Are you looking for the 2011 National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute?

Yes We Can: New Opportunities for Young Children with Disabilities and their Families

The Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides exciting opportunities for young children. The Inclusion Institute has always been a place where the many sectors (Head Start, IDEA Programs, Child Care, Resource and Referral, parent leaders etc.) that serve young children, especially children with disabilities, come together to learn and share. This year the institute will provide participants an opportunity to problem solve and learn from others about how the ARRA funds can help state or local programs promote inclusive services and supports for young children with disabilities.

Institute participants also learned about the latest research findings and resources to guide inclusive policy, professional development and practice; develop collaborative relationships and cross-agency systems to support early childhood inclusion; gain awareness of strategies and models to support inclusive services; and have the opportunity to meet, learn from and problem solve with peers.

Institute Goals

• To learn about research findings, models and resources to guide inclusive policy, professional development and practice
• To develop better collaborative relationships and cross-agency systems to support early childhood inclusion
• To have the opportunity to meet, learn from and problem solve with peers
• To learn how others are working collaboratively to maximize early childhood resources from the Federal Stimulus Package.

Institute Schedule

The Inclusion Institute began at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 and ended at 12:30 pm on Thursday, July 16, 2009. The Institute was held at The William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Click here for a map to the Friday Center. A limited number of tours of the FPG Child Care Center, were offered Tuesday, July 14, and Wednesday, July 15.

Sponsored By

FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

National Early Childhood TA Center (NECTAC)

The Bubel/Aiken Foundation
The Bubel/Aiken Foundation is a contributing sponsor of the 2010 Inclusion Institute. The foundation supports communities with inclusive programs and together creates awareness about the possibilities that inclusion can bring. The Bubel/Aiken Foundation envisions a world where young people with developmental disabilities are totally immersed in all life has to offer. The Bubel/Aiken Foundation’s Let ALL Play initiative, which brings an inclusive recreational experience to children with disabilities, will be featured during the Institute.

Brookes Publishing
Brookes Publishing is a contributing sponsor of the lunch at the Friday Center on Wednesday, July 15th for all participants. For 30 years, Brookes Publishing has been a leading provider of resources on education, disabilities, child development, early intervention, communication, language, behavior, and mental health. An independent company, Brookes Publishing is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Brookes hosted an exhibit at the Institute featuring their early childhood/early intervention publications which can be purchased on site at a special discount.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

CEUs were available to conference participants through the Friday Center for Continuing Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

For More Information

Contact Michael Spencer at 919-962-7300 or Spencer@mail.fpg.unc.edu