Save the Date:
2019 National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute
May 7-9, 2019
The National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute is one of the premier educational opportunities for anyone involved in the care and education of young children with special needs in inclusive settings. Dozens of world-class experts, dozens of groundbreaking sessions, free courses for CEUs—and an enduring impact. For over 15 years, the Inclusion Institute has drawn people from across the country and around the globe to Chapel Hill to learn about the latest research findings, models, and resources to guide inclusive policy, professional development and practice; to develop collaborative relationships and cross-agency systems to support early childhood inclusion; and to have the opportunity to meet, learn from and problem solve with peers.
You can watch the 2018 Opening Day webcast online
2018 Plenary Session with Ann and Rud Turnbull
Rud and Ann Turnbull, internationally acclaimed speakers and special education scholars, have recently both had birthdays with numbers ending in zero--and their ages total 150 years shared tbe lessons they have learned, especially related to parenting their beloved son Jay, whom they describe as their best teacher on the topic of disabilities. Which lessons have withstood the test of time? What are their “truths” that have enabled them to not only survive but prevail? They subscribe to full disclosure. Be ready for humility, humor, hurt, humanism, and hugs. Maybe even for knowledge that aged to become wisdom.
2018 Keynote Address: Watch it live.
Jani Kozlowski brings a unique perspective to the work of inclusion in early care and education—as an early childhood professional with a disability, a child of a parent with a disability, and the mother of a son with a disability. In this compelling keynote address, she shares personal stories and reflections that highlight the human potential for overcoming challenges, and offered strategies for how to shift attitudes in early education so that we always view children with disabilities as individuals that demonstrate tremendous strength, grit, and resilience.
2018 Federal Plenary Session
The intention for this interactive session was to listen, learn, and share perspectives about inclusion with an interagency panel of policy leaders representing the US Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs, and the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration and Administration for Children and Families, Offices of Head Start and Child Care. Each panelist provided a brief update on early childhood priorities and inclusion initiatives within their agencies. The audience then shared their challenges and valued resources in implementing high quality inclusion using a live polling feature on their mobile devices, followed by individual questions and comments.