Linda Brault, a Senior Program Associate with WestEd, has been working with young children and their families for over 30 years.

Brault directs the Beginning Together: Caring for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and Special Needs in Inclusive Settings project and the California Map to Inclusive Child Care project. Both projects are housed within WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies and funded in collaboration with the Child Development Division of the California Department of Education (CDE).

Beginning Together ensures that children with special needs are incorporated, and appropriate inclusive practices are promoted, in the training and technical assistance provided by certified trainers in WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC). Beginning Together also promotes inclusive practice in all infant/toddler programs and activities nationwide. Over the past decade, more than 1,500 participants have received training representing 56 of the 58 counties in California and nearly every state.

The California Map to Inclusive Child Care (Map Project) is committed to improving access to services and care for children and families, which includes support, education, and training for providers and the families they serve. The Map Project is the one central source in California for information about the state of inclusive practices and for resources for people interested in inclusion. The project website, http://cainclusivechildcare.org/camap, houses training modules developed by the Map Project, links to national resources, and includes information on inclusive efforts in each of California’s counties.

Brault also directs WestEd's Teaching Pyramid Training and Family Partnership Initiative. The Teaching Pyramid Model is a systematic framework developed by the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) that incorporates Early Childhood Positive Behavior Support (EC-PBS) through promoting social-emotional development, providing support for children's appropriate behavior, preventing challenging behavior, and addressing problematic behavior. WestEd supports implementation of the Teaching Pyramid in hundreds of classrooms throughout California.

The Family Partnership Initiative strengthens the partnerships family members have with those who work with and care for their children in early care and education settings, after-school programs, and other related fields. More than 1,500 participants have been trained during a five-year period representing 51 of the state's 58 counties. Activities have touched more than 1,800 educators and staff in California programs and 36,000 children.

Brault also co-chairs the California project of the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning, which promotes the social-emotional development and school readiness of young children from birth to age 5.

She has had several books published including: Children with Challenging Behavior: Strategies for Reflective Thinking, which she coauthored with her husband, Tom; What's Best for Infants and Young Children? San Diego County's Summarized Guide of Best Practice for Children with Disabilities and Other Special Needs in Early Childhood Settings; Handbook on Transition in Early Childhood Special Education; and Inclusion Works! Creating Child Care Programs That Promote Belonging for Children with Special Needs, published by the California Department of Education.

Brault holds board positions in several professional California and national organizations and has published numerous articles in the early childhood development field. She is a highly sought-after speaker on inclusion of very young children, young children with challenging behaviors, legal requirements in early intervention/early childhood special education, and transition between early intervention and special education.

Prior to joining WestEd full-time in 2007, Brault worked as a faculty member with PITC, while directing CDE projects for Sonoma State University. She also has been an instructor in child development at Mira Costa and Palomar community colleges and was an early childhood special education teacher for more than 18 years.

Brault received two bachelors' degrees — music therapy and psychology — from the University of the Pacific. She received an MA in special education from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and holds an Early Intervention Graduate Certificate from San Diego State University.