CL22 - Baby Talks Group F: Early Childhood Systems and Workforce Supports

Sarah Siegel Muncey is Co-President and Chief Innovation Officer at Neighborhood Villages, which she co-founded with Lauren Birchfield Kennedy. In her role, Muncey works closely with Neighborhood Villages’ community of early education and care providers, teachers, program partners, families, and children to imagine what a functional child care system could be. To demonstrate proof of concept, Muncey designs and implements innovative, scalable solutions to some of the biggest challenges plaguing our current, broken system. Whether designing operational infrastructure for child care centers, clearing pathways to credentialing for early educators, or strengthening support systems for children and families, Muncey’s expertise is overcoming systemic challenges with systems-oriented solutions. Muncey has dedicated her career to improving access to affordable, high-quality education and care. Prior to co-founding Neighborhood Villages, she spent 12 years at Boston Collegiate Charter School, one of Boston’s highest-performing public schools. There, she served first as 7th grade English teacher, Director of Operations, and, finally, as the Director of Family and Community Relations. Prior to joining Boston Collegiate Charter School, Muncey began her career as a corps member of Teach for America, teaching 8th grade English in Atlanta, Georgia. Muncey graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and holds a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She lives in Boston with her husband and two daughters.

Binal Patel is the Chief Program Officer at Neighborhood Villages. Prior to this role, Patel was the Director of The Family Cooperative (TFC), an early childhood center in Watertown, MA.  She served many roles at the center over the course of 7 years: Co- Founder, Board President, Parent, and Director. Her work at TFC prioritized the value of relationships, which paralleled her focus on inclusion and equity as fundamental to policy and practice. Previous to TFC, Patel worked for 10 years in administrative and teaching roles in preschools, primarily in emergent, Reggio-inspired settings.  Patel is trained in SRI Critical Friends Group protocols and is experienced in conducting staff trainings and parent workshops.  Patel graduated with a Masters in Early Childhood Education from New York University, and a Bachelors in International Studies- Economics from the University of California, San Diego.  After graduation, she worked as a Marketing Analyst for Hewlett Packard before changing career paths and following her passion of teaching.  Patel lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two daughters.

Ana Hicks is a Senior Policy Analyst and Children’s Cabinet Coordinator with the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. In her role as Children’s Cabinet Coordinator, Ana helps to coordinate and facilitate the work of the Children’s Cabinet. Ana worked for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, where she provided policy advice and technical assistance to state-level non-profit organizations across the country to support their efforts to strengthen and improve the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Prior to that, Ana served for four years as chief of staff to the Speaker of the Maine House where she was responsible for developing and advancing a broad policy agenda that included expanding access to affordable health care and supporting seniors to live independently in their homes. From 2004 - 2012, she was a senior policy analyst at Maine Equal Justice Partners where she worked to strengthen Maine’s critical anti-poverty programs. Ana began her career as a field organizer for the Children's Defense Fund. She has a Master’s degree in Urban Policy and Child Development from Tufts University.

Dr. Todd A. Landry, Director of the Office of Child & Family Services: Dr. Landry holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas and a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. He earned his Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from the Simmons School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, in 2018. Landry most recently was chief executive officer of Lena Pope in Fort Worth, Texas, a nonprofit that serves children and families with an array of prevention and early intervention services, including childcare, public education, mental health counseling, and juvenile justice. He previously served as director of Nebraska's Division of Child and Family Services and sits on national boards, including the Child Welfare League of America, a national coalition of private and public agencies working to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families.

Alison D. Peak LCSW has spent the majority of her career dedicated to two primary passions: integrated behavioral health services in primary care settings and Infant Mental Health. Alison has an MSW from the University of Michigan with an emphasis in Interpersonal Practice with Children and Youth and two post-graduate certificates: Integrated Behavioral Health in Primary Care Settings and Pediatric Integrated Behavioral Health. Alison is also privileged to be a member of the 2020-2022 class of ZERO TO THREE Fellows. Alison collaborates across Tennessee and nationally to build programs that are responsive to gaps within the infant and early childhood mental health service delivery system