Dr. Katie Herron, director of the Early Childhood Center, will serve as an invited panelist at the 2026 Division for Early Childhood Conference in Omaha, Nebraska.
Herron will be engaged in a session titled “Standards Ambassadors: Expanding the Reach of the EI/ECSE Standards,” which will bring together DEC leadership and Standards Ambassadors from several states to share how they are advancing the Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education Standards in their state systems.
Herron serves as Indiana’s EI/ECSE Standards Ambassador, part of a national DEC initiative focused on promoting the adoption, alignment, and integration of professional standards into systems that prepare and support professionals serving young children and their families.
As a member of the invited panel, Herron will share Indiana’s work and experiences alongside Standards Ambassadors from Nevada and Utah. The discussion will highlight how Ambassadors are building partnerships, connecting the Standards with preservice preparation and professional development, supporting practitioners in understanding the relationship between the Standards and DEC Recommended Practices, and identifying opportunities for greater alignment across early childhood systems.
The EI/ECSE Standards address essential areas of professional practice, including child development and early learning, partnering with families, collaboration and teaming, assessment, meaningful learning experiences, responsive interactions and instruction, and professionalism and ethical practice.
Herron’s participation on the panel provides an opportunity to contribute Indiana’s perspective to a national conversation while bringing ideas, resources, and promising approaches from other states back to ECC’s ongoing work supporting Indiana’s early childhood workforce.
Learn more about the EI/ECSE Standards and explore resources for practitioners, faculty, and other early childhood professionals.
