2026 International Early Childhood Inclusion Institute

In this interactive session, participants will explore six essential principles of adult learning and experience what it looks like to design professional development that honors how adults actually learn. Through activities, discussion, reading, writing, and reflection, participants will examine where these principles already show up in their practice—and discover new, practical ways to strengthen them.
Rather than simply learning ,about adult learning theory, participants will experience each principle in action. Along the way, they’ll uncover why each principle matters and how to intentionally apply them when facilitating presentations, coaching sessions, and staff meetings. Participants will leave with concrete ideas, fresh perspectives, and a deeper understanding of how to design and facilitate professional learning experiences that are engaging, meaningful, and effective for adults.

You are your child’s first teacher and their strongest advocate. This workshop is designed for families to explore how we can work together to ensure your child doesn't just attend school, but truly belongs. Explore the definition of inclusion, what it looks like for families, and how to work hand in hand with educators and providers. Walk away with key information to make confident decisions and to advocate for your child.
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Join us to learn how we created a toolkit for families that is designed for families by families to help them advocate for inclusion from the start. The toolkit is designed to support families in navigating inclusion in the early childhood system. Each resource is accompanied with links and guidance to help families and providers understand and use the tools effectively. We will share our strategies for marketing the toolkit and engaging stakeholders in sharing the toolkit across our state.

Many families, especially those with neurodivergent children, struggle to manage their children',s media use. This session presents original research by a UNC professor who is herself autistic, with autistic children. The presentation weaves original theory and research findings together with personal stories to humanize the struggle for both parents and children, and offers suggestions for building a family discourse around sensory experiences to help parents identify non-media alternatives that support their children',s sensory regulation.

Presenters will share stories from a variety of communities that have used the ECTA Community Indicators to leverage local partnerships to support children based on family strengths and needs. During this time, participants will 1) explore examples of challenges solved at the local level through intentional community partnerships, 2) reflect on potential partnerships in their own communities, and 3) consider both opportunities and challenges for building impactful community partnerships in their local context. Questions for reflection and conversation during this part of the session will include:

• What can we learn from intentionally constructed community partnerships to improve outcomes for children and families within the community?
• How have community partners efficiently used family voice to improve opportunities for young children?
• What has been the impact of community partnerships on children, families, educators, and leaders?
• How could strategies be adapted for your local community?

Creating inclusive early learning environments takes intention, collaboration, and action. Grounded in the shared mission of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Division for Early Childhood (DEC), the Joint Position Statement on Early Childhood Inclusion calls on all of us to move from vision to practice. In this session, you’ll learn what’s new in the currently being-revised statement, have an opportunity to share your feedback, and explore concrete ways everyone of us can apply these principles to strengthen inclusion and belonging across early childhood environments.

This series of joy-filled, short documentaries and music video feature children showing how they care for their families. The videos are part of a multi-platform content initiative for children ages 2-6, their families, and caregivers. This session will share content and resources that can be accessed right away to share with young learners and families in regard to caregiving.  ,,This session will highlight the beauty of all families.

Some children with disabilities grow up with limited opportunities to see themselves reflected in their communities or to understand disability as an important part of who people are and how they experience the world. Disability History and Awareness efforts, such as statewide initiatives like North Carolina’s Disability History and Awareness Month, offer an important opportunity to change that narrative.
This session will explore how policy and awareness initiatives can go beyond recognition to meaningful action in early childhood and elementary settings. Using North Carolina’s legislation as an example, participants will learn about the advocacy and policy journey behind Disability History and Awareness Month and consider how similar efforts might be advanced in their own states or communities.
The session will also highlight practical strategies for introducing disability awareness in developmentally appropriate ways in early learning environments. Participants will explore how early education can support children with disabilities in developing a stronger sense of identity and confidence in advocating for themselves, while also helping all children build understanding, connection, and inclusive relationships. Participants will leave with ideas and strategies they can apply in their own contexts to move from awareness to action and create learning environments where all children feel seen, valued, and included.

This session explores the intersections between early identification, early intervention, and inclusion in early childhood systems. Using a Fragile X case example and cross-system research findings, presenters will examine where families encounter barriers and highlight practical strategies to improve referrals, coordination, navigation supports, and inclusive participation outcomes.

Children are often misunderstood due to limitations of an assessment system. Misunderstandings can be a misdiagnosis, mistaken information leading to failures in interventions and curriculum for children, particularly multilingual learners, as well as misinterpretations of test results. Professional development is needed for ongoing improvement of assessment practices in the early childhood workforce. Presentation goals that can be applied immediately are: (1) gain understanding about early childhood authentic assessment, & impact on children and families including those from multilingual backgrounds, and (2) understand how different disciplines perceive the role and purpose of assessment, authentic assessment, and quality indicators/standards for assessing young children. Research will be shared on authentic assessment practices and participants will have the opportunity to discuss and reflect on the learnings and what this means in practice and how practitioners can co-produce services for children with families.

There are lots of valuable resources and modules for families with young children.  ,Sometimes the modules and trainings do not provide specific language or tools for children with disabilities.  ,This can sometimes lead to families feeling unsupported and in the weeds.  ,The goal of my session is to help families and providers understand the value of lived experience through identifying family strengths, recognizing the challenges that arise with the absence of support in specific areas, and learning how to ask for help and be heard.

The session opens with an honest look at why OT and educator partnerships so frequently break down, even when both parties are deeply committed to inclusion. From there, participants are introduced to a practical partnership framework built around three pillars: shared language, shared observation, and shared planning. Each pillar is unpacked with concrete examples drawn from real classroom and clinic partnerships, including strategies for co-developing sensory and regulation support plans that educators can actually implement without requiring clinical expertise. The session includes facilitated small group discussion and a collaborative planning activity that participants can bring back to their own settings. The final portion addresses how to bring families into the partnership as equal contributors rather than recipients of information, which aligns directly with the 2026 Institute theme of Powerful Partnerships.

A workshop to help educators and staff learn to adequately take a moment to communicate and ,collaborate ,with parents effectively. Participants will be able to recognize the benefits of parent and professional relationships, which promote well-being and academic achievement. Participants will also have the opportunity to identify various communication styles that help bridge gaps. By the ,end ,of the session, participants will summarize the importance of effective communication and utilize their tools.

Preschoolers are suspended at nearly three times the rate of their school‑aged counterparts, with disparities across gender, race, and disability status placing some young children at significantly greater risk than others. While certain forms of exclusionary discipline are widely recognized, many young children experience “informal” or “soft” exclusion—practices that families and even early childhood professionals may not identify as exclusionary at all.

In this session, attendees will learn about and discuss what exclusionary discipline looks like in early childhood settings, how it affects children and families, and what we can do together to reduce its use and support more inclusive, developmentally appropriate practices.