We are a national funder collaborative that has come together to achieve a big vision.

Our Collaborative is led by a small team of dedicated staff.

Dr. Ola J. Friday is the inaugural Director of The Early Educator Investment Collaborative (The Collaborative). In her role, Dr. Friday leads The Collaborative’s efforts to help early educators achieve their full potential as professionals and to ensure that all children are prepared for success in school and life. As a child of immigrant educators, Dr. Friday was raised with an appreciation for the power of education to change lives. Initially drawn to the classroom, the urge to impact systemic issues compelled her to pursue work at the early childhood education policy implementation levels. Dr. Friday led the implementation of New York State’s quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) and most recently she led statewide efforts to support the professional development and higher education access of over 65,000 educators in Massachusetts.  

Dr. Friday holds a doctorate in Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a Master of Public Policy from the Goldman School at UC Berkeley, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Tufts University, and a Regents diploma from Stuyvesant High School in her hometown of New York City.  

Tanya Castin is a Program Manager at the Early Educator Investment Collaborative, where she works to strengthen the early childhood education workforce. With a decade of experience in project management, human resources, retail, and customer service within purpose-driven spaces, she thrives on strategic people management and business operations, ensuring teams feel supported and organizations run effectively. In addition to her role at The Collaborative, Tanya contributes to The Presence Project and Christian Cultural Center, leading operations and media production to support leadership development and community engagement.

Born to Haitian immigrant parents and the second of six siblings, Tanya values strong community connections. Whether at work or in her personal life, she is deeply committed to building relationships, fostering growth, and making a meaningful impact.

The funders that support our efforts are:

We are fiscally sponsored by TSNE, an organization that provides grants and financial management, consulting, and training services to strengthen nonprofits.

 

We receive advisement from a select group of industry leaders that serve on The Expert Advisory Committee.

 

Sue Bredekamp, Ph.D. is an early childhood education specialist from Washington DC who consults on developmentally appropriate practice, curriculum and teaching, and professional preparation for institutions of higher education, state and national organizations, and Head Start. At NAEYC, she served as Director of Professional Development, developed and directed the national accreditation system for early learning programs, and wrote numerous position statements including teacher education guidelines. She is author of an introductory teacher education textbook, Effective Practices in Early Childhood Education: Building a Foundation (5th Ed.). She served as co-chair of the National Academies of Sciences Committee on a New Vision for High Quality Preschool Curriculum. She holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sherry M. Cleary is the retired University Dean of Early Childhood Initiatives at the City University of New York, and the Executive Director of the New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute. The work of the Institute is to lead the establishment of a workforce system to ensure funding, standards and competencies, career development resources, qualifications and credentials, training, and program quality assurance for individuals who work with young children throughout New York. The Office of Early Childhood Initiatives focuses on a portfolio that includes the City University of New York’s efforts to serve and support student-parents, modeling a multi-generational set of strategies and to pilot new early childhood strategies in higher education. 

Sherry co-chaired the Governor’s Early Childhood Advisory Council, for New York and has served in many leadership roles on national, statewide, and local Boards. For the 14 years prior to her return to New York, Sherry was at the University of Pittsburgh where she was the Director of the University Child Development Center, the founder and Executive Director of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood Education, and a faculty member in the Graduate School of Education, supporting leaders and teachers to follow developmentally appropriate practice. Prior to that Sherry worked in higher education and as a leader in early childhood education in Buffalo and Western New York.  

Sherry currently works as a consultant seeking to advance early childhood education across the country while mentoring those in key leadership positions in support of strong policy development. She continues to act in an advisory capacity in matters that deal with young children and their development, parenting, work/family balance issues, curriculum, teacher development, research, administration, and program development. Perhaps most important, she began her career as a teacher of young children. 

Nighisti Dawit, MSc is the Senior Project Manager, Policy Initiatives at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University where she aims to make the science of early childhood development actionable for key audiences and helps ensure policymakers, public leaders, and change agents’ needs and preferences inform the shape of a variety of resources, offerings, and learning engagements. She previously worked for the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) where she led government relations activities, translated research findings for policy-oriented audiences, and managed the production and dissemination of a variety of policy products. Before joining SRCD, Nighisti worked for the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) where she had the opportunity to work with an extensive network of national, state, and local anti-hunger organizations as well as education and youth development partners to improve children’s access to federal child nutrition programs. 

Nighisti holds a M.Sc. in social policy and planning from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and a B.A. in psychology with a minor in human development from the University of Maryland, College Park. 

 

Dr. Erma J Jackson D Min., M. ED. has been educating children and their families since 2003, serving in communities that are often labeled as underserved and low-income. She chooses to work in these areas because she believes this is where she is needed most. The families she serves include single parents—both mothers and fathers—as well as two-parent households who struggle to provide for themselves due to various challenges, including family background, education, housing, employment, inequity, injustice, or low self-esteem. Her mission is to help bring balance by connecting families to programs that support their children’s physical and mental development, such as early intervention services, and by guiding them toward housing programs that provide safe, affordable living options. She is a place of respite for families who feel overwhelmed by the weight of their circumstances. In her space, parents and children can access a revolving closet with clothing and other essentials. Education is a priority not just for the children but for the parents as well. Erma helps them complete FAFSA applications, fill out online forms, and write resumes—supporting them in taking steps toward a more stable and fulfilling future. 

Beyond her work with families, Erma is deeply committed to supporting other educator-providers. Early childhood education can be an isolating field, where providers often feel undervalued and unappreciated, despite their role in shaping future doctors, lawyers, educators, scientists, and leaders. Through her individual efforts and her work with the Association of Childcare Providers Network (ACPN), she empowers educators to find their voices, build their businesses, and stay informed about the profession. She believes it is essential to educate those in positions of authority—who may understand policy but not practice—so they can make informed decisions that truly benefit early childhood educators and the children they serve. 

Early child care is a precious and essential field that must be explored, respected, and included in broader discussions about education and workforce development. As Erma looks ahead, she is intentional about preparing the next generation of early childhood educators to continue this work with excellence, ensuring that families receive the care and support they deserve. 

In addition to her work in early childhood education, Erma has served as a Missionary for over 35 years, supporting communities in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, as well as spending 10 years as a Missionary to Kenya through the Virgin Island Missions Inc. Her lifelong commitment to service remains at the heart of everything she does.

Sharon Lynn Kagan is the Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Early Childhood and Family Policy and Co-Director of the National Center for Children and Families at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Professor Adjunct at Yale University’s Child Study Center. As the author of over 250 articles and 15 books, Kagan is recognized nationally and internationally for her scholarship related to the care and education of young children. Applying research to public policy issues related to early childhood systems; program design, standards, quality, and evaluation; leadership and professional preparation; and standards and accountability, Kagan has worked with major international organizations (UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and OECD) and with policy leaders in over 100 countries and all 50 states. Kagan, a recipient of national and international honorary doctoral degrees and scores of research awards, is a past president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and Family Support America, and currently serves on over 25 boards and consults with governments in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. Recognized as a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association (2010), elected to membership in the National Academy of Education (2012), and a Fulbright Scholar, Kagan is the only woman in the history of American Education to receive its three most prestigious awards: the 2004 Distinguished Service Award from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the 2005 James Bryant Conant Award for Lifetime Service to Education from the Education Commission of the States (ECS), and the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education. 

For more than 15 years, Lucy Recio has built campaigns, programs, and systems to inform education policy and shape public understanding and discourse around the need to transform our nation’s education system.

A community organizer and resource mobilizer, Lucy’s steadfast passion is fueled by creating safe, affirming spaces where the voices, expertise, and experiences of directly impacted individuals drive equity and power building conversations in the education sector. She has played instrumental roles in shaping public narratives around prenatal to career education, helped secure more than $54 billion in COVID-19 relief dollars for the child care sector, and has helped grow a national movement of early childhood educators invested in shaping the policies and systems impacting their profession.

She has held leadership roles at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), and the Office of the Bronx Borough President in New York City, as well as supported numerous state and local organizations advance their policy, advocacy, communications, and movement building strategies as a consultant.  

Invested in nurturing multiple vehicles for growing advocate capacity and skill, Lucy also serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for their online Master’s Program in Early Childhood Education Policy and sits on the governing boards for The Trust for Learning and Childhood Education International, as well as the Innovation Committee for ACCA Child Development Center in Annandale, VA. She has previously taught at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and lectured at New York University, the University of Maryland, Montgomery College, and other institutions of higher education.  

Lucy holds a master’s in public administration, a distinction she received as a National Urban Fellow, as well as a bachelor’s degree in international culture and politics and a certificate in justice and peace studies from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. She is an emergent practitioner in the field of healing justice with certifications in somatic embodiment, nervous system regulation strategies, and healing-centered education and has additional training in ecotherapy, mindfulness, cultural wayfinding, and writing therapy.  

Born on the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic, raised in the heart of the South Bronx, and nurtured in her adulthood by the bold and tenacious spirit of Washington, DC, Lucy is grateful to call each of these place’s home, a joy she shares alongside her partner and more than 40 indoor plant babies.

Sara Vecchiotti, Ph.D., Esq., is the inaugural Executive Director of the Couch Family Foundation. Previously, she was Vice President at the Foundation for Child Development responsible for program, grants, and communications. As Chief Operating Officer, at Lutheran Social Services of New York, she oversaw programming including early care and education, special education, and foster care services. At NYC’s Administration for Children’s Services, she held several leadership positions as Associate Commissioner for Child Care Operations, Assistant Commissioner for Policy, Planning, and Analysis, and Director of Strategic Planning in the Division of Child Care and Head Start. Sara was a Society for Research in Child Development Congressional Fellow in the Office of Senator Jeff Bingaman and an Executive Branch Fellow in the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children & Families, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. She was a Putting Children First Fellow at Teachers College, an Urban Education & Child Development Fellow at the Yale Child Study Center, and a Fellow at the Edward Zigler Center in Child Development & Social Policy. Sara has a doctorate in applied developmental psychology from Fordham University, a law degree from New York Law School, and is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College.  

Thelma Wong has over 20 years of experience in strategic planning, policy development, and program implementation across the non-profit, advocacy, and philanthropic sectors. Currently, Thelma is the Principal Consultant and Founder of Jeong Collective, where she provides strategic guidance, research and analysis, and designs adult learning for partners in early childhood education. Her work focuses on advancing equity-focused initiatives and improving the systems and organizations that serve children and families.                                             

Previously, Thelma held positions at School Readiness Consulting, the Bainum Family Foundation, and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education in Washington, DC. Thelma’s experience also includes teaching and coaching roles in early care and kindergarten classrooms.

She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and African Studies from Mount Holyoke College.  

Wayne Ysaguirre is transitioning to a role as senior advisor to Not-for-Profit organizations focused on system improvement, strategy, and workforce development. In his most recent role, Wayne served as Chief of Workforce Innovation at the CAYL Institute to lead CAYL’s effort to create a regional childcare workforce system in deep partnership with sectoral partners including employers, workforce organizations, and higher education. Ysaguirre has provided leadership on the design and implementation of childcare workforce sourcing, development, and employment system as an industry consultant and as Executive Director of The Care Institute where he worked to develop a Child Care Workforce Pipeline model to address the industry’s workforce crisis. Prior to that Ysaguirre served as President & CEO of Nurtury. He worked at Nurtury for almost 30 years in multiple roles starting as teacher assistant in a toddler classroom to Chief Executive Officer. Since 1878, Nurtury’s goal has been to close the opportunity gap between children from low‐income families and their middle‐income peers, ensuring that every child enters school ready to succeed. In all these collaborative and catalytic roles Ysaguirre has played an integral role in helping to shape public early education policy, practice, and infrastructure to raise standards in the field nationally, in Massachusetts and Boston. Mr. Ysaguirre serves on the Community Advisory Board of the New England Federal Reserve Bank, the Boards of Boston’s Higher Ground, Massachusetts’s Children’s Investment Fund, and the national literacy organization Waterford.org. He serves as a member of the Harvard Center on the Developing Child Pediatric Innovation Initiative, a research network focused on developing biological measures of stress activation in young children.