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• ABOUT US •
• dec@dec-sped.org • (406) 543-0872 •


The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) is one of seventeen divisions of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) - the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted. DEC is especially for individuals who work with or on behalf of children with special needs, birth through age eight, and their families.

OUR MISSION
The Division for Early Childhood promotes policies and advances evidence-based practices that support families and enhance the optimal development of young children who have or are at risk for developmental delays and disabilities.

2006/2007 ANNUAL REPORT
DEC's FY 2006/2007 Annual Report is available for review. Please click here to view or download.

STRATEGIC GOALS

Goal 1: Provide a professional home that members can identify with & through which their needs are met.
Goal 2: Be primary resource for high-quality, evidence-based information for those who prepare professionals.
Goal 3: Coordinate the development of a set of core competencies needed for personnel in early childhood special education across disciplines who work with young children & their families. These core competencies will be developed & endorsed by key organizations
Goal 4: Make explicit connection between personnel standards, core competencies, & DEC Recommended Practices.
Goal 5: DEC’s Recommended Practices will form the foundation of the knowledge/research base that guides the work of early intervention & early childhood special education practitioners.
Goal 6: Develop a definitive set of personnel standards that are linked to multiple disciplines’ standards & recommended practices.
Goal 7: Commit adequate resources so that DEC will be a primary source of quality products that support our mission & identified needs of the members.
Goal 8: Be a primary resource for information on quality products & publications that support the field.
Goal 9: Develop & implement a product & publications development system.

Goal 10: Advance DEC’s priorities regarding young children & families in the federal authorizing, appropriations, & regulatory processes through DEC & coalition efforts.
Goal 11: Facilitate members & Subdivisions in their advocacy efforts at all levels.
Goal 12: Form Coalitions to increase power of advocacy efforts at all levels.
Goal 13: Garner sufficient human & fiscal resources to support policy efforts.
Goal 14: Commit resources (human & fiscal) to advance value of diversity in all aspects of DEC mission & operations. Diversity is defined as a highly inclusive construct, embracing all aspects of individuals & groups that make them different, which includes, but is not limited to, language, race, ethnicity, gender, ability, geographic location, class, & life style.
Goal 15: Establish working alliances through memorandums of understanding with diverse organization, groups, & agencies.
Goal 16: Develop, implement, & evaluate products & outreach activities to ensure that they address the priorities & needs of diverse constituencies
Goal 17: Ensure the composition of DEC at all levels will more closely reflect the diversity of our constituents.
Goal 18: Promote the use of evidence-based practices.
Goal 19: Increase the use of data-based decision making in DEC activities.

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OUR MEMBERS
DEC is an international community of professionals and family members all working together to support the development of young children with special needs and to create a system of support for all young children and their families. Our members include:

  • Early intervention specialists
  • Early childhood special educators
  • Parents
  • Early childhood professionals working in preschool, child care, and Head Start programs
  • Researchers
  • Administrators
  • Higher education faculty
  • Health care professionals
  • Occupational, physical, and speech therapists
  • Social workers
  • Psychologists
  • and you!

If you would like to learn more about membership and all its benefits, please click here.

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OUR COMMITTMENT TO YOUNG CHILDREN
  1. Promoting parent-professional collaboration in all facets of planning, designing, and implementing early childhood intervention services.
  2. Advocating for policy, planning and best practice in prevention and intervention. DEC supports full access for young children with special needs and their families to natural settings and service delivery options. Respect for family values, diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and family circumstance are integral considerations in DEC's prevention and intervention efforts.
  3. Supporting those who work with or on behalf of infants and young children with special needs and their families by promoting:

    a. collaboration and communication among organizations, practitioners and family members;

    b. innovations in research and the development of new knowledge;

    c. dissemination and use of information about research, resources, best practices and current issues;

    d. professional development through an array of activities and strategies.

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Copyright©2008 The Division for Early Childhood.
All rights reserved.

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