California MAP* to Inclusion and Belonging News Brief *Making Access Possible | June 2017
2017 Inclusion Collaborative State Conference: Registration Opens July 1st
MAP* to Inclusion and Belonging… *Making Access Possible is proud to promote California’s fourth annual Inclusion Collaborative Conference to be held from October 25th to October 27th, 2017 at the Santa Clara County Office of Education. This year’s conference is expected to be the biggest and best yet! You’ll find essential information and highlights below:
Preconference Preschool Day October 25th
For the first time ever a preconference day focused on building and sustaining inclusion in preschool (birth to five) is offered. Only 120 onsite spots are available so register early! Live streaming for virtual participation will be available for the keynote and three of the nine breakout sessions. Sessions topics are geared toward general and special educators, administrators, staff and families with beginning to intermediate experience with inclusion. Jennifer Tschantz of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and Kristen Brooks of the Santa Clara County Office of Education will present the keynote: Supporting Access and Inclusive Participation for All Preschool Children (OSEP Dear Colleague Letter of January 2017). Session presenters are state and national experts on inclusion, early intervention, infant and early mental health and trauma. If you work with this age group, it’s an event you don’t want to miss!
Conference Days October 26th and 27th
The Inclusion Conference kicks off on with a keynote on Thursday morning, October 26 and ends after lunch with a keynote on Friday, October 27th. It is geared toward general educators, special educators, administrators, support staff and families involved with children in the age groups from birth to five, elementary, and middle school and high school. It can accommodate 325 onsite participants and an unlimited number of virtual participant groups or individuals. Three keynotes and a total of 21 break-out sessions cover a wide range of topics of interest to those with beginning and intermediate experience levels.
All three keynotes and 12 of the breakout sessions will be streamed live for virtual participant groups and individuals. An orientation webinar for those who would like to host a virtual conference or participate virtually will be held in early August. For more information and a complete list of topics see the Inclusion Collaborative website.
Hotel Information
A limited number of hotel rooms are available for conference participants at the Embassy Suites Milpitas Silicon Valley at 901 E. Calaveras Blvd, Milpitas, CA 95035. Book your room early! The hotel rate is $259/Double Occupancy. Make reservations at (408) 876-3013 and refer to the Group Code SIC (Santa Clara County Office of Education Inclusion Conference).
Registration Starts July 1, 2017
The full conference program and registration will be available on July 1, 2017. In the meantime, visit the Inclusion Collaborative Conference website and take a look at the Conference Attendee Guide and opportunities for exhibitors.
Direct questions or comments about this newsletter to map@wested.org