J. Ronald Lally Co-Director, Center for Child & Family Studies A national expert on early childhood development, J. Ronald Lally has directed child- and family-related programs at WestEd since 1978. He serves as Co-Director of WestEd's Center for Child & Family Studies, program focused on improving the quality of child care for children birth to three; helping children and families living in poverty; and influencing national, regional, and local policies and practices that have an impact on young children and their families. In addition, Lally has directed the work of the Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) at WestEd since 1985 and is executive producer of numerous infant/toddler PITC training videos that provide techniques to ensure secure and intellectually engaging group child care. PITC is the most widely used training system for infant and toddler caregivers in the United States. Lally and his PITC staff have worked with representatives of departments of education, health, and social services to develop infant/toddler training systems in 15 states. PITC also shares materials, strategies, and advice with many other states and countries. As a result of early efforts with the development of PITC, the California Department of Education and WestEd have been at the forefront of national efforts to improve infant/toddler care. Federal agencies, state agencies, and private foundations have looked to PITC for guidance and materials to better meet the needs of families with very young children. PITC has worked with representatives of Departments of Education, Departments of Health, and Departments of Social Services from 15 states to develop infant toddler training systems and and by many other states and countries to share materials, strategies and advice. The National Center for Children in Poverty in 2002 selected PITC as a model initiative to support infants, toddlers, and their families. Lally is a founder and board member of Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. In this role since 1977, he has worked with state and federal governments to chart the direction of quality infant/toddler childcare in the United States and abroad. With Zero to Three, Lally and his staff operate the Early Head Start National Resource Center. He serves on the national advisory committees of the Ounce of Prevention Fund, the Mailman Segal Center for Human Development at Nova/Southeastern University, and the Family Resource Coalition. In addition, he has served on the national advisory panels for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development, and the Scientists’ Institute for Public Information. He also participated in two White House Conferences on Early Childhood and Brain Development. Lally has been developing programs and policies for young children and their families since 1966. Prior to joining WestEd, he was a professor at Syracuse University and chair of its Department of Child and Family Studies. Lally has written more than 20 significant, scholarly books and articles. For three years he was Contributing Editor for Parents Magazine. He a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Research in Child Development, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Lally received a BA in social science and an MA and EdD in educational psychology from the University of Florida. He holds a postdoctoral certificate of Infant Testing from the Child Development Research Centre in London. Tel: 415.289.2300 415.289.2301 Email: rlally@wested.org Mailing Address: 180 Harbor Drive, Suite 112 Sausalito, California 94965-2845 Resource Involvement: The Pre–K Debates: Current Controversies and Issues Caring for Infants and Toddlers in Groups: Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Second Edition Concepts for Care: 20 Essays on Infant/Toddler Development and Learning Battered Agencies: Supporting Those Who Serve Low-Income Communities Presentations: PITC Trainer Institute, Module III (Learning and Development) & Module IV (Culture, Family, and Providers) June 2013 | Northern California PITC Trainer Institute, Module I (Social-Emotional Growth and Socialization) & Module II (Group Care) January 13-19, 2013 | Bahia Hotel San Diego, CA PITC Trainer Institute, Module I (Social-Emotional Growth and Socialization) & Module II (Group Care) June 24-30, 2012 | The Westin San Francisco Airport Millbrae, CA Related Press Releases: WestEd Partnership With Educare Expands WestEd Book Presents New Thinking About Infant/Toddler Development & Care Related News: For Our Babies Announced Nationally on Huffington Post WestEd's Lally Joins Pre-K Debates Increased Infant and Toddler Support Can Increase School Readiness J. Ronald Lally, Co-Director of WestEd's Center for Child & Family Studies, Quoted in The Oregonian J. Ronald Lally's Article on Infant/Toddler Care Cited in ZERO TO THREE Insider WestEd, University of Cincinnati, Develop Online Associate Degree Program for Head Start Teachers PITC Provides Statewide Training WestEd Center for Child and Family Studies ZERO TO THREE's Pilar Fort an Ambassador for Early Care WestEd's Ron Lally Speaks in Australia WestEd's Dual Focus on Research and Policy WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care Presents Research WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care Publishes Research KALW Features Ron Lally WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care Celebrates 20th Anniversary WestEd Bridges Gap Between Theory and Practice WestEd Partners With Ohio Organizations