News & Events

Herron Receives Mental Health Champion for 2022-2023

October 2022

Dr. Katie Herron, Interim Director of the Early Childhood Center, has been chosen by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) at CDC to represent Indiana as Children’s Mental Health Champion for 2022-2023. This opportunity will allow Dr. Herron to compile statewide data on infant/toddler mental health in collaboration with a workgroup from the Infant/Toddler Mental Health Summit held earlier this year. Additionally, Dr. Herron will collaborate with state partners to offer two webinars and a series of brief videos on infant/toddler mental health topics and resources. To stay informed on Dr. Herron’s Children’s Mental Health Champion activities over the next year, sign up here: https://go.iu.edu/4BIw.

Ballard Selected to DEC Workgroups

September 2023

Janet Ballard, Research Associate, from the Early Childhood Center has been selected to be on the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices Equity workgroup. She will be traveling to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to work with early childhood professionals from around the country on evaluating the DEC Recommended Practices through an equity lens. The group will meet in October, November and December to complete this work.

Hargreaves Presents at INARF

On August 18, 20222, Katherine Hargreaves made an introductory Family Guided Routines Based Intervention presentation at the INARF Child and Family section meeting.  Attendees were provided with information explaining the components of the coaching practice that has been adopted as Indiana’s early intervention model of service provision.

Darland Chosen for National DEC Service Coordination Committee

Charissa Darland, Educational Resource Specialist for the Early Childhood Center, has been chosen to sit on the national DEC Service Coordination Committee. The newly created SC Committee consists of 15 members who aim to address the calls to action in the DEC/ITCA Joint Position Statement: Service Coordination and Early Intervention; develop resources to support professional development; promote high quality service coordination; and partner with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., IDEA Infant/Toddler Coordinators Association, Early Childhood Personnel Center, Zero to Three). SC Committee members serve for two years with reappointment as an option upon approval by the Executive Office and Committee Chair(s).

Preschool Conference A Success

April 2022

The Early Childhood Center recently held their second virtual Promoting Positive Outcomes conference. The keynotes, Adiba Nelson and Bethany Van Delft focused on including children with disabilities in preschool programs with their typically developing peers, and the collaboration required to make that a successful endeavor. The 721 attendees who registered will be able to access all sessions through the event platform for the next year.

FGRBI Work in Indiana

March 2022

The Early Childhood Center is partnering with First Steps and Florida State University to provide FGRBI or Family Guided Routines Based Intervention professional development in Indiana! This opportunity for early intervention providers utilizes caregiver coaching to support parent and child interactions. Early intervention providers encourage parent-implemented intervention that is meaningful to each family and embedded within a family’s routines and daily activities. As part of the training process, providers work through interactive online learning modules to learn the FGRBI frameworks and take part in interactive learning and discussion in small groups. Participants will work with peers and facilitators to evaluate and adjust their own early intervention practices.

The first cohort of participants kicked off their professional development experience in January with a second group to begin in May. We are excited to grow our network of FGRBI trained providers throughout Indiana’s First Steps early intervention system!

ECC Welcomes Charissa Darland

February 2022

The Early Childhood Center is excited to announce Charissa Darland as its Educational Resources Specialist . Charissa has worked with Early Head Start and with First Steps as a Service Coordinator and Supervisor. She resides in Lafayette, Indiana with her husband, two children, and two cats. Her personal hobbies include gardening and learning about the Japanese culture. Charissa is passionate about serving children with disabilities and their families and has experience with the First Steps system, as not only in professional roles, but also as a parent with two children currently receiving therapy through its system.

ECC welcomes two new staff members!

Katherine Hargreaves
Katherine has worked in both early intervention and/or Early Head Start in Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, Illinois and, for the last 19 years, here in Indiana. Most recently, she has served as the Early Intervention Services Manager at Easterseals Crossroads in Indianapolis. She has a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a M.S. in Child Development from the Erikson Institute. Katherine will be heading up the FGRBI implementation in Indiana as well as serving as a Master Coach in order to support First Steps providers to learn this new model.

Kayla O'Neill
Kayla has been working in Early Intervention for about 10 years in North Dakota, Minnesota, and currently in Indiana. She has a B.S. in Special Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood Special Education and Developmental Disabilities from Minnesota State University Moorhead and a M.A. in Education with a focus on English as New Language Learners from Augustana University. Kayla is training to be an FGRBI Master Coach and will support First Steps providers to learn this new model.

We Are Going Virtual & FREE!

The Early Childhood Special Education Conference “Promoting Positive Outcomes: Shaping a Better Future Through Effective Inclusion, Collaboration and Transition” will be held virtually on April 19 & 20, 2022. The health and safety of our community is our primary concern and we are committed to holding the conference following the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Our virtual conference last year was well received and we hope to follow that with an equally compelling conference in April. For more information about the conference or to register for FREE, please visit our website.

Join Our Team!

December 2021

The Early Childhood Center (ECC) is seeking to fill a full-time staff position starting February 1, 2021 and ending no later than November 30, 2023. The position's primary role involves supporting the development and testing of a new framework for First Steps Service Coordination. We are seeking an individual with First Steps Service Coordination experience who can provide content expertise as well as effectively communicate with other Service Coordinators statewide as we gather feedback on drafts of the framework, make revisions, and train others in the model. Interested applicants should apply here.

Announcing the Early Childhood Center's Early Literacy Blog!

November 2021

Covid-19 learning loss is a reality for many children. In response, ECC has created an Early Literacy Blog where we work to promote research-to-practice in early childhood PK-3 classrooms, focusing especially on inclusive and culturally responsive pedagogy. Please visit the early literacy blog.

Early Childhood Center is Recruiting School Districts to Receive Technical Assistance 

October 2021

For six years, the ECC has received funding from the Department of Education Office of Special Education (DOE OSE) to work on their behalf to support districts to improve the quality of early childhood special education services In Indiana. Our goal is to promote special education services that are inclusive, equitable, and effective for all preschoolers with disabilities.  We are committed to increasing the number of preschoolers with disabilities to be educated alongside their peers without disabilities.  To do this we know it takes a full district commitment to make the needed sustainable changes in program services that include building practitioner capacity to provide effective inclusive services. Currently, we have an opening to offer intensive and long-term technical assistance to one more school district. 

What is the cost of ECC technical assistance?

  • No monetary cost
  • Commitment to ongoing team meetings to explore district needs, plan for needed improvements and build practitioner capacity
  • Commitment to action in implementing the improvement plan. 
For more information, please contact Sally Reed Crawford at sreedcra@indiana.edu

Please visit ECC's current supports available to Indiana school districts: 

District Recruitment Flier

Herron Presents Research at DEC

October 2021

Katie Herron, Assistant Research Scientist at the Early Childhood Center (ECC), presented at the Division for Early Childhood's 37th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Disabilities and Their Families on September 23rd. Her presentation, titled “Dream Big: What Research Tells Us About High Family Expectations”. Dr. Herron shared existing research as well as preliminary findings from a recently concluded study conducted at the ECC. In addition to sharing research findings, Dr. Herron emphasized the importance of supporting families of young children with disabilities to: identify long-term goals, learn about options/pathways to reach those goals and to build the confidence and capacity to work effectively with systems.

Call for Proposals at First Steps Conference

October 2021

Indiana First Steps is partnering with Indiana University's Early Childhood Center to bring together national and local experts on early intervention. To submit a proposal to present your evidence-based research or innovative ideas at the conference please complete. Submissions will be accepted until January 4, 2022.

Call for Proposals for Early Childhood Conference

September 2021

The Early Childhood Special Education Conference Promoting Positive Outcomes: Shaping a Better Future Through Effective Inclusion, Collaboration, and Transition will be held in person in Bloomington, Indiana on April 19 & 20, 2022. We invite you to submit a proposal for a traditional session or a poster presentation. For more information please visit our conference page!

Join Our Team!

August 2021

We are seeking an individual with experience and expertise in early intervention services to work with a team dedicated to improving early intervention outcomes for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. As part of our long standing partnership with Indiana’s First Steps program, this position will help us provide training and ongoing support to First Steps agencies and providers as Indiana adopts home visiting practices that reflect a routines-based family coaching model. Telecommuting may be possible. For more information, please apply in the IU Job Portal. Please contact Michael Conn-Powers at mipower@iu.edu if you have any questions.

Child Impact Project Launch

July 2021

We are excited to share the launch of the Child Impact Project Website: A Roadmap to Quality Special Education Services for Young Children. The Early Childhood Center, part of Indiana University’s Institute on Disability and Community, developed this website in partnership with the Indiana Department of Education’s Office of Special Education.

Technical Assistance for New Inclusive Classrooms

June 2021

The Early Childhood Center is engaged in providing technical assistance to a northern Indiana school district around the vision of creating an effective, fully inclusive preschool program. Using implementation science, we have completed the exploration phase and are currently beginning to plan their initiative with them for the piloting of two classrooms to be put into place this coming school year. For more on technical assistance please contact Sally Reed Crawford at sreedcra@indiana.edu.

Ballard Elected Board Member At Large for IN-DEC

June 2021

Janet Ballard has been elected to the IN-DEC board as a member at large. Her term will begin July 1, 2021. She is looking forward to using her 29 years of early childhood experience to promote positive change to the field. The Indiana Division for Early Childhood is a non-profit, promoting policies and advancing evidence-based practices that support families and enhance the optimal development of young children (0-8) who have or are at risk for developmental delays and disabilities in Indiana.

ECC Welcomes Christopher Staton

Christopher Stanton
March 2021

Christopher Staton, MA, has 10 plus years of direct service experience in early intervention and early childhood special education as an early childhood special education behavior interventionist, early intervention specialist, and early childhood adjunct professor and professional development grant coordinator. Christopher is a father of three, who in his spare time enjoys outdoors activities and sports.

Stanton holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from Hampton University, a Master's degree in Special Education and Human Development from The George Washington University, and a Graduate Professional Certificate in Early Intervention from Georgetown University.

ECC Welcomes Nancy Simmons

Nancy Simmons

March 2021

Nancy Simmons joins the Early Childhood Center at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community as a Research Assistant. She has worked as an occupational therapist with both children and adults, practicing for most of her career with infants and toddlers enrolled in the early intervention system. She recently relocated to Bloomington from the southern Illinois area. Nancy holds a Bachelor's Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern Indiana and a Master's of Health Sciences Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Indianapolis. In her spare time, Nancy enjoys gardening, travel, and planning adventures with her husband and three children

ECC Welcomes Antonieta Barces

Antonieta Barces

March 2021

Antonieta Barces started her career working with adults with disabilities as a medical assistant for two years. Later, she spent 13 years working with young children in the Early Childhood Intervention program in Texas. Barces found her passion working with children and families from diverse backgrounds, assuming different roles as a service coordinator and developmental therapist/early intervention specialist. Moreover, Barces worked extensively conducting assessments to determine eligibility for early intervention services and lead a group of children to support their transition into the preschool program. It has always been her focus to provide services grounded on evidence-based practices.

Barces holds a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine from the University San Martin de Porres in Lima, Peru and a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of North Texas.

ECC Presents at ICASE Conference

February 2021

On February 10, 2021 Michael Conn-Powers, Director of the Early Childhood Center, Sally Reed Crawford, Research Associate, Lynne Hall, Research Associate, and Susan Dixon, Research Associate presented at the Indiana Council of Special Education Administrators (ICASE) conference. The session provided an overview of the Early Childhood Center and the Indiana Department of Education Office of Special Education partnership by highlighting its Preschool Inclusion and Early Literacy projects. Best practices in preschool inclusion and early literacy were outlined and universal and targeted resources developed by ECC and available to support districts in navigating change were showcased (e.g., Least Restrictive Environment Decision Tree, the Online Directory of Preschool Inclusion Models, data dashboards to inform district decision-making).