AC21 - Baby Talk Sessions 1-3

Kathy Kinsner has led ZERO TO THREE's grandparenting initiative for the last five years, focusing on the unique needs of grandparents caring for grandchildren under five. (zerotothree.org/grandparents) Most recently, Kathy co-created ZTT's Grand Connections series of grandparent workshops with input from Generations United, the National Family Support Network, and the National Council on Aging, and supervised its pilot at seven US sites. Before her arrival at ZERO TO THREE, Kathy worked for more than forty years as an educator in a variety of settings—as an elementary reading specialist, an Emmy- and NAACP Award-winning producer on PBS series Reading Rainbow, the designer of a non-profit weekly college and careers curriculum for 7th through 12th-graders, and the creator of online graduate courses for educators, one of which won a Teacher's Choice Award. Kathy holds Master's Degrees in Education (Bowling Green State University) and Television, Radio, and Film (Syracuse) and was a teaching assistant at both institutions. 

Tiffany is a former family childcare provider and K-readiness teacher. Tiffany had the great opportunity of working with a team of professionals to build a successful Family Child Care Program for the staff of a Charter School. Tiffany now is a Business Consultant at First Childrens Finance, She also is a trainer for Child care providers and School educators. She has had the great opportunity of training professionals on topics such as Health and Safety, Early Childhood Trauma, and Topics on the Business side of Child Care. She Coaches teachers on understanding the importance of language and challenges them to think about the way they view language. Tiffany brings 14 years of experience working in early childhood settings, assisting in curriculum development, training, and coaching, and program development. Tiffany received her BS Degree in Early childhood studies from Metropolitan State University. She also has received a Directors Credential from Mneayc-Mnsaca and an Infant and Toddler Credential from Child Care Aware of Minnesota. She values advocacy and spends her free time serving on committees that support the development of?children and families.

As Early Edge California's Policy Analyst, Anna Ioakimedes supports the work of Senior Analysts and the Executive Director. Anna comes to EECA with over a decade in policy and advocacy for women's and children's issues, including experience in political consulting and both domestic and international nonprofit organizations. She most recently worked as an analyst in the California Department of Social Services' Children and Family Services' Division, where she conducted legislative analysis, case review and research into the causes of severe child abuse and neglect. In her research, Anna was struck by the role that quality care in early childhood plays in preventing child abuse and neglect and strengthening families. She is thrilled to help play a role in bringing improved options for high-quality early education to all California families. Anna holds a BA from the University of California, Riverside and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Giselle Navarro-Cruz is an assistant professor of Early Childhood Studies in the College of Education and Integrative Studies at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where she teaches courses on multilingualism, infant development, and early learning and care (ELC) teacher practicum. Dr. Navarro-Cruz earned her Ph.D. in Education from Claremont Graduate University, her M.A in Child Development from California State University, Los Angeles, and her B.A in Psychology with a minor in Applied Developmental Psychology from UCLA. Dr. Navarro-Cruz's passion for ECE began when she was an assistant teacher at the UCLA childcare center as well as a research assistant for several UCLA childrens research labs. Dr. Navarro-Cruz's research interest focus on enhancing access and quality to ELC using an asset-based framework. Currently, her research examines how institutions of higher education (IHE) support parenting students as they navigate childcare access and service on campus. In addition, Dr. Navarro-Cruz also conducts research that looks at how IHE are preparing the ELC teacher workforce to work with multilingual children and their families. She is an advocate for supporting young multilingual children and families access to high-quality ECE.