Frequently Asked Questions

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DEC has put together a Conference Toolkit (formerly Justification Toolkit) that includes the conference description, dates, location, registration rates and discounts, hotel room rates, and a letter to customize for your employer. Download the DEC 2025 Conference Toolkit here.

We do not have a virtual option for this year's conference. We may have additional virtual events available this year. Please subscribe to our email list to stay informed of any upcoming opportunities.

Following the final day of the conference, attendees will receive certificate of attendance noting the dates and times of the conference days for which they registered. Everyone who attends a session will be able to complete a self-reported transcript form.

Group registration is available at our regular registration link. On the registration question page, you can click "registering for someone else" and you won't need to answer the questions that follow, then there is a "Register an additional attendee" button near the end of the registration process. That will let you add multiple registrants and pay for all registrations at one time. Group discount codes can be obtained by contacting dec@dec-sped.org. Group codes must be used at the time of registration to qualify. Group members will receive individual confirmations and should work with their administration to ensure that documentation is provided to the correct office.

Certificates are sent by email shortly after the conference completion. Please note that you should download and save your certificate, so that it is available when you need to document your PD. The links are only good for 30 days.

Individuals must register before receiving a letter of invitation. If you are traveling from outside of the United States, please email conference@dec-sped.org for additional information.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Register here. Conference registration rates are available below. Registration rates below are for Full Conference Registration (this includes the Keynote on Wednesday, October 7th, through the final conference session on Friday, October 10th). Pre-Conference Workshops are available to attend on Tuesday, October 7th for an additional fee. Download the Conference Toolkit here to access all information about the DEC conference. Download a copy of the registration rates here.

The self-reported transcripts show that attendees have received Division for Early Childhood Professional Development Hours. We don't have any specific accreditations outside of the guarantees of our organization so we recommend attendees check with their local licensure or other professional organization. If there is anything we can provide related to the details of each session (e.g. title, presentation description, presenter details), we can provide those as well to help facilitate the requests made by specific accreditation organizations.

Registrations paid or promised by check, credit card, or purchase order are subject to the following: If cancelled within 24 Hours of Initial Registration Date, a 100% refund will be issued. If cancelling within 24 hours of initial registration date, you must email conference@dec-sped.org to cancel the registration on your behalf. If cancelled by August 1st, 2025, 11:59 PM Eastern, a 50% refund will be issued automatically. If cancelled after August 1st, 2025, 11:59 PM Eastern, no refunds will be issued. Until October 1st, 2025, registrations can be transferred to a new conference registrant by emailing conference@dec-sped.org with the name and email address for the new conference attendee. This option is not valid if the new registrant has already completed a conference registration.

Hotel rates for the Hyatt Regency are listed below.

Conference Location Oregon Convention Center 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97232 ​ This year's conference sessions and events will take place at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. The Convention Center is centrally located so attendees will have easy access to local hotels, restaurants, and activities. DEC Conference Hotel Reservations The Hyatt Regency Portland 375 NE Holladay Street Portland, OR 97232 Reservations opening soon! To receive the discounted rate & be counted in the DEC room block, you must book your reservation via the DEC's link. Visit the reservation link to see all available room types and rates. Hotel Amenities Digital Check-In Digital Key Fitness Center Free Internet Access Meeting Facilities Valet Parking Pet Friendly Restaurant On-Site Hotel Accessibility Accessible Hotel Parking and Transportation Self-Parking for Cars Van-Accessible Self-Parking Accessible Hotel Areas Public Restrooms Restaurants Registration Desk Concierge Desk Public Entrance Fitness Center/Exercise Facilities Business Center Accessibility for Guest Rooms and Meetings Text Telephone TTY Closed-caption or closed-captioning decoders for guest room televisions Accessible guest rooms with mobility features have doorways with 32 in (0.81 m) of clear width Hotel Areas with Accessible Routes from Accessible Public Entrance Fitness Center/Exercise Facilities Restaurants Meeting Room/Ballroom Area Business Center Guest Rooms Registration Area

Due to the high number of submissions, we are not able to move sessions from the submitted session type to another session type (e.g. conference session to poster session).

DEC is unable to provide discounts due to the high number of presenters – approximately 500-600. DEC does offer a variety of discounted registration rates: early career, family, student, etc. Registration rates are listed here.

The call for proposals is now closed. Notification emails will be sent in May. If you're interested in receiving updates on future opportunities to present, sign up for our email list here.

The poster boards are 8ft tall x 4 ft wide, so the only requirement is that the poster does not exceed the limits of this space. You may want to check with your university/institution on their requirements so that you'll be able to reuse your poster at future events. Poster sessions each last one hour. Access to tables/electricity will not be available during the poster sessions.

If you submitted a proposal to present at the conference, thank you! Notification emails will be sent in May to the presenter identified as the lead presenter.

We highly recommend uploading your materials at least one week in advance so attendees will be able to download them before attending your session. It may be difficult or it may not be possible to for attendees to download files while on-site based on wi-fi availability. Your materials must be uploaded 24-48 hours prior to your presentation. If you are presenting, you will receive a link to access the conference app and upload your handouts. DEC will not be able to accept handouts via email.

DEC acknowledges childcare may be a barrier to attendance, however, DEC does not have the capacity to offer childcare on site and our insurance does not cover those not registered as attendees, which includes children. Children are not permitted in sessions, the exhibit hall, or any conference activities. Infants who are not mobile and are in continuous care of the parent are excluded. There are a limited number of family scholarships available which can be used for childcare. Please sign up for the "Opportunities for Families" email list to be notified when family scholarship applications open.

Please email dec@dec-sped.org once you have registered for the conference. We advise that you email us at least one month before the conference start date so we have ample time to facilitate any accommodation requests.

Thank you for your interest in exhibiting at the 2025 conference in Portland, Oregon! Conference registration is open now for exhibitors, sponsors, and advertisers for the upcoming Division for Early Childhood 41st Annual International Conference on Young Children with Disabilities. Register here. Download the Exhibitor Prospectus here.

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Pre-Conference Workshops are Open Now! This year at the conference, pre-conference workshops will take place on Tuesday, September 27th from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the Hilton Chicago. Each pre-conference workshop costs just $50. Attendees will receive a certificate of attendance via email following the workshop. Register for the workshops now! Already registered? Click "Already Registered" on this page and enter your confirmation number to modify your current registration. Workshops include. . . Addressing the Heart of Compassion Fatigue Abstract: To focus on self-care to address compassion fatigue and burnout may miss a key point. According to Dr. Christina Maslach, a leading burnout researcher, this implication may only worsen the problem, because it lays the responsibility on the person experiencing burnout. Instead, we must understand compassion itself and look at work expectations to make changes at the source. Age Level: 0-5 Strand: Policy Content Level: Intermediate Presenters: Erin Kinavey Wennerstrom, Anders Kinavey Wennerstrom, Sondra Stegenga Making Inclusion Work: Early Care and Education Environment Indicators Abstract: During this workshop, presenters will share the importance of and development of the early care and education environment (ECEE) indicators of inclusion as part of a suite of multilevel indicators of high-quality inclusion. Participants will examine the ECEE indicators and learn protocols for how they can be used to support providers working with children across settings. Age Level: 3-5 Strand: Practice Content Level: Intermediate Presenters: Alissa Rausch, Megan Vinh, Phillip Strain Play-Based Assessment: Training Professionals in Authentic Processes Abstract: In this session, we will focus on the authentic and holistic processes of play-based assessments and the importance of training pre-service and in-service early childhood teams. We will focus on A2 and A6 of the DEC Recommended Practices. We will discuss the benefits of play-based assessments for children and families from marginalized and minoritized communities. Age Level: 0-5 Strand: Professional Development Content Level: Introductory Presenters: Jeanine Coleman, Deborah Bruns, Toni Linder Using Research and Reflection to Understand the Impact of Self-Leadership Abstract: This session will offer participants an opportunity to reflect on their own leadership practices and characteristics, while also providing time to evaluate how their working styles may be perceived by others.The focus goes beyond self-reflection and seeks to enhance understanding the impact our actions have across our diverse spheres of influence. Age Level: 0-5 Strand: Professional Development Content Level: Intermediate Presenters: Annie George-Puskar, Elizabeth Beavers, Deborah Bruns

If you're looking to view or modify your current registration visit this page and click "Already Registered".

We Need You! The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) is seeking DEC Members to act as Reviewers to support the conference proposal review process for Division for Early Childhood's 39th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Disabilities and Their Families. You could win a $50 Amazon gift card for helping! All reviewers who complete all proposals by the deadline will have their names entered into a random drawing for a $50 Amazon gift card. Five winners will be selected! The Review Process Based on member feedback, the Proposal and Review processes were simplified for the 2023 conference. We hope the changes make the tasks and deadlines more manageable for everyone. Details about and Reviewer responsibilities are listed in the application. The Deadlines Monday, January 23rd, 2023 The Reviewer Call closes Monday, February 6th, 2023 Reviewers notified of strand assignment Wednesday, February 15th, 2023 Reviewers Begin Rating Monday, March 13th, 2023 Reviewers' Last Day to Review We hope you will apply, and we look forward to working with you! Apply here.

Full conference registration includes events on Wednesday, September 28th through Friday, September 30th. DEC Pre-Conference Workshops will take place on Tuesday, September 27th, 2022, and are available for purchase for an additional fee. Learn more here. The Schedule at a Glance is available below. Individual session information is available here. Download the full Justification Toolkit here to access all information about the DEC conference. Download a copy of the Schedule-at-a-Glance here.

All attendees, presenters, vendors, exhibitors, volunteers, and staff are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and to provide proof of vaccination - a booster is not required. DEC will request proof of vaccination virtually prior to the start of the conference. Accommodations will be granted only in cases where an individual is unable to be vaccinated due to a documented medical need and must be requested in advance (instructions will be sent as part of the virtual verification mentioned above). Addition of Masking Requirement: To fully protect our attendees DEC has decided to add a masking requirement. Masks will be required in all public spaces of the conference. This includes speakers. If you have questions, please contact Peggy Kemp, peggy@dec-sped.org.

The 2022 DEC & ISEI Joint Conference will be an in-person event in Chicago, Illinois from September 27th -30th, 2022. The conference schedule is now available! Access the full schedule here. Full conference registration includes events on Wednesday, September 28th through Friday, September 30th. DEC Pre-Conference Workshops will take place on Tuesday, September 27th, 2022, and are available for purchase for an additional fee. Learn more about the pre-conference workshops here.