Eva C. Phillips, EdD, is dedicated to teaching and advocating for young children and early childhood educators. Throughout her almost 40 years of service to North Carolina, she served as a kindergarten teacher, a state‑level Title I preschool and kindergarten consultant, an assistant professor and Birth‑Kindergarten Education Program Coordinator, and a district‑level program manager for early learning. She has collaborated on numerous projects supporting developmentally appropriate practices and was cocreator and cofacilitator of North Carolina’s
Power of K Teacher Leader Initiative while at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Dr. Phillips also served as president of the North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children from 2009 to 2013. After retiring from the state in 2017, she began a consulting business to support early learning educators through professional development, consulting, and coaching. She is coauthor of the book Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Kindergartners and the white paper Children Come First: Ensuring School Policies, Practices, and Strategies Lead to Positive 3rd Grade Outcomes. She is dedicated to working with educators in their pursuits to provide the most authentic, appropriate, engaging, and challenging experiences for all young children.

Amy Scrinzi, EdD, is an accomplished educator with extensive experience in the field of education spanning more than 30 years. She holds the position of assistant professor of child development at Meredith College in North Carolina. In addition, she serves as the coordinator of the birth‑to‑kindergarten licensure program, overseeing and guiding aspiring educators in
their journey to become licensed educators. Dr. Scrinzi is a former classroom teacher of pre‑K through third grade, having taught in several public school districts in North Carolina. She later worked at the state’s Department of Public Instruction as a state‑level early childhood education consultant, developing and facilitating projects that included coleading the state’s Power of K three‑year kindergarten teacher leadership initiative. She also served as a state‑level K–2 math consultant, state lead for the North Carolina Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA), and state‑level mentor for nonpublic pre‑K teachers seeking a birth‑to‑kindergarten teaching license. She is coauthor of the book Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Kindergartners. Her experience as a classroom teacher, consultant, mentor, and author has equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of early childhood education, and she remains dedicated to supporting teachers’ use of effective practices that align with the developmental needs of young learners.