Maryland Early Childhood Leadership Program (MECLP)

Maryland Early Childhood Leadership Program (MECLP)

Higher Education

Baltimore, Maryland 98 followers

MECLP is a workforce development initiative designed to accelerate cross-sector leadership in early childhood.

About us

The Maryland Early Childhood Leadership Program (MECLP), based at the Shriver Center/Division of Professional Studies at UMBC, is a workforce initiative designed to accelerate cross-sector leadership in early childhood.

Website
meclp.umbc.edu
Industry
Higher Education
Company size
2-10 employees
Headquarters
Baltimore, Maryland
Type
Educational
Specialties
Early Childhood Leadership, Early Childhood Education, and Equity in Early Childhood

Locations

Employees at Maryland Early Childhood Leadership Program (MECLP)

Updates

  • 💡 Friday Fellow Spotlight! 💡 Today we highlight two more fellows from Cohort VI-Emma Auffarth and Jana Boddy. Emma Auffarth, M.A.Ed is the Assistant Director at Towson University Child Care Center, bringing over ten years of experience in early childhood education. She manages educational initiatives and supervises over sixty university students as classroom aides. With a background in Special Education focused on Autism Studies, Emma supports children with diverse needs and promotes individualized learning.  As a mother of two, she values family collaboration and understands child development, which helps her connect with families. She advocates for play-based learning, believing that engaging environments foster curiosity and creativity. Emma participates in workshops to elevate early childhood education and ensure educators receive recognition, reflecting her commitment to lifelong learning for both children and educators. Jana Boddy has over 28 years of experience as an advocate and early childhood educator. She currently teaches Kindergarten at Maryland City Elementary School in Anne Arundel County and holds a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Studies, along with three Associate degrees. Jana is active in professional organizations, including the CDA Council and NAEYC, and engages in public policy work. At her Title 1 school, she focuses on developmentally appropriate practices and supports vulnerable populations, including immigrants and impoverished children. Her aim is to improve educational transitions and advocate for systemic changes in early childhood education.

    • Emma Auffarth, M.A.Ed
    • Jana Boddy
  • The MECLP Fall Webinar Series is here! This series will explore key issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion in education, offering insights and strategies for educators, advocates, and community leaders alike. We will explore the following topics: ✔ Rethinking Education for all Children: A New Framework for Elementary Education ✔Responding to Diversity Among Families and Communities in Early Childhood Education ✔Embracing Neurodiversity: Strengths, Challenges, and Equitable Support for Young Children Register now to join these thought-provoking sessions led by MECLP fellows dedicated to advancing this work: https://lnkd.in/ewdkndwm

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  • Whoop Whoop! 🙌 Huge congratulations to MECLP Fellow Tiffany Jones for her presentation at The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) Conference this summer! On Thursday, Oct. 31st join her and other ECE experts as they lend their voice to the conversation about Family Child Care and Public Preschool at The Hunt Institute. Her dedication to her passion and her commitment to sparking progress and innovation in the early childhood education, hashtag #ECE, field is truly inspiring. Thank you, Tiffany, for leading the way!

    View organization page for The Hunt Institute, graphic

    7,938 followers

    Early Learning’s mixed delivery system is one of its strengths. As we move forward in defining the profession, the role of Family Child Care as a viable option is gaining momentum. Colorado and other states are working to include the option of universal public preschool in Family Child Care settings. During this Early Efforts session, we will explore the growth of this movement with the Executive Director of The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), Erica Phillips. Join The Hunt Institute and our panel of experts on 10/31 for a conversation to discuss the relationship between Family Child Care and Public Preschool in Early Childhood Education. Register here: https://ow.ly/ve2T50TKOaj Erikson Institute, National Institute for Early Education Research, Multnomah County #EarlyEducation #Education #Preschool

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  • We will kick off our first Friday Fellow Spotlight with two fellows of our Cohort VI, Sandra Amorim and Diane Appel. Welcome to MECLP! Sandra Amorim is a Portuguese-American early childhood education professional who transitioned to this field after becoming a parent. She completed her education at Montgomery College and earned a master's in Innovative Early Childhood Education from CU Denver while teaching in Maryland. Sandra also holds a law degree from the University of Coimbra in Portugal and has experience as a Legal Advisor and Project Officer in Europe. Recently, she worked as a Program Officer for Early Childhood Education at the Low Income Investment Fund, assisting providers with financial recovery post-COVID. She is now excited to return to teaching at the Maddux School in Rockville, MD. Diane Appel has dedicated her career to early childhood education and is the Early Childhood Education Manager for the pre-k program at Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Center for Autism Services, Science, and Innovation. She holds a Theatre Arts and Elementary Education degree from Brandeis University and a Master’s in Reading Education from Towson University. With 22 years of experience, she has created science programs at the Maryland Science Center, licensed childcare centers in Baltimore County, and taught theater to children. In her current role, she emphasizes equitable and inclusive practices to provide all students with access to child-centered, play-based instruction.

    • Sandra Amorim
    • Diane Appel
  • Congratulations to MECLP’s Anne Douglass on her appointment as Co-Director of Research for the National Early Care and Education Workforce Center We are so proud of the work that Anne does not just for us here at MECLP, but for our national community of early childhood educators.

    We’re thrilled to introduce new #leaders who will drive our mission and goals!  ✨ Brandy Jones Lawrence, M.P.P. from ZERO TO THREE has joined us as Technical Assistance Director! With over 20 years of experience, Brandy’s expertise in strategic planning, state #policy/advocacy, and ECE workforce policy will be invaluable in guiding our efforts. 🔎  Anne Douglass from the Early Education Leaders, an Institute at UMass Boston and Rena Hallam from the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood are stepping in as our new Co-Directors for Research. They bring decades of experience in early education #research and #policy, taking over from Chrishana Lloyd, who is focusing on her important research on Black families at Child Trends but will still be a critical contributor to the center. We’re excited to see their impact on our research-to-practice efforts! 🚀 Kathryn Tout, a member of the center’s Steering Committee, is our new Managing Director. Kathryn, who is based at Child Trends, will lead our #outreach and development efforts and provide strategic leadership for all operations. These leaders, supported by our Leadership Team and Partner Leadership Team, will continue to advance our mission and drive impactful change in #ECE. Welcome aboard, Brandy, Anne, Rena, and Kathryn! 🌟 Learn more about our leadership by exploring our website 👉 https://lnkd.in/gNFRJJEZ #WeWorkforECE 

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  • "MECLP provides real hope for the future... Our voices, our actions, our leadership matter." -Christina Lopez, Director MECLP Leadership does matter. That is why this May MECLP was proud to host our inaugural leadership forum which brought together early childhood leaders to have a conversation about "Sustaining an Inclusive and Equitable Future in Early Childhood Education". Read below to hear just what those leaders had to say.

  • Join us in celebrating our amazing Amanda Lopes on her published chapter in Playful Pedagogy in Higher Education. Our cohort fellows can attest to how well Amanda connects play and fun into the content they learn. Congrats Amanda!

    View profile for Amanda Lopes, graphic

    Early Education Leader, Playful Professor, & Imagination Specialist

    Celebrating this playful milestone with my emergency bison seems fitting. Congrats to my coauthor Becky DelVecchio, PhD!

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