Fall 2002 Volume 9, Issue 3
Official Newsletter of the Illinois Subdivision of the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children.
Table of contents
A Typical Day
by Christy Lee
Hello, my name is Christy Lee and I have two children, Keith (3 1/2), and Alison (22 months), and this is a typical day in our home. Shawn and I are awakened by the commotion of either Keith climbing in our bed or Alison announcing the rising of the sun from her crib. Shawn gets ready for work while I send Keith to the potty and attempt to change Alison's diaper. She usually makes an escape and I chase a naked baby down the hallway. Shawn goes off to work and we sit down to eat breakfast and watch Clifford. Alison does a good job eating, but the dog often gets a good breakfast from the table as well. Then I make an attempt to remove all yogurt from both Alison and the dog, easier said than done. The kids will scamper off to play and I begin to empty/load the dishwasher, then I hear it...the screaming from the other room. Since I wasn't present, I can't be sure who grabbed the beloved purple racecar from whom so the easiest solution is to find another activity for both kids. The hampers are full, so I dump them on the living room floor and both children are happy. Keith is learning dark and light and actually starts to sort the clothes while Alison happily plays in the pile. Once the laundry is sorted and brought downstairs (which takes a while with two "helpers") we will read a book or two, sing some songs, play a game, puzzles, whatever strikes us at the moment. Before I know it the morning is gone and there are two children letting me know that it is time for lunch.
Keith clears the refrigerator onto the counter to help and Alison, who spots food begins the pointing and indicating that she is hungry too. We sit down to lunch with Mickey Mouse singing in the background, eating takes a good 1/2 hour since Alison needs to do it all herself and she is not that efficient with her fork yet. Then it is naptime for Alison and big-boy time for Keith (he doesn't nap but plays quietly in his room) so we read a naptime book and the kiddies are tucked in their rooms…for a while. This is my time to check up on e-mail, clean the house, relax for a moment. It may last only 1/2 hour so I take full advantage.
After both kids are awake I'm usually informed that it is time for a snack so I take out the goldfish and some apple juice. Snacks are usually consumed much faster than an actual meal…they shovel it in as if they haven't eaten in weeks! Then we usually do something fun, trip to the park, library, pool, play date, paint. Well, now the afternoon is gone now so it is time to start dinner. Keith helps set up the table and Alison is grabbing at my pant leg to tell me she wants to help too. The troops begin to get restless since they know that Daddy will be home soon.
Once Daddy gets home we eat, well Shawn, Alison and I eat, Keith is too excited and just tells Daddy all the details of his day. After the dishes are cleared we usually all play together until bath time. Shawn usually bathes the kids and they love it, then it is book and bedtime, strangely enough both kids like bedtime. Then Shawn and I get to relax a little before it is bedtime for the big people. That is a typical day in our home.
By the way, did I mention that Alison has Down syndrome? Okay, I did leave out that three mornings a week a therapist comes to our house to work with Alison, but I left it out for a reason. Yes our daughter has a disability, but that is not the focus of our life. All of Alison's therapy can be easily worked into normal play and that is how we like to approach it. When I read to Alison I also use the signs for many common objects and animals, and when we sing we often bounce on her therapy balls. We want Alison to reach her highest potential (doesn't any parent wish that for their child?), but not at the expense of missing out on the fun stuff because we have to schedule therapy sessions every day to practice. Many people see our family and wonder what life is like with a child with special needs. We are fortunate to not have any medical problems that require special attention. Alison is just learning things a little slower than typical children. In a way we are living what many people often wish for. How many times have you heard someone wish that their baby/toddler would stay little because they are so much fun? I've heard it often and now tell people to be careful what they wish for. I aenjoying every moment watching my children grow and learn new things, and I agree that babyhood and toddlerhood are wonderful stages, but I also look forward to what lies ahead.
I would be lying if I said we are happy that Alison has Down syndrome. I'm sure she will have many struggles throughout her life because of that extra chromosome. We will cross those bridges when we come to them, right now we are just having fun with our kids! Return to top
Principles of Family Support Practice
Taken from Family Support America
1. Staff and families work together in relationships based on equality and respect.
2. Staff enhance families' capacity to support the growth and development of all family members - adults, youth, and children.
3. Families are resources to their own members, to other families, to programs, and communities.
4. Programs affirm and strengthen families' cultural, racial, and linguistic identities and enhance their ability to function in a multicultural society.
5. Programs are embedded in their communities and contribute to the community-building process.
6. Programs advocate with families for services and systems that are fair, responsive, and accountable to the families served.
7. Practitioners work with families to mobilize formal and informal resources to support family development.
8. Programs are flexible and continually responsive to emerging family and community issues.
9. Principles of family support are modeled in all program activities, including planning, governance, and administration.
Upcoming Meeting Dates
Sharing A Vision Conference Committee
September 6, 2002
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Early Childhood Intervention Clearinghouse
830 S. Spring Street
Springfield, Illinois
217-785-1364
Illinois DEC meeting
October 25, 2002
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Room 26 Children's Research Center
51 Gerty Drive
Champaign, Illinois
217-333-4123
Webliography
Family Support America
http://www.familysupportamerica.org
National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
http://ectacenter.org
Family Village
http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu
IDEA Practices
http://www.ideapractices.org
Illinois DEC
http://idec.crc.uiuc.edu
The Division for Early Childhood of CEC
http://www.dec-sped.org
President's Message
As I begin my term as IDEC President (2002-2003), my first order of business is to acknowledge the hard work of all our past presidents especially, Bernie Laumann, who has been a wonderful colleague and Sharing A Vision (SAV) co-chair. Thank you so much Berns! It is difficult to follow Bernie and other individuals who have given so much of themselves to the job of being Illinois DEC President. I will give my best effort to keep up the standards they have set.
We now look to the future as we welcome several individuals who are new to the IDEC Board (Jeffri Brookfield, Amanda Quesenberry, Jill Tompkins, Mary Wonderlick and Nancy Cheeseman). We also extend a warm Illinois welcome to Sarah Mulligan who took over the DEC Executive Director reins this summer. She succeeds Dr. Barbara Smith, who served as Executive Director of DEC for over 10 years. We send our heartfelt thanks to Barbara for her tremendous dedication and service to DEC.
Alongside the new faces in our IDEC Board are our devoted members who have agreed to continue their service to the Board (see complete list of our 2002-2003 1DEC Board on back). A strong commitment to the mission of DEC and a continuous influx of fresh ideas are key to keeping our organization vibrant and at the forefront of the most pressing issues in early childhood. This is why it is important that we encourage our members to be active in DEC. If you or someone you know share this vision and commitment, contact any of our current Board members as we are always on the lookout for volunteers to serve in our state and national Board in various capacities.
Two volunteer opportunities for our members that I would like to highlight are the 2003 Sharing A Vision Conference and the 2004 International DEC Conference. These two great early childhood conferences rely heavily on local volunteers and offer various opportunities for members to share their time and talent. Planning efforts for the 2003 SAV Conference is underway (see related article). The 2004 DEC Conference will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago from December 4 to 8, 2004. We will soon be forming a Local Arrangements Committee to assist our national organization in planning the 2004 conference in Chicago. If you are interested in volunteering for one or both conferences, please contact Lynette Chandler (lchandler@niu.edu) as soon as possible.
Finally, as IDEC President, I will represent our organization to the state and to National DEC and CEC to the best of my abilities. I am committed to making sure that our views and voices are heard on issues that impact Illinois' young children with disabilities and their families. Some of the current issues in Illinois that IDEC is keeping tabs on include our new special education and early childhood certification, ongoing work on the volunteer credentials for birth to three providers, changes to the delivery of early intervention services, and plans for a universal preschool system. Watch future editions of this newsletter or visit our Web site (http://idec.crc.uiuc.edu) for updates on these issues. In the meantime, if you have any questions, concerns or comments that you would like 1DEC to address, please do not hesitate to contact us. I look forward to another busy and yet fruitful and fulfilling year ahead!
You may contact Amy Santos at:
1310 South Sixth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
Voice: 217/333-0260
Fax: 217/333-6555
Email: rsantos@uiuc.edu
Illinois DEC Board Members
| President: Amy Santos University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Special Education 288 Education Building 1310 S. Sixth Street Champaign, IL 61820 Work: 217.333.0260 Email: rsantos@uiuc.edu |
Secretary: Therese Wehman |
| President-Elect: Beth Delaney University of Illinois at Chicago College of Education 1040 W. Harrison Street Chicago, IL 60607 Work: 312.996.4677 |
Membership: Tweety Yates University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Early Childhood Programs 61 Children's Research Center 51 Gerty Drive Champaign, IL 61820 Work: 217.333.4123 Email: t-felner@uiuc.edu |
| Vice-President: Jeffri Brookfield UIC Child and Family Development Center - IIDD 1640 W. Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608 Work: 312.413.1413 Email: jeffrib@uic.edu |
Newsletter/Publications: |
| Past President: Bernie Laumann University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Early Childhood Programs 61 Children's Research Center 51 Gerty Drive Champaign, IL 61820 Work: 217.333.4123 Email: blaumann@uiuc.edu |
Children's Action Network Coordinator: Deborah Bruns 2515 Brett Court Champaign, IL 61821 TEL and Fax: 217.359.8247 Email: EDCETERA@bruns.com |
| Treasurer: Rob Corso University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - QIC-D Region V 139 Children's Research Center 51 Gerty Drive Champaign, IL 61820 Work: 217.333.3876 Email: rcorso@uiuc.edu |
Governmental Relations: Pam Reising-Rechner 849 Roanoke Drive Springfield, IL 62702 Work: 217.524.4835 Email: preising@isbe.net |
Liaison to the Illinois Council for Exceptional Children: Jeffri Brookfield Liaison to the Chicago Association for the Education of Young Children: Mary Wonderlick Family Participation: Nancy Cheeseman Student Representatives: Wu-ying Hsieh Sharon Kummerer |
Sharing A Vision Conference Co-Chairs: Pam Reising-Rechner Lynette Chandler Jeanette McCollum Service to the Field Award: Bernie Laumann, Chair Tweety Yates Lynette Chandler
Susan Maude Donna Nylander Micki Ostrosky |
DEC Executive Office Update / CAN Update
DEC Executive Office Update
Sarah A. Mulligan, Executive Director
The Division for Early Childhood
634 Eddy
Missoula, Montana 59812-6696
Phone: 406-243-5898
Fax: 406-243-4730
E-mail: dec@selway.umt.edu
CAN Update
The House and Senate will reconvene on Wednesday, September 4. Appropriations will be a priority when they return. The full Senate must consider the FY 2003 Labor, HHS, and Education bill (it has already passed through the Appropriations Committee), while the House needs to mark up its appropriation. HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announced the creation of the HHS Office on Disability to oversee the coordination, development and implementation of programs and special initiatives within HHS that impact people with disabilities. For more information on the Children's Action Network of DEC, please visit the CAN webpage at:
http://www.dec-sped.org/cans/canworks.html
Return to topHearing and Vision Functional Screening Workshops
The Hearing and Vision Functional Screening Workshop is designed for individuals who work with children birth to five, and is appropriate for both home-based and center-based programs. The workshop provides information about hearing and vision development and how to spot potential hearing and vision problems in very young children. The presenters will demonstrate the functional screenings and provide participants the opportunity to practice. Information on how and where to refer children is included. The workshop is six hours, 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM and EI credit is offered. The information presented is valuable even for staff not responsible for screening.
The workshop is being offered by STAR*NET, Child and Family Connections and Hearing and Vision Connections. The schedule for program year 2002-2003, workshop locations and registration information is as follows:
| Date | Location | Contact |
| September 17, 2002 | SW Cook County Cooperative Oak Forest, IL |
708-342-5370 |
| October 17, 2002 | O'Fallon Library O'Fallon, IL |
217-478-4318 |
| November 12, 2002 | Illinois School for the Deaf Jacksonville, IL |
217-479-4318 |
| January 14, 2003 | site to be determined Effingham, IL |
217-479-4318 |
| March 25, 2003 | Rockford Ramada Suites Rockford, IL |
309-298-1634 or 1-800-227-7537 |
| April 22, 2003 | site to be determined Mattoon, IL |
309-298-1634 or 1-800-227-7537 |
| April 30, 2003 | State of Illinois Building Chicago, IL |
773-553-3408 |
| May 7, 2003 | Carbondale Civic Center Carbondale, IL |
618-397-8930 |
| May 13, 2003 | site to be determined |
309-298-1634 or 1-800-227-7537 |
Call the contact numbers provided for any questions about the workshop, location, etc.
Return to topUpcoming Events
18th Annual DEC International Early
Childhood Conference on Children with Special Needs
"Recommended Practices for
Changing Times"
December 5-8, 2002
San Diego, CA
The 8th Annual Illinois Statewide Collaborative
Early Childhood Conference
Sept. 29 - Oct. 1, 2003
Springfield, IL
More information coming soon to:
http://idec.crc.uiuc.edu/conference.html
