This fall, Bank Street’s Learning Starts At Birth initiative will welcome its first cohort of fellows for the Early Childhood Policy Fellowship. This new professional learning opportunity was designed to support mid-career early childhood policy and system leaders in navigating real-world challenges and problems of practice and was born out of a greater mission to advance high-quality early education systems that center equity.
Running from September 2022 through May 2023, the inaugural cohort will include 15 fellows from across the country who hold roles at local and state government agencies and several agencies that directly support government work. During the program, the fellows will participate in cohort-based learning experiences designed to deepen their leadership skills, build on their early childhood policy expertise, and strengthen their impact within their current organizations to build equitable childhood systems.
“The Learning Starts At Birth team is thrilled to welcome our first cohort of Early Childhood Policy Fellows,” said Emily Sharrock, Associate Vice President, Bank Street Education Center. “They have been selected because of the powerful work they are already doing for young children and families in their communities. We are eager to work alongside our fellows to build on their strengths and increase the impact they have each day.”
The fellows are listed below. To learn more about each fellow, please visit our Meet the Fellows page. For more information about the Early Childhood Policy Fellowship, click here
Adriana Reis
Educational Administrator
Division of Early Childhood Education, New York City Department of Education
Alisa Burton
Program Supervisor
City of Oakland Head Start
Carol Orji
Director of Early Childhood Initiatives
Wake County Smart Start
Dr. Danielle Johnson
Executive Director
Durham’s Partnership for Children
Elena Barreto
Regional Coordinator
NW Early Learning Hub and NW Parenting Hub
Jamie Bonczyk
Program Officer
80×3: Resilient from the Start at Greater Twin Cities United Way
Kaeleigh Hernandez
Research Fellow
Center on the Ecology of Early Development (CEED), Boston University
Kimberly Moua
Early Childhood Equity Fund Program Manager
Early Learning Division, Oregon Department of Education
Margo Ford Crosby
Director of Pre-K and Before/After School
ABSS Early Learning Community
Neda Hall
Adjunct Early Childhood Education Instructor; Child Development Consultant
Early Education Division, California Department of Education
Dr. Nikki Kovan
Interim Director
Early Learning Services Division, Minnesota Department of Education
Rowena Kamo
Senior Program Administrator, Early Care and Education
First 5 Alameda County
Dr. Tamilah Richardson
Director of Early Childhood Learning
Virginia Department of Education
Taundwa Jeffries
Head Start State Collaboration Office Director
Virginia Department of Education
Dr. Tracey Black
Education Manager
City of Oakland Head Start/Early Head Start Program