Accomplishments: Department of Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education

Melissa Stoffers, Gerilyn Slicker, and Jessica Ain (all Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education) published an article, "Factors affecting enrollment of children with disabilities in child care and early education programs: A mixed methods study of Arkansas center-based programs" in Early Childhood Research Quarterly. This mixed…
Linc Johnson's (Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education) paper, "Exploring the Nexus of Language, Culture, and Identity: Insights from Interdisciplinary Perspectives," has been published in the International Multidisciplinary Research Journal as part of the 11th International Conference on Language, Literature, and Linguistics…
Jenna Weglarz-Ward (Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education), associate professor, presented multiple sessions on inclusion and equity at the National Association for the Education of Young Children's Annual Conference in Anaheim, California. With Courtney O'Grady and Alison Hooper (University of Alabama), she presented Disentangling…
Jenna Weglarz-Ward and Melissa Yarczower (both Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education) presented a session "Functional Frameworks for Inclusive Fieldwork: A Systematic Review", alongside colleagues Maryssa Mitsch from San Francisco State (UNLV Alumni, 2017), Jessica Branch from Murray State University, Prince Estanislao and Hadas…
Melissa Yarczower and Jenna Weglarz-Ward (both Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education) presented a poster entitled "Exploring Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Context in Preparation Programs" at the 40th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Disabilities and their Families for the Division for Early…
Gerilyn Slicker, Jenna Weglarz-Ward, and Alain Bengochea (all Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education) along with Alison Hooper and JoonHo Lee from the University of Alabama, were awarded a three-year, $768,887 grant from the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The team will…
Gerilyn Slicker, Alain Bengochea, Melissa Stoffers (all Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education) and Sarah Wolff (Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education) were awarded $100,000 from the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Secondary Analyses in Child Care and…
Lincoln Johnson (Early Childhood, Multilingual and Special Education) presented at the 11th International Conference on Language, Literacy and Linguistics in Manila, Philippines on his research: "Exploring the Nexus of Language, Culture and Identity: Insights from Interdisciplinary Perspectives." He also won the Best Presenter Award at the…
Jenna Weglarz-Ward (Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education) presented with Kimberly Hile of the University of Alabama in Huntsville at the National Association for the Education of Young Children's Professional Learning Institute June 10 in New Orleans, LA. Their session entitled "Welcoming Families of Young Children with…
Jenna Weglarz-Ward (Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education) contributed to a new resource to support including young children with disabilities and their families in childcare programs. Building Inclusive State Child Care Systems is a collaboration between the Division for Early Childhood of the Council of Exceptional Children and…
Associate professor Jenna Weglarz-Ward (Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education) was selected for the Fred Rogers Inquiry Educators 2024-2025 cohort. In collaboration with the Fred Rogers Institute, she will explore how Mr. Rogers' work addressed the inclusion and sense of belonging for young children with disabilities and their…
Heather Van Ness and Monica Brown (both Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education) recently co-authored a publication with Robbie Marsh (Mercer University) titled, "Building communities of practice: Initial perceptions of an interdisciplinary preparation program for special education teachers and social workers," in the Journal of the…