Who Should Attend

We welcome early childhood and early childhood special education (EC/ECSE) professionals, families, individuals with disabilities, EC/ECSE higher education faculty, professional development and technical assistance providers, local, state, or national administrators and leaders, as well as EC and ECSE students.

Whether you are a family of a child with disabilities, a newcomer in the field of early childhood/early childhood special education, or a seasoned professional, you’ll find sessions that matter the most to your role in supporting inclusive opportunities for children with disabilities and their families.  With more than 50 sessions to choose from, we hope the Inclusion Institute will leave you feeling informed, energized, and supported.

Registration Options and Rates

$550/$350/$725

We have three options for attending the Inclusion Institute in 2026:

1. Inclusion Institute in-person attendee: Attending live sessions in-person in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA at the Friday Center (beginning on May 19 at 1 pm US Eastern Time and ending May 21 at 12:30 pm US EDT). Cost: US$550/attendee

Registration Includes:  

• Access to keynote, plenary sessions, all concurrent sessions, reflection sessions, and exhibition booths
• Access to archived hybrid sessions
• Lunch, coffee/tea, and snacks on all 3 days
• Continental breakfast on May 20 and May 21

Note that in-person attendees are responsible for all related expenses such as air travel, ground transportation, other meals, and lodging.

2. Inclusion Institute virtual attendee: Attending sessions virtually via Zoom from anywhere in the world (Participate as a virtual attendee in hybrid sessions between May 19, 1 pm US Eastern time to May 21 at 12:30 pm US EDT and participate in fully virtual sessions between June 24 – June 25, 2026 between 8:00 am – 11:00 am US EDT and 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm US EDT). Cost: US$350/attendee 

Registration Includes:  

• Access to keynote, plenary sessions, hybrid concurrent session offerings, and reflection sessions between May 19 – 21, 2026
• Access to all virtual sessions between June 24 – 25, 2026.
• Access to archived hybrid and virtual session recordings  

3. Inclusion Institute in-person and virtual attendee: Experience the full Inclusion Institute by combining in-person and virtual participation. This option gives you access to live in-person sessions from May 19 – 21, 2026 and additional virtual sessions held on June 24 – 25, 2026. Cost: US$725/attendee

Registration Includes:

• Everything listed above for both the in-person and virtual formats.

Pre-Conference Offerings

We are also offering several in-person pre-conference workshops at the Friday Center on May 19, 2026, from 9 am – 12 pm US Eastern Time. Cost: $130/attendee

Pre-Conference Registration Includes:  

• Access to ONE in-person pre-conference session
• Continental breakfast, morning coffee/tea and snack, and lunch on May 19, 2026

Note that in-person attendees are responsible for all related expenses such as air travel, ground transportation, food, and lodging.

•  

If you have any questions related to registration, please contact us at inclusioninstitute@unc.edu. 

Registration Options Comparison Chart

Here is what is included for each registration type:

Conference Options	In-Person plus virtual institute	In-Person only	Virtual only	In-Person Pre-Conference only
One Pre-Conference Session plus breakfast and lunch				X
Keynotes and Plenary Sessions	X	X	X
In-Person Concurrent Sessions	X	X
Virtual Sessions (June 24 – 25, 2026)	X		X
Archived hybrid sessions	X	X	X
Archived virtual sessions	X		X
Networking Sessions	X	X
Exhibition Booths and Vendors	X	X
Lunch between May 19 – 21	X	X
Breakfast on May 20 and 21	X	X
Snacks between May 19 – 21	X	X
Price	US$725	US$550	US$350	US$130

Accessibility

There will be American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for the keynote and plenary sessions on May 19, 2026, as well as for all virtual sessions between June 24 – 25, 2026. All session presentations will have auto closed captioning, and handouts will be 508-compliant.

All attendees in need of accessibility accommodations (e.g., interpreters, large print, etc.) can note this on their registration form. If you have any questions related to accessibility, please contact us at inclusioninstitute@unc.edu.

Support Us

For over a quarter century, the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) has welcomed people to Chapel Hill to the International Early Childhood Inclusion Institute, during which invited family, practitioner, state, local, and faculty leaders as well as FPG staff facilitate professional learning and the exchange of ideas on using evidence-informed tools, practices, and resources for families and practitioners involved in the care and education of young children with disabilities in inclusive settings. Included within the 2.5-day event are numerous opportunities for networking and building fellowships with other peers.  

If you have attended any of our previous events, you know the incredible impact and reach this experience holds for the attendees and their children or those that they serve. Unfortunately, not everyone has the financial capacity to attend the conference.  

To address this need, FPG’s Inclusion Fund (488110) provides financial support so that more families of young children with disabilities and early childhood/early childhood special education practitioners can join us in experiencing these crucial training and networking activities.  

You can make a secure gift online to the FPG Child Development Institute Inclusion Fund through the University Development website or by clicking the button below.