A Continuum of Placement Options for Preschool Special Education

Presenter: Elaine Meyer, Special Education Early Childhood Consultant, Oakland Schools

Description: In this session, participants will learn about a full continuum of placement options for preschool-aged
children with disabilities. This continuum is also represented using a visual diagram of placement options
from least restrictive to most restrictive options. Participants can use this information to assess options
currently utilized by their ISD and/or local school district and evaluate possibilities for expanding or
improving placement options. We will also discuss the benefits of collaborative partnerships between
regular education and special education early childhood stakeholders to work collaboratively to support the
progress of ALL young children with and without disabilities.

This session was provided on May 13, 2022 as the last session in our 2022 Professional Learning Series. It can be viewed here.

“Power to the People”: Parents and Providers as Disruptors of Systemic Divi

Presenter: Dr. Tunette Powell, nationally-known author and public speaker, Director of Equity, Inclusion and Community at Mirman School, Activist Mama, Storyteller, Disruptor, Freedom Dreamer, DEI Culture Shifter

Description: Historically, educators and families have been pitted against each other in educational settings. However, more often than not, it is these two stakeholders that are most concerned with the well being of students and the least likely stakeholders, outside of students themselves, to have a seat at the table as decisions are made about how to best serve students. In this presentation, Dr. Powell asserts that solidarity between educators and families is essential to dismantling the status quo, especially for families of color and educators serving students of color.

Using both personal and professional experiences, in this talk, Dr. Powell will center the ways in which educators and families can collectively co-conspire to transform schools through collaboration, reciprocity, and community building.

April 7, 2022 recording

April 8, 2022 recording

Dr. Tunette Powell slides (PDF)

Lunch Byte Recording: All Means ALL: One Administrator's Journey

Presenters: Will Jensen, Director, Office of Inclusive Education, Nevada Department of Education

Description: Will Jensen is currently the Director of Inclusive Education in the state of Nevada. He is a passionate proponent of inclusion as the path for children to be successful participants in learning and life. Over the years since becoming the state director in Nevada, preschool inclusion rates have increased by over 10%. The focus that he has placed on developing a statewide framework to promote inclusion has served as a model for other states and Will has been invited to share both his process and passion at the state and national level. Join Will Jensen for a conversation about his professional and personal journey to becoming a champion of inclusive opportunities and positive outcomes for all children.

Link to the recording.

Lunch Byte Recording: Becoming a Culturally Proficient Educator

Presenters: Dr. Jay Marks, Oakland Schools

Description: This interactive professional learning experience will provide participants with an opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills, and understandings necessary for working effectively with students from diverse cultural backgrounds (i.e. race, ethnicity, gender, language, sexual orientation, religion, SES, etc.)

Areas of focus will include: 1) Assessing Culture; 2) Valuing Diversity; 3) Managing the Dynamics of Difference; 4) Adapting to Diversity, and 5) Institutionalizing Cultural Knowledge.

Link to the recording.

Lunch Byte Recording: Our Journey: A Family Perspective on Inclusion

Presenters: Dr. Scott Koenigsknecht, Deputy Superintendent for Michigan Department of Education, Jenny Koenigsknecht, Public Awareness Coordinator, CCRESA Office of Innovative Projects

Description: Join us for a conversation about a family’s perspective on inclusion. In this breakout session, Scott and Jenny Koenigsknecht will share the challenging and inspiring moments they have experienced and continue to experience on their collective journey of inclusion. The goal of this time together is to help others become more familiar with their experiences as a family, as well as the research and the benefits of inclusion. For the Koenigsknecht family, it is these facets that have inspired them to firmly support that all children, including those with special needs, should be meaningfully engaged in all aspects of education and life rather than watching from the sidelines.

Link to the recording.

Lunch Byte Recording: Building Resilient Children in Extraordinary Times

Presenters: Tomoko Wakabayashi, Associate Professor of Education and Coordinator of the Early Childhood Ph.D. program, Department of Human Development and Child Studies, Oakland University Shawna Boomgaard, Manager of Academic Accountability, Office of Public School Academies, School of Education and Human Services, Oakland University.

Description: This session will include a brief overview of the ACE study, including the outcome and findings of the ACE study; definition of Toxic Stress and its Impact on the Developing Brain; the impact of early adversity on lifelong emotional and physical health; how resilience trumps ACEs; the importance of creating trauma-informed and resilience-building practices based on the findings of the ACEs research; and shifting thinking and practice to become trauma-informed in your practice.

Link to the recording.

Lunch Byte Recording: Creating Healing-Centered Communities

Presenter: Jennifer Champagne, PhD, IECMH-E, Oakland Schools

Description: During this virtual session, we will identify and discuss a trauma-informed approach to working with very young children and their families during the pandemic. We will focus on strategies and practices to manage our own stress and nurture a community culture of caring for each other during these uncertain times.

Link to the recording.

Lunch Byte Recording: Strategies for Conducting Remote Assessments

Presenter: Jennifer Grisham, PhD, University of Kentucky

Description: This presentation will provide early childhood providers with ideas for how to gather assessment information about young children when face-to-face interactions are not possible. Strategies for collecting assessment data for eligibility determination, program planning, and progress monitoring will be discussed. The presentation will emphasize authentic assessment practices and family involvement in the assessment process.

Link to the recording.

Reach for the Stars Maps (PDF)

MiDEC Message about Racism and Inequity

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