Join us for our 2021 virtual conference, offered in a series of Lunch Bytes!
Offered on Fridays, from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm (and 11:30 to 2:00 on April 23), registration is free to members and non-members. Click on the sessions to register!
Sessions will be recorded.
*SCECHs will be offered pending approval.
We gratefully acknowledge the co-sponsorship of this event by the Michigan Department of Education. Co‐sponsorship by the Michigan Department of Education assumes the active participation of Department of Education staff in the planning and development of the agenda. No person shall be denied the opportunity to participate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, sex, marital status, or disability. The conference facility must meet federal and state accessibility standards. Commercial products or services displayed or presented as a part of the event are not considered endorsed by the State Board of Education and the Michigan Department of Education.
In solidarity with the CEC Project 20/20: Creating a Vision of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in all of CEC and the DEC Message about Racism and Inequity, Michigan DEC stands with its members and community.
As an organization, we acknowledge systemic racism exists. In the past several weeks, new violence against Black people has been recorded and shared widely, exposing long-held injustices in our society. The recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the countless others before them have confirmed the divide in our collective psyche regarding race. We also recognize that many of our members are processing what recent events mean for their work and the systems and institutions rooted in racism.
We stand with our members, those supporting children with disabilities and their families, as they work through the traumas of systemic racism. We also stand with our members--and others--who are speaking out to address these systemic injustices. We acknowledge we all have a role to play in dismantling institutional racism including in our early care and education system. This work is ongoing and essential, and we are committed to engaging in it with you. As an organization, we are recommitting to our role in dismantling institutional racism and supporting our members with doing the same in their spheres.
The MiDEC recognizes overcoming bias as a key priority for our work. As part of our strategic planning this year the MiDEC board will investigate ways to integrate overcoming bias into our priority agenda. We as a board believe that we all have a role and responsibility to become consciously aware, change behavior, and ultimately eliminate the impact of these biases by supporting each other through - and holding each other accountable to - our unconscious actions.
MiDEC Board of Directors
Take advantage of DECs Communities of Practice
DEC Members & Non-Members alike can take advantage of DEC Communities of Practice and join their peers in critical discussions during this time of change. Opportunities open to all - learn more here.
Michigan early childhood special education pioneer, Jane Scandary, passed away on February 9, 2017. To honor her legacy, her family has asked that memorial contributions to go toward continuing the annual presentation of the Jane Scandary Award for excellence in the field of early intervention/early childhood special education, presented by the Michigan Division for Early Childhood.
Checks for contributions for the Jane Scandary Award should be written out the Michigan Division for Early Childhood, with "Jane Scandary Award" in the memo, and sent to:
Michigan Division for Early Childhood
Attn: Jane Scandary Award
240 S. Bridge Street, Suite 250
DeWitt, MI 48820
