A McCollum Award for Service to the Field. This award was developed to recognize the exemplary contributions of Dr. Jeanette A. McCollum from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Dr. McCollum is an internationally recognized researcher in the areas of personnel preparation, early childhood special education (ECE) policy, and parent-child interactions—especially related to cultural impact on interactions. Her leadership in ECSE personnel preparation has laid the foundation for many college and university programs across the nation. Dr. McCollum has been a mentor to numerous students throughout her years at UIUC, and her guidance is frequently sought from organizations such as the international Division for Early Childhood, the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois' and other states' committees working on issues related to personnel development and Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Dr. McCollum, herself, is a recipient of both the International Division for early Childhood's Merle B. Karnes Service to the Division and the Service to the Field Awards.