Deep Dive Pre-Conference Workshops
All Pre-Conference Workshops focus on the critical knowledge and skills you need to support the success of young children, families, and colleagues. Sessions are chosen by peer review so that topics match the needs of professionals in the field! Pre-Conference Workshops will take place October 26th. Workshop registration is available for $100 per workshop!
Pre-Conference Workshops are not included in Full Conference Registration.
Elevating Service Coordinators: The Essential Professionals Who Lead the Way in Early Intervention
Monday, October 26th, 2026, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM (3 Hours)
Strand: Professional, Age level: 0-3, Content level: Intermediate
Description: Service coordinators are essential team members in early intervention, and it’s time to elevate their role! This session will highlight the role of the service coordinator as a team leader and connect this role to the DEC/ITCA joint position statement, Service Coordination in Early Intervention and Knowledge and Skills for Service Coordinators. We will discuss the expertise of service coordinators, acknowledge the challenges they face, tap into the evidence base, and share strategies that lift up these important professionals who lead the way. Participants will also gain access to resources and tools to help elevate service coordinators as leaders in their states and programs.
Cultivating Hope During Unprecedented Times: Approaching equity in today’s climate
Monday, October 26th, 2026, 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM (4 Hours)
Strand: All Age level: 0-8 Content level: All
Presenter: Jocelyn Vernet, LaShorage Shaffer, Melody Mann, Robyn DiPietro
Description: In times of uncertainty, the early childhood community is often called to do more than reflect—they are called to act. This interactive pre-conference session invites participants to explore how hope can be transformed into meaningful advocacy and leadership within early childhood and early childhood special education. Grounded in themes from Democracy in Retrograde by Sami Sage and Emily Amick, this session examines how current democratic challenges shape the systems that serve young children and families. Participants will explore how the early childhood community can respond with clarity, courage, and collective purpose. This session is designed as a guided action-planning experience. Through facilitated activities and collaborative dialogue, participants will examine their spheres of influence and develop concrete strategies for advancing inclusive, equitable early childhood systems. This session is designed to equip participants with practical strategies and renewed commitment to supporting children, families, and inclusive communities. Together, we will cultivate conscious collaboration where attendees can leverage their lived experiences in applied activities.
Eating the Whale: Designing Professional Development One Bite at a Time
Monday, October 267th, 2026, 1:00 AM to 4:00 PM (3 Hours)
Strand: Professional Development
Age level: 0-5
Content level: All
Presenter: Cori Hill, Lisa Terry, Lorelei Pisha, Seth Buffkin, Morgan Colleton
Have a KRILLER time with us as we learn to stay AFLOAT, leveraging project management to strengthen professional systems! Cut through BLUBBER by breaking state priorities into manageable actions, SPOUT data to build collaborative project plans, and SHORE UP your kit with tools to monitor timelines. We’ll FIN-ish with interactive activities and ready-to-use templates!
Highlighted Tools: Asana (Task Management), Google (Documentation)
Beautifully Autistic: A Strengths-Based Approach to Autism
Monday, October 26th, 2026, 1:00 AM to 4:00 PM (3 Hours)
Presenter: Sarah Wiegand, PhD, Jenna Strain Lutz, MEd, Shannon Connaire, BA, Sheri Bayley, PhD, CCC-SLP
Looking to reframe the way you think about autism? Using group discussions, application activities, and time for reflection, this interactive pre-conference session will help you define and describe autism using a strengths-based lens. You will explore how autism can intersect with other aspects of identity, including, but not limited to race, ethnicity, and gender; learn to assess children and construct instructional plans that consider autistic strengths, interests, and preferences while addressing instructional needs using autistic affirming adaptations; and create an action plan related to autism, advocacy, and your own practice.
Using a Multi Tiered System of Support Framework in Publicly Funded Pre-K
Monday, October 26th, 2026, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Strand: Professional Development
Age level: 3-5
Content level: Advanced
Presenter: Jennifer Grisham-Brown, Amy Stegeman
An MTSS framework addresses the needs of every child through differentiated instruction and data driven decision making. This session will describe an MTSS Framework that includes 1) gathering, analyzing, and interpreting assessment information; 2) implementing tiered interventions; and 3) collecting progress monitoring data. Participants will practice assessment and instructional strategies associated with the framework.
According to DEC (2021), an MTSS curriculum framework “is a way to provide high quality teaching and responsive caregiving through differentiated support for all young children” (p.2). Assessment and intervention are guided by evidence-based practices to provide access to the general curriculum using a differentiated and tiered approach. The goal of this session is to share an MTSS framework developed in Iowa. Participants will engage in activities associated with implementing the MTSS Framework that includes the following elements: Collect, Look, Think, Act, and Reflect.