I began working at The Child Care Resource Network in: 2021
Hometown: Fort Wayne, IN
What inspires me? My family, my colleagues, and passionate people in my community.
Education: Social Work, BS, Manchester University
Elementary Education with Early Childhood Concentration, MA, Ball State University
Favorite hobbies: Spending time with my family, hiking, taking care of our animals, fostering dogs for a local rescue, and participating in activism in my community.
Favorite quote: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Martin Luther King, Jr.
Background and Expertise: I have worked in the field of early childhood education for over 20 years, and first entered the world of Child Care Resource and Referral in 2010 when I worked for the former IACCRR as an Infant Toddler Quality Enhancement Specialist. I have also worked as a program administrator, taught in both early childhood and adult college classrooms, conducted Verification visits for CDA candidates, reviewed early childhood programs for the Office of Head Start, and engaged in community outreach for a public health initiative to promote child development and monitoring. I particularly enjoyed my prior work with Purdue University conducting research on the Paths to QUALITY Evaluation for OECOSL. During this research I had to the opportunity to visit over two hundred child care homes, centers, and ministries across the state. I value the knowledge and understanding gained from talking with so many diverse providers about their successes and challenges. I am passionate about access to quality care and education experiences for all children.
Ask me about... the importance of access to high quality early childhood programs, child development and developmental milestones, trauma informed care, Conscious Discipline, infant and toddler curriculum, opening a child care program, and professional development.
