This blog and a little about me

 

This Blog

In this weekly blog I'll discuss all areas of child development and give you strategies you can take away and implement in your homes or classrooms. Each week will feature a different topic related to children, parenting or early childhood education. I'll also being doing interviews with professionals in the ECE field. Feel free to comment on the posts and reach out! 

My Ethos

Growing up in Puerto Rico gave me a strong sense of culture. As a first-generation college student, I know the importance of education, but I also understand that a child's home environment is their first teacher. By using Social-Emotional Learning, protective factors, and strength-based approaches I help parents, educators and children build resilience skills to address challenging behaviors. Combining my years of experience and my degree in this field has led me to have a deep understanding of child development. 

My Interests

I'm very passionate about DEIA work which is why I'm a part of an end early childhood education suspensions and expulsions work group. The focus of this group is to create awareness and end the preschool to prison pipeline. 

I'm also a proponent of Mental Health education and as such I'm a certified Adult Mental Health First Aider and a Level 1 Breath-Body-Mind Instructor.

On the weekends you'll catch me either reading, watching a murder mystery, cleaning while listening to music or doing mixed-media art.

Work Experience

I've been in the early childhood education field for over 18 years. I began as an assistant in a Montessori Preschool and Daycare and worked my way up to Assistant Director. Then I decided to open my own Montessori based program. 

Three years ago, I decided to pivot my career from teaching children to educating adults in the ECE field. I transitioned to working at a Child Care Resource & Referral agency. I am currently a registrar working closely with The Office of Children and Family Services to help providers become regulated. As a CACFP Child Nutrition Professional I offer training in program requirements, nutrition, and accommodating allergies. As a grant specialist I help childcare providers apply for various state grants, and I offer training in business maintenance, best practices, program development, and marketing. As an Aspire trainer I'm certified to train on the topics of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Resilience. 

Education

I'm currently a student at Empire State University and I am expecting to graduate with a BA in Educational Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Education this December! I was recently inducted to the Alpha Sigma Lambda (Omega Tau Chapter) Honor Society in recognition of the hard work and perseverance required of adult students to achieve a high academic standard.  

I also hold a BA in Criminal Justice from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico where I graduated with the Latin honor of Magna Cum Laude. 

If you read this far you are so cool! 👏 Let me know what you like to do on the weekends. Leave a comment😊

 

As always thanks for reading!