Biography

Do you know you're a superhero? As early childhood educators, we have the power to work in the now and the future simultaneously. Because early childhood sets the foundation for the rest of our lives, what we do can change the world. This honorable responsibility is why I have devoted my career to serving young children. I am committed to doing my part to make sure that each child has what they need to be the person they are destined to be. We are constantly learning new information about how children experience the world, grow and develop, and their varying needs. For example, my recent research has highlighted the racial identity needs of preschoolers. As our knowledge base grows, our field and our ideas about what high-quality early childhood experiences look like also develop further. I want to work collaboratively with the governing board members to continue to move us forward as we face unprecedented change within our field.  I plan to contribute a multifaceted blueprint forward for continuing with our commitment to equity despite the changing landscape, a blueprint that utilizes research, professional development opportunities, digital resources, and support for families. 

As an Assistant Professor in an early childhood education program, I make sure that my students have the skills and knowledge to best support our children's diverse needs. As a researcher, I work to ensure that we, as a field, have the information we need to support the healthy development of children in terms of race and gender. As an educational consultant, I support current educators as they work to support the needs of the children in their care and their families. As a former prekindergarten and kindergarten teacher, I have first-hand knowledge of the support required to create engaging, joyful, emotionally, and physically safe classrooms for our young learners. Finally, as a mother of young Black children, I know how vital and powerful high-quality learning experiences and safe environments are for growth. If elected to the governing board, I will bring these experiences of professorship, professional development, classroom teaching, and parenting--all within early childhood--to inform our work. These many hats will be critical as we consider the many needs for the varied roles under the early childhood umbrella and additionally, how each of these roles grapple with diversity and equity. 

I earned a Master's degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education specializing in child development and a Ph.D. with early childhood education as my focus area. This deep knowledge of the field, paired with my experience, will be an asset as we consider our needs and what we could implement to better and continue to address them. My research, which is published in state, national, and international scholarly journals, focuses specifically on issues of diversity, including culturally relevant teaching practices, young children's perceptions of themselves and others, in terms of race, and young children's notions of diversity more generally. With NAEYC's push for more equitable practices co-existing along with pushback around equity, our organization will benefit from a board member with broad knowledge about diversity and equity with young children, paired with an unwavering commitment to equitable, identity-affirming practices. 

I currently serve NAEYC as a consulting editor for Young Children and NAEYC books. In the past, I served as a member of the NAEYC for Families website advisory council. I have volunteered my time to review proposals for our conferences, to contribute thoughts on new position statements and books. I have used NAEYC resources as teaching aids, sources, and references in my higher education classrooms. I have analyzed NAEYC accreditation standards to align practices. I have implemented experiences and activities that I read about in NAEYC journals. I have spent, essentially, my career in early childhood being devoted to and aligned with NAEYC. It would be a great honor to take the next step to serve our organization as a member-at-large. I genuinely believe that we can change the world together as early childhood superheroes and I envision a world where all children are affirmed, honored, and nurtured.  I would love to work toward this vision through collaborative leadership as a member of the NAEYC governing board. 

For the candidate's personal statement, click here: https://youtu.be/QV0rvOCJYPM