DEC Position Statement on Personnel Preparation for Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education - 2022 Revision

Oct 15, 2026

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DEC Position Statement on Personnel Preparation for Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education outlines the role of high-quality personnel preparation in achieving positive outcomes for young children from birth through age 8 who are at risk for or have developmental delays/disabilities and their families. It describes the full continuum of preparation, preservice and in-service learning, and explains how DEC position statements and 2020 practice-based standards define roles, responsibilities, knowledge, and skills for EI/ECSE professionals. The revision consolidates guidance across diverse professional roles and contexts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Purpose and Scope

Continuum of Personnel Preparation

Development and Role of DEC Position Statements

2020 Initial Practice-Based Professional Standards

Competencies and Overlapping Skills

Standards Application Across Contexts

Revision Rationale and Audience

Workgroup and Resulting Update

Roles Involved in EI/ECSE Preparation

DEC Position Statement on Personnel Preparation for Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education Position Statement on Personnel Preparation for Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education 2022 Revision The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) considers highquality personnel preparation to be essential to positive outcomes for young children birth through age 8 who are at risk for or with developmental delays/disabilities and their families. This holds true for the full continuum of personnel preparation, which encompasses both preservice preparation and in-service professional development/learning at the initial and advanced levels. Recognizing the centrality of quality personnel preparation, DEC has provided guidance for preparing professionals to enact the role of the early childhood special educator through the DEC position statements on personnel preparation for early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) . DEC position statements represent the official position of the organization regarding a specific topic or issue. They are developed with input from the field and reviewed by members before being approved by the DEC Executive Board. The first DEC Position Statement on Personnel Preparation was developed and approved in 1994 and later endorsed with minor changes in 2008. In 2017, the statement was significantly updated. In 2020, CEC and DEC collaborated to develop the Initial Practice-Based Professional Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators 2020. These historic standards represent the first set of standards to focus on the preparation of special educators who work with young children birth through age 8 who are at-risk for or with developmental delays and disabilities and their families. The standalone status of the new standards makes them equivalent to the standards for other disciplines from other organizations such as CEC, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) . The 2020 EI/ECSE standards define what EI/ECSE professionals need to know and be able to do at the completion of their initial educator preparation programs. Along with providing a foundation for highquality educator preparation, the standards present important benefits for the EI/ECSE field. Specifically, they help identify the role and responsibilities of EI/ECSE professionals by detailing the necessary knowledge and skills. In addition, having a set of standards that focuses on special education preparation from birth through age 8 clarifies overlapping and distinct competencies for educators from birth through age 21, providing a continuum of standards for special educators. The development of these standards resulted in the need to revise the 2017 DEC Position Statement on the Personnel Standards in Early Childhood Special Education. DEC appointed a 12-member workgroup of individuals representing a wide range of expertise pertaining to EI/ECSE personnel preparation to complete this work. This position statement is the resulting revision. This revised position statement provides direction for individuals in a variety of professional roles who are engaged in EI/ECSE personnel preparation, including, but not limited to, faculty and staff at institutes of higher education (IHEs); professional development (PD) and technical assistance providers at local, regional, state, and national levels; and state-level certification/licensure and policy administrators. Specifically, this position statement 1. discusses the EI/ECSE discipline in relation to the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the early childhood field; 2. provides an overview of the foundations of EI/ECSE personnel preparation, including a theory of change, key concepts that have long guided the field, and the rol

FAQs

Why does DEC emphasize high-quality personnel preparation for EI/ECSE?

DEC links quality personnel preparation to positive outcomes for young children birth through age 8 who are at risk for or with developmental delays/disabilities and their families, across preservice and in-service development.

What is the significance of the 2020 Initial Practice-Based Professional Standards?

The 2020 standards define what EI/ECSE professionals must know and be able to do at the end of initial educator preparation, and they clarify roles, responsibilities, and a continuum of competencies from birth through age 21.

Who should use or act on this revised position statement?

The statement provides direction for professionals engaged in EI/ECSE personnel preparation, including faculty and staff at higher education institutes, professional development and technical assistance providers, and state-level certification/licensure and policy administrators.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Connor