2026 DFSS PreService: Full Schedule

Welcome to the 2026 3-Day DFSS PreService

📍Palmer House Chicago
17 E Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603

Breakfast and Registration open at 8:00am
Conference programming from 9:00am -4:10pm

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

9:20am CDT

Individualization through an Observation Lens

FULL

Tuesday August 4, 2026 9:20am - 10:20am CDT

Salon 9

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

This workshop will focus on planning for all childrens learning skills using observation.
Participants will learn how to write observations, reflections, and plans. Will also learn how to
develop learning activities for each individualized child based on their skill development to
support learning in the classroom environment.

Speakers

Vincent Rodriguez

Christopher House Inclusion Coordinator, Christopher House

Vincent has over 30 years of experience working in the field of early childhood and with Diverse learners’ students. He is currently the Diverse Learners Coordinator for Christopher House Early Childhood school and Trainer/Consultant at Simple Solutions Educational services .He... Read More →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 9:20am - 10:20am CDT
Salon 9

Christopher House

1:20pm CDT

Etapas del desarrollo y estrategias para apoyar el crecimiento (Parte uno)/ Developmental Milestones and Strategies to Support Growth

LIMITED

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:20pm - 2:20pm CDT

Salon 9

Limited Capacity seats available

" Este entrenamiento proporcionará a los participantes una revisión de las etapas del desarrollo desde los 0 hasta los 3 años, junto con estrategias para apoyar el crecimiento de los niños en las áreas de comunicación, motricidad fina y gruesa, desarrollo socioemocional y cognitivo.
This training will provide participants with a review of the developmental milestones from 0-3 years old along with strategies to support children’s growth in the areas of communication, fine and gross motor, social emotional and cognitive development."

Speakers

Paulina Razo

Infant/Toddler Consultant, Erikson Insititute

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:20pm - 2:20pm CDT
Salon 9

Erikson Institute

3:10pm CDT

Etapas del desarrollo y estrategias para apoyar el crecimiento (Parte dos)/ Developmental Milestones and Strategies to Support Growth (Part 2)

LIMITED

Tuesday August 4, 2026 3:10pm - 4:10pm CDT

Salon 9

Limited Capacity seats available

"Este entrenamiento proporcionará a los participantes una revisión de las etapas del desarrollo desde los 0 hasta los 3 años, junto con estrategias para apoyar el crecimiento de los niños en las áreas de comunicación, motricidad fina y gruesa, desarrollo socioemocional y cognitivo.
This training will provide participants with a review of the developmental milestones from 0-3 years old along with strategies to support children’s growth in the areas of communication, fine and gross motor, social emotional and cognitive development."

Speakers

Paulina Razo

Infant/Toddler Consultant, Erikson Insititute

Tuesday August 4, 2026 3:10pm - 4:10pm CDT
Salon 9

Erikson Institute

11:00am CDT

No Everyday Healing: Trauma-Informed Practices in Early Childhood Education

FILLING

Wednesday August 5, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm CDT

Salon 9

Limited Capacity filling up

Speakers

Melissa Moore

Manager of Behavioral Health Programs, SGA Youth & Family Services

Wednesday August 5, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm CDT
Salon 9

SGA Youth and Family Services

2:10pm CDT

Estrategias para apoyar el desarrollo socioemocional en niños de 0 a 3 años (Strategies to Support Social Emotional Development 0-3 years)

LIMITED

Wednesday August 5, 2026 2:10pm - 3:45pm CDT

Salon 9

Limited Capacity seats available

"Este entrenamiento se centrará en el desarrollo socioemocional en niños de 0 a 3 años, incluyendo comportamientos típicos y preocupantes, el apego y la ansiedad por separación. Los participantes aprenderán estrategias positivas para apoyar el desarrollo en el entorno familiar.
Training will focus on social emotional development in children 0-3 years old including typical and concerning behaviors, attachment and separation anxiety. Participants will learn positive strategies to support growth in their classroom and for families."

Speakers

Paulina Razo

Infant/Toddler Consultant, Erikson Insititute

Pamela Stutzman

Infant Toddler Inclusion Project Consultant, Erikson Institute

I'm a former school social worker and administrator. I have 20 years of experience working in public schools with a focus on early childhood and early childhood special education. I am excited to be a part of the Infant Toddler Inclusion Project (ITIP) as a Consultant at Erikson Institute... Read More →

Wednesday August 5, 2026 2:10pm - 3:45pm CDT
Salon 9

Erikson Institute

9:20am CDT

Getting Started with CLASS (Span)

LIMITED

Thursday August 6, 2026 9:20am - 10:20am CDT

Salon 9

Limited Capacity seats available

Designed for educators who are newer to CLASS concepts,
this session offers CLASS basics and describes how educators,
leaders, and coaches can use them to develop better, more
meaningful interactions with children

Moderators

Alisha Bourque

Teachstone

Bibi Rahim

Teachstone

Speakers

Monica Barrera

Teachstone

Thursday August 6, 2026 9:20am - 10:20am CDT
Salon 9

Teachstone

11:10am CDT

From Data to Insights: Building Performance Dashboards for ECE Management using Execl

LIMITED

Thursday August 6, 2026 11:10am - 12:10pm CDT

Salon 9

Limited Capacity seats available

This PDM training is designed to help those who struggle with "data overload," spending hours manually compiling monthly reports on student attendance and developmental milestones. By learning to use Excelâ€™s PivotTables, Slicers, and Charts, staff can automate the transformation of raw data into a visual dashboard. This enables the agency to instantly visualize performance trends across different age groups or classrooms. The result is a significant reduction in administrative hours and a clearer understanding of where additional resources or interventions are needed to improve child outcomes.

Speakers