On December 7th, 2024, Start Early partnered with the Mayor’s Office, Chicago Public Schools, and the Every Child Ready Chicago (ECRC) Advisory Committee to host the inaugural ECRC Strengthening Inclusion Symposium, which brought together nearly 100 early childhood professionals, families and advocates to explore resources, participate in professional development and engage in meaningful discussion about how to best support young children with disabilities in Chicago. This event was made possible with contributions from early childhood organizations across the city who came together to lend expertise, share resources and facilitate trainings and activities for professionals and families – and through generous support from Crown Family Philanthropies.
For a full list of the day’s events, check out the event program.
The Symposium opened with remarks from the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Public Schools, highlighting the importance of ensuring inclusive environments for children with disabilities in early childhood settings, as well as a powerful keynote address from Jaclyn Vasquez, an advocate and parent who shared her family’s inspiring story navigating the Early Intervention and Special Education systems in Illinois.
From there, attendees were invited to break out into sessions focused on best practices for inclusion in early childhood classrooms, managing mental health needs and alternatives to suspension and expulsion in early childhood programs and resources for navigating the transition from Early Intervention to Special Education in Chicago. These sessions offered professional development credit and were led by experts from the University of Denver, Birth to Five Illinois: Region 1-A, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago Public Schools and STAR NET.
Throughout the day, attendees were invited to visit exhibit tables hosted by 15 organizations that answered questions, distributed materials and resources and engaged some of the event’s youngest attendees in fun, educational activities.
