The Kansas Division for Early Childhood
KDEC 31st Annual Conference
"Survive and Thrive In Uncertain Times"
February 28-March 1, 2013
DoubleTree (formerly the Hilton Wichita Airport Hotel)
Wichita, KS
Come join us at our 31th annual conference! We are excited to feature two great keynote speaker. Dr. McWilliam, Janice Fialka and many outstanding presenters who will provide applicable evidence-based practice information for you. You can access registration, fees/payment, hotel, agenda, keynote and other pertinent conference information at http://www.cvent.com/d/6cqs34/1Q
We are looking forward to seeing you in February!!
If you have questions, please contact Cindy Schroeder, Conference Chair, at 785-673-3152.
Call for Presentation Proposals Form (Word Document - This will download to your desktop.)
Keynote Speaker
Dr. McWilliam is one of the nation's leaders in recommended practices in early intervention and early childhood special education. He has traveled to 48 states to help improve policies and services for young children with disabilities and their families. He has also consulted and taught overseas, particularly, since the 1990s, in Portugal. Components of his model for home- and community-based services, Routines-Based Early Intervention, have been adopted by numerous states and local programs, and his Engagement Classroom Model, based on research conducted with Amy Casey, is an evidence-based model for effective classroom practices. Dr. McWilliam has published six books and many scholarly articles. He runs the Routines-Based Interview Certification Institute every year. At Siskin Children's Institute, a nonprofit organization in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Dr. McWilliam is the Director of the Center for Child and Family Research and the Siskin Endowed Chair of Research in Early Childhood Education, Intervention, and Development. He also has an appointment as Professor of Education at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Earlier positions included Professor of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Senior Investigator at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Most important, Dr. McWilliam is a husband, father, and grandfather.
The Dance of Partnership: Why Do My Feet Hurt?
Strengthening Parent-Professional Partnerships
Janice Fialka, LMSW, ACSW is a nationally-recognized lecturer, author, and advocate on issues related to disability, parent-professional partnerships, inclusion, raising a child with disabilities, sibling issues, and post-secondary education. She is also a parent, poet, a compelling storyteller, and an award-winning advocate for families and persons with disabilities.
A sought-after presenter, Janice has provided the keynote address and workshops at numerous renowned national, state, and local conferences throughout the United States and Canada. Janice also conducts workshops for schools, human service organizations, and parent and advocacy groups.
Twenty years ago, Janice established herself as a major contributor to the national conversation about parent-professional partnerships through her highly-regarded writings, keynote, and workshops titled, The Dance of Partnership: Why do my feet hurt? She reflects with sensitivity, humor, and compassion on the challenges facing parents and professionals as they seek to build successful working relationships on behalf of children with disabilities. Janice speaks and writes from both her unique vantage point as the mother of Micah, her adult son with an intellectual disability and as an experienced social worker of 40 years. Her writings are published widely in textbooks, journals, and family and professional publications. Janice's trainings and writings are empowering, deeply engaging, and always practical.
Janice's web site is at: http://danceofpartnership.com/
KDEC Award Nominations
2013 KDEC Award Information is included below. There are so many talented individuals in this field! Take the time today to formally recognize a colleague that makes a difference.
The KDEC Awards Committee is seeking nominations from the field for five special awards to recognize individuals who have made important contributions to the field of early childhood special education/early intervention. Now is the time to give recognition to those who deserve it. The five categories of awards include:
Outstanding Contributor Award
This award honors an individual who has made significant contributions to early intervention in Kansas. This award is open to members as well as nonmembers. Persons who might be considered could include family members, legislators, physicians, educators, and any individuals providing services to young children and their families.
Direct Service Provider Award
This award is presented to a current DEC/KDEC member who has made significant contributions to young children with exceptionalities and their families. The candidate for this award should have less than ten years of direct service in the field. This award honors those who are beginning their career and have made exemplary contributions in their local area.
Award of Excellence
This award honors an individual who has made significant contributions in the following areas of early intervention: publications, research, development of new concepts, approaches or programs, new techniques for diagnosis or rehabilitation, improved psychological or education evaluation procedures, improved administrative procedures, practical application of improved teaching devices, and dynamic leadership.
Distinguished Service Provider Award
This award is presented to a current DEC/KDEC member who has demonstrated exemplary performance over a period of at least ten years as a direct service provider and is recognized by members of the profession as someone who demonstrates innovativeness, imagination, creativity, and the ability to inspire. This person must be a member in good standing both currently and for at least the previous five years.
Outstanding Student DEC Member Award
This award is presented to a current full time student member of DEC/KDEC who has contributed a great deal of time, energy, or support to early childhood special education. This can include activities within their Student CEC Chapter and/or to children who are exceptional and their families.
Please take a few minutes of your time to nominate a candidate for one or more of these awards. Awards will be presented at the annual KDEC conference February 28-March 1, 2013 in Wichita. Nominating an individual simply involves filling out a nomination form. This form can be found on the following page or at www.kdec.org. Contact Deanna Berry with any questions at dberry@rcdc4kids.org or 620-275-0291.
Link to 2012 Conference Presentations
Link to 2011 Conference Presentations