Early Childhood Conference Attracts Particpants across the State

On May 6, 2011, nearly 400 professionals involved in early childhood education in the state of Michigan participated in a daylong conference, Making Inclusion Work in Early Childhood Education with Transdisciplinary Teaming, held on the campus of the University of Michigan-Dearborn. More than 300 attended the conference on site, and other participants attended virtually via a multimedia connection that allowed their participation from Paw Paw, Michigan.

The theme of the conference was inspired by the accomplishments of the partnership between UM-Dearborn’s Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) and Oakwood Health System’s Center for Exceptional Families (CEF). The conference was designed to meet the needs of a broad array of professionals who might participate as members of early childhood transdisciplinary teams, including early childhood and special education teachers; early interventionists; parents; occupational, physical and speech/language therapists; social workers; psychologists; and students preparing for careers in these fields. Conference participants had opportunities to learn research-based strategies, techniques and best practices for including young children with special learning needs within natural environments and general education settings.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak, Professor at Kent State University in the area of Special Education – Early Intervention. The title of her presentation was, “Creating Meaningful Learning Opportunities Within the Context of Everyday Activities and Events.”

Breakout sessions featured best practices in inclusive early childhood education. Among the leaders of the breakout sessions were several UM-Dearborn faculty and ECEC/CEF staff members who made presentations on strategies for teachers working with children with and without disabilities and their families in inclusive early childhood classrooms.