EXPERTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Pam Schiller is a curriculum specialist and freelance author and speaker. Dr. Schiller has worked as a childcare administrator and has also taught in the public schools. She is the author of nine early childhood curriculums, including the internationally recognized Frog Street Infant, Toddler and Pre-K curriculums.

In addition to his authorship of Frog Street Pre-K and Frog Street’s AIM Assessment, Dr. Mowry has co-authored various scholarly articles as well as an upcoming text titled Rigorous DAP in the Early Years: From Theory to Practice. He is a well-known speaker at national and regional conferences. Dr. Mowry served 25 years in the Austin Independent School District as a bilingual preschool and kindergarten teacher as well as a district level instructional specialist in mathematics.

Becky A. Bailey, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, renowned teacher and internationally recognized expert in childhood education and developmental psychology. She touches thousands of lives each year through live events. Over 2.5M of her top-selling books are in circulation, and Conscious Discipline® has impacted an estimated 20M children. A pioneer in social and emotional learning, Dr. Bailey has a proven track record of success spanning more than 30 years. Dr. Bailey is the founder of Conscious Discipline, a company dedicated to creating positive, brain-smart environments for children, families, schools and businesses.

Carolea began her career teaching in the elementary classroom. For over 25 years, she has been managing teams of authors, editors, illustrators, and graphic designers to create and implement product development plans for Pre-K-8 educational publishers, including Good Apple, Fearon Teacher Aids, Addison-Wesley, Simon & Schuster, and Creative Teaching Press. She brings her skills of project management, organization, attention to detail, and creativity to Frog Street.

Dr. Thomas Moore is an internationally recognized early childhood consultant, award-winning author and speaker, and a well-loved children’s recording artist. Dr. Moore is the author of several teacher resource books and many journal articles. He is also a contributor to three early childhood curriculums.

Dianne Patterson is a National Early Childhood Consultant. Her teaching experience spans early childhood special needs, Prekindergarten, Head Start, primary grades, and adult education. Her interactive presentations focus on intentional teaching strategies and early literacy acquisition. Dianne is an author for early childhood and English Language Learners curriculum. Her favorite things are travel and children–especially her four grandchildren!

Marlene Williams is an early childhood consultant with a background that includes more than 30 years of administrative and classroom experience in both public and private school settings. As an administrator, Marlene coordinated programs of instruction for elementary and early childhood campuses in a large suburban school district. She developed curriculums for multiple school districts and publishing houses. Marlene hosts teacher and administrator workshops and provides side-by-side coaching for early childhood programs nationwide.

Robin Little developed the STEAM lessons in Frog Street Pre-K. With a strong love for science and math, Robin left her early childhood classroom to serve as Engineering Coach for a math and engineering elementary school that opened in 2003. While under the tutelage of two engineering professors, Robin guided teachers in developing and implementing a standards-based engineering curriculum that became nationally recognized. She continues to develop and present STEAM curriculum with a strong emphasis on engineering.

Ms. LeeKeenan’s areas of expertise include anti-bias education and inclusive special education. Debbie co-authored the publication Leading Anti-bias Early Childhood Programs: A Guide for Change. She has over 45 years of teaching experience in diverse university, public school and early childhood settings across the country. She is the Abigail Eliot Award recipient (2015) for outstanding commitment to the early childhood profession.

Dr. Izbicki has Bachelor and Master degrees in Special Education and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. She has taught children ages birth to 7 years with special needs in a variety of settings for 30 years. She was the principal for an early childhood school for 17 years serving students ages 3 and 4 with and without special needs. She is currently retired and volunteers with children who are at risk.

Dr. Wesson delivers keynote addresses on the neuroscience of learning for educational organizations and institutions throughout the United States and overseas. His research is frequently published and referenced in Parents magazine, HealthNet, and the journal Brain World. Dr. Wesson regularly addresses educational organizations, counseling associations, school districts and parenting organizations on the subject of “brain-considerate” learning environments.

John Funk taught preschool, grades K-2, and Head Start. John was Utah Teacher of the Year and president of Utah AEYC. As a national consultant, he has worked with McGraw Hill, Discount School Supply, and Frog Street. He served on the editorial panel for NAEYC’s Young Children. After years as a clinical professor at the University of Utah, he recently returned to the classroom, teaching kindergarten and first grade.

Teaching in classrooms across the U.S. in five different states and internationally in Russia and Greece has given Jill a unique perspective. She loves to develop experiences for curious young learners to explore. Sharing these experiences with other teachers led to her work for educational publishers, writing and editing curriculum and teacher help books. Jill loves to travel and visits classrooms and teachers wherever she is. She says, “There is always more to learn!”

Karen is a highly sought-after Conscious Discipline Master Instructor and coach, receiving acclaim for her knowledge, audience attunement, engaging style and wit. Her calm, organized and conversational style helps her audiences to feel at home. Karen has a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, taught grades 4-6, operated an in-home preschool program, was a High/Scope Certified Teacher and Trainer, and an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri.

Jody Martin has 35 years of experience in the early childhood field. She taught, directed a childcare center and worked at the corporate offices of two national childcare companies. Jody has authored Preschool Health and Safety Matters, Bringing the Outside In, and her book Rethinking the Classroom Landscape, which was awarded 2017 Book of the Year. Her latest book, Through a Child’s Eyes, focuses on classroom design. Jody is dedicated to providing quality programs for children.

Dr. Alma Flor Ada is a leading figure in Latino children’s literature. Her multiple awards for books that expand from poetry for the very young to adult novels include the Pura Belpré and the Christopher Award. A powerful advocate of critical pedagogy and education for social justice, she has been awarded the prestigious OHTLI Recognition by the Government of Mexico for her contributions to Mexican communities outside of Mexico.

F. Isabel Campoy is a bilingual poet who believes in the power of naming beauty. Her books aim to inspire the energy of laughter, the compassion towards nature and the depth of everyday life. Isabel values the role of parents in education and is passionate about the value of writing one’s own story. She is the recipient of many awards. In 2014, she was inducted to the North American Academy of the Spanish Language.

Emilia Rivas has extensive experience in bilingual education as the Spanish Curriculum Specialist and RAE-aligned Spanish translator for a large Texas school district. She firmly believes that the respectful use of Spanish is an important tool to facilitate communication between Hispanic parents and schools to ensure children’s success.

Charity Kahn is a songwriter, musician, and founder of Charity and the JAMband, JAMboodas, and JAMcamp. She’s been singing and dancing with children and families since 2001. What started as a music-and-movement playgroup for her friends and their kids has expanded into an ever-growing collection of award-winning music and live performances.

YouTube star, lead performer, songwriter and presenter for children’s music company, The Learning Station, Don has personally published over 400 children’s songs. He’s presented for over 500 motivational keynotes, features, workshop presentations, and thousands of concerts for millions of children and teachers in North America and beyond.

Mary Jo Huff is a nationally recognized keynote speaker, presenter, author, educator, puppeteer, recording artist and storyteller. She has a passion for literacy and oral language development. Mary Jo trains teachers nationwide on the importance of language and literacy through the power of telling stories and playing with language.

RONNO (Ron Hiller) is an internationally renowned children’s singer-songwriter, performer, and educator who combines his strong musical background with his teacher training and has lots of fun doing it! RONNO has performed all over the U.S. and Canada, as well as much of Southeast Asia. He has released 10 award-winning CDs.

Shawn has been working in early childhood for over 15 years. It all began with providing enrichment programs for children at individual childcare centers in the Atlanta area. Role Model Productions has now grown to become one of the leading providers of interactive content for teachers and children. Shawn travels the country as a keynote speaker and entertainer

Stephen Fite is an award-winning children’s musician and writer whose albums have received 18 nationally recognized honors. Suitable for the classroom, car or living room, his upbeat brand of children’s music has been delighting students, teachers and parents around the nation for three decades.

Taking the universal experiences that all families have and turning them into a celebration in song has made Joe’s music popular with adults as well as children. His music has won numerous awards, including the Cable Ace Award and many Parents’ Choice awards.

Suni Paz is an acclaimed singer, songwriter, storyteller and poet. She was awarded the Children’s Music Penny Award for her original children’s music. In 2019, she became the recipient of the International Latino Book Award for her autobiography Destellos. Her musical works are available in Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and Del Sol Books, as well as on Wikipedia, Amazon and YouTube.

Rosi Estremadoyro Meza, better known in the Peruvian educational world as Miss Rosi, is a well-known children’s musical artist in Peru and other countries. She began her career teaching music in preschool classrooms and has since produced over 1,000 educational materials and celebrated 25 years using music as a powerful learning tool for children. In July 2018, she received her first international musical award, the “Premio Gaviota” from Mexico.

Dr. Thomas Moore is an internationally recognized early childhood consultant, award-winning author and speaker, and a well-loved children’s recording artist. Dr. Moore is the author of several teacher resource books and many journal articles. He is also a contributor to three early childhood curriculums.