CDA Renewal - Family Child Care, Part D

Debbi Sluys

Debbi Sluys specializes in helping people elevate and improve their physical, mental and spiritual well-being, expanding the brain’s potential, and with living intentionally in a state of gratitude and kindness. With nearly 30 years of experience in early childhood development, Debbi has gathered a wealth of valuable knowledge about the power of mindset, visioning and success. With her background in professional development and skills in public speaking, Debbi can help you use your brain’s full capacity to reveal your individual dreams, discover your “whys” and accomplish your personal destiny.

Julie Nicholson
PhD

Julie Nicholson is Professor of Practice in the School of Education at Mills College where she has been a faculty member since 2005 and directed several innovative programs including the Leadership Program in Early Childhood, a Joint MBA/MA Educational Leadership Program, and the Center for Play Research. She is Co-Founder of the Center for Equity in Early Childhood Education. She has published over 30 peer-revised journal articles and is the lead author of 12 books, all addressing issues of social justice and equity in early childhood.

Angèle Sancho Passe
BS, MA

Angèle Sancho Passe, M.A. is a leader in the field of early childhood and family education. Her interests are early literacy, kindergarten readiness, dual language learners, family engagement, and educator effectiveness. She co-owns BlueWater Associates, Inc., a consulting practice.  

Angèle lives in Minneapolis, where she is a consultant, program evaluator, master trainer, and writer. She creates and delivers in-person and virtual workshops for educators and parents.  She designs and writes curricula for large organizations such as PBS and state agencies. She is the author of several books for educators, parents, and children published by Redleaf Press.

Ronald Mah
MA, PhD LMFT

Ronald Mah is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist.  He is the author of Difficult Behavior in Early Childhood (2006), The One-Minute Temper Tantrum Solution (2008), and Getting Beyond Bullying and Exclusion, PreK-5, Empowering Children in Inclusive Classrooms (2009), Corwin Press and twenty e-books on therapy and couple therapy available at www.Smashwords.com. He has also authored DVDs on child development and behavior. Ronald has worked in community mental health programs, severe emotional disturbance school programs, vocational and welfare-to-work programs, Head Start programs, supervised a high school mental health clinic, supervised therapists, and worked in private practice psychotherapy. Additional experiences include 16 years in ECE, owner of a childcare center, elementary & secondary teaching credentials, college instructor, and a member of the Board of Directors of the California Kindergarten Association.  Ronald also previously served on the Board of Directors of the California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists.

Kathy Pillow-Price
EdD

Dr. Kathy Pillow-Price has spent most of her professional career working to improve the lives of children and families. She is a nationally known expert in the field of early childhood education and is a frequent presenter at regional and national events. After years teaching and working in higher education, she currently works in an executive grant management role. She has a master's degree in Early Childhood Education and a doctorate in Educational Leadership.

Jennifer Romanoff
MA

Jennifer Romanoff, MA ECE, is a trainer of early childhood teachers, center administrative teams, and owners. A published author of three books on responding to toddler behavior, Jennifer has been teaching and training in the early childhood education field for over 27 years. She has presented nationally both through live sessions and webinars. As Vice President of Education and Training for her company, Jennifer also creates trainings to support best practices, excellence in education, and the accreditation process. A supervisor series of trainings developed specifically for center administrative teams is Jennifer's current focus. This project has included use of a production studio, an online learning center, and simulcast capabilities, where she recently hosted an event for over 800 attendees.

Natasha Crosby Kile
MS

Natasha Crosby Kile, MS is the Early Childhood Education Coordinator for the Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville, AR, and works as a certified trainer, writer, coach, and consultant for both the University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University. Natasha has over 27 years of experience working in the field of Early Childhood as a teacher, supervisor, trainer, and mentor. She holds a Bachelor's of Science in Child Development from the University of Arkansas and a Master's of Science in Childhood Services from Arkansas State University. Natasha has served as a leader in many areas including serving on the board of the Arkansas Early Childhood Association. Natasha has a passion for training early childhood professionals and finds herself right at home in a group of 5 to 5,000 teachers that are eager to facilitate the growth of young children and support their families. She is a distinguished expert and was named Arkansas Early Childhood Professional of the Year in 2012.

Hilary Seitz
PhD

Dr. Hilary Seitz is a passionate early childhood educator, an advocate for young children and their families, and an Alaskan. She has been a professor of early childhood at the University of Alaska, Anchorage since January of 2003. She came with 17 years of early childhood teaching experience from infant/toddler/preschool classrooms, public Pre-K, and primary grades. Her research foci have been in early literacy development, collaborative practices between families and schools including culturally responsive pedagogies, emergent curriculum development, documentation and authentic assessment, and social constructivist learning theories inspired by Reggio Emilia practices. She is currently working on projects related to the superpower of creativity and how to integrate culturally relevant early literacy practices into the classroom. In her free time, she loves to read (novels), hike around Alaska, crochet, play cribbage, walk her dogs and spend time with her family at her cabin.