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5 Years of Learning: A Report on the First Five Years of Santa Clara CARES 2002-2006.
Read the Report (PDF)
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Yolanda Garcia
Director, E3 Institute
408.299.1701
ygarcia@wested.org
Yolanda Garcia serves as Director of WestEd's E3 Institute, Advancing Excellence in Early Education, which has become a model of increasing community access to high-quality early education.
Garcia directs the advocacy and communication function of the E3 Institute, which supports and strengthens early childhood professional development through education and financial incentives. Serving California's Santa Clara County, the Institute reaches new recruits, family-based early educators, center-based programs, programs for children with special needs, employers, faith-based providers, and the corporate community.
Garcia and her E3 Institute colleagues leverage local resources for early educators, especially through the institute's Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards (CARES) program. CARES promotes, rewards, and encourages educational attainment among early educators in Santa Clara County through a system of financial incentives and rewards.
As part of her E3 work, Garcia coauthored the WestEd-published Great Expectations: The E3 Institute-San Jose State University Bachelor's Degree Cohort Program for CARES Participants in Santa Clara County. The E3 Institute supports the research showing that children are better prepared for school when taught by educators who are equipped with the necessary theoretical knowledge and education to improve the quality of preschool services for the county's youngest children. Evidence of the bachelor's degree program's benefits is presented in this report, specifically in the voices of the bachelor's degree cohort members, whose lives have been irrevocably changed by their participation and successes.
In recognition of her E3 Institute leadership, Garcia received the 2007 Paul D. Hood Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Field.
A member of WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies, Garcia also plans and designs professional development systems for early childhood educators in collaboration with the four community college districts in Santa Clara County. She is also responsible for the implementation of Power of Preschool, a state initiative that enhances the quality of services to 800 children served by three school districts, the county office of education, and community-based programs.
For 20 years, Garcia directed the Children's Services Department for the Santa Clara County Office of Education. While in that role, she served on the national Head Start Quality Committee that recommended the development of Early Head Start.
Her previous experience also includes analyzing public policy as a Fellow with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and developing a grant-making strategy for early education and family support at the Charles Mott Foundation, as a Senior Program Officer.
She served as Public Policy Chair for the Child Development Policy Institute in California from 2004 to 2008. In 2007, Garcia was elected to the Governing Board for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in a national election. NAEYC is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 100,000 members, a national network of over 300 local, state, and regional affiliates, and a global alliance of like-minded organizations.
Garcia also has served on the NAEYC Quality and Compensation Committee and on the American Academy of Sciences' Committee on the Integration of Sciences in Early Childhood Education, contributing to the academy's seminal report, From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development (2002). She also served on an Early Childhood Mathematics Committee with the National Academy of Sciences.
She received a BA in political science, history, and sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara; an MS in social services administration with an emphasis on public policy and child welfare from the University of Chicago; and an MA in education administration from San Jose State University.
Ilene Hertz
Assistant Director
408.299.1703
ihertz@wested.org
Ilene M. Hertz is the Assistant Director for WestEd’s E3 Institute. She leads all aspects of E3's infrastructure, including program administration, contracts development, technology development, and the E3 Roundtable Collaborative. Hertz also provides leadership in regional forums and oversees the implementation of E3's major initiatives: Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards (CARES), Power of Preschool (PoP), and the Arts Enrichment Initiative (AEI).
Since the inception of Santa Clara CARES in 2002, Hertz has managed the distribution of more than $14 million in annual stipends to early educators in Santa Clara County as an incentive to improve quality in early childhood programs. CARES, a FIRST 5 funded program, is based on national research that links quality in early education programs to the educational levels of child development professionals. E3's emphasis on the use of technology enables it to shape, plan, and implement its policies, programs, and initiatives based on the data it collects. The E3 Institute has been recognized statewide as both an innovative and successful model, due largely to its data-driven approach.
A longtime advocate for the child development field, Hertz has worked in early education policy development for 26 years. She began her career in the Executive Office of Human Services in Boston and went on to serve as Manager of Child Care and Family Services for the city of Palo Alto, CA before joining WestEd in 2002.
She received a BS in social science from Hampshire College and an MA in human services administration from Lesley College.
Kazuko Smith
Research Associate
408.299.1710
ksmith@wested.org
Kazuko Smith joined the WestEd team in 2002 located in San Jose at the E3 Institute-Advancing Excellence in Early Education, which is a program of WestEd’s Child and Family Studies. She assists the E3 Institute in the implementation of the CARES (Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards) project for Santa Clara County. Kazuko provides data analysis and consultation in areas critical to the E3 Institute’s goals of advancing professional development and training for early educators. She also collaborates closely with WestEd's Information Technology team to design and manage two areas of rapid expansion—the online data collection systems and the E3 Institute's website.
Kazuko began her professional career as a translator/interpreter for more than 15 years in television, animation, and video game industries. As her experience in visual media grew and expanded, she co-produced a feature-length documentary, which had a private screening in a commercial theater in Los Angeles.
Prior to joining WestEd, Kazuko was a senior office administrator in the start-up venture capital division of a major high-tech corporation. She handled all aspects of operations, accounting, special projects, and event coordination. She brings a wealth of administrative, creative, and organizational skills and experiences to WestEd.
Kazuko earned a BA Degree in American and English literature from Shoin University, Japan, and a MA Degree in film from San Francisco State University.
Sandy Baba
Professional Development Manager
408.299.1718
sbaba@wested.org
A Professional Development Manager for WestEd's Center for Child & Family Studies (CCSF) E3 Institute, Sandy Baba provides leadership in early childhood education.
Baba creates strategies to help early childhood education (ECE) practitioners and the public heighten their awareness of ECE issues affecting children and families. One such strategy was the planning and development of an E3 conference in California that presented the most up-to-date information about promising practices in early education and policy related to literacy. Baba led the conference collaboration of more than 45 regional and local organizations. Her leadership efforts resulted in more than 2,000 early education practitioners and families attending this conference, further strengthening the connection between parents and early educators.
She also conducts research and product development for a number of CCFS projects, including Young Readers, Future Leaders Early Literacy Initiative, Arts Enrichment Initiative, Santa Clara County Partnership for School Readiness, and Santa Clara County Power of Preschool (PoP). Baba's leadership work in PoP, a research-based and data-driven project, led to Santa Clara County (California)in 2006 serving close to 600 children who might have been exposed to high-risk factors, such as drugs before birth, poor nutrition, family poverty, and domestic violence. Baba also led the design of a Quality Enhancement Support Team to individualize professional development needs for the various PoP sites, resulting in approximately 100 teachers attending teacher training institutes.
A WestEd staff member since 2003, Baba is a certified trainer for CCFS's Program for Infant/Toddler Care. She helps early educators become sensitive to infants' cues, connect with their family and culture, and develop responsive, relationship-based care.
As a national Early Head Start consultant, Baba supports programs in areas of family and community partnerships, fiscal development, universal health and safety precautions, program management, facilities development, and transportation.
Prior to joining WestEd, Baba directed a homeless child development program for a nonprofit agency. There she implemented a relationship-based and modified anti-bias curriculum to counter the adverse effects of homelessness in young children.
In 2005, Baba was selected to participate in the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s Supporting Teachers, Strengthening Families National Leadership Program, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, to engage early childhood professionals in preventing child abuse and neglect.
A frequent presenter on early childhood issues at conferences nationwide, Baba has served on the Board of the California Association for the Education of Young Children. She is a steering committee member of the Bay Area Network for Diversity Training in Early Childhood, whose mission is to build equity and social justice for children and families. Baba also is a community liaison for the National Association for the Education of Young Children Diversity and Equity forum, which brings early care educators together for dialogues on related topics.
Baba received a BA in Asian studies from the University of California, Davis, and an MA in education (with an emphasis in early childhood education) from San Francisco State University.
Mimi Munoz
Research Associate
408.299.1706
mmunoz@wested.org
Mimi Muñoz joined WestEd's E3 Institute Advancing Excellence in Early Education in 2003 as a Research Associate. She works on international education equivalency evaluations, California Child Development Permit application services, the CARES Professional Development and Education Plan, and the E3 Institute/San Jose State University ChAD BA Program. She serves as Chair of the City of San Jose Early Care and Education Commission and has been selected as a fellow for the Children’s Defense Fund Emerging Leaders Project.
Prior to joining WestEd, Muñoz worked at the Santa Clara County Office of Education, Parkway Child Development Programs, which offers Head Start, State Preschool, and General Child Care, and at the Mission College Child Development Department and Center. She has been a Child Development Training Consortium Coordinator for Mission College and has developed child health and nutrition programs, including the Santa Clara County Health in Early Care and Education Conferences. She also has cofacilitated child nutrition trainings in Spanish.
Muñoz recevied a BA in social science from the University of California, Irvine.
Pablo Guzman
408.299.1707
pguzman@wested.org
Rick Leon Jr
Financial Analyst
408.299.1708
rleon@wested.org
Myhang Nguyen
Administrative Assistant
408.299.1715
mnguyen@wested.org
Myhang Nguyen joined WestEd’s E3 Institute in 2004 as an Administrative Assistant. She provides assistance to the Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards (CARES) program. Her responsibilities include updating contact information of CARES applicants, maintaining records of CARES stipend recipients, performing CARES data entry, and creating CARES statistical reports.
Previously, Nguyen served as a Project Assistant at Mission College Child Development Center where she helped low-income families obtain subsidized child care services.
She received an AA in business and general studies from Mission College and is earning her BS in accounting.
Esperanza Cadena
Program Assistant II
408.299.1723
ecadena@wested.org
Esperanza Cadena joined WestEd’s E3 Institute in 2004 as an Administrative Assistant with the Operations and Infrastructure Team. Her responsibilities include scheduling of appointments, subcontractor and consultant invoice and contract logging, transcribing of meeting minutes, and implementing event logistics.
Esperanza also assists the CARES (Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards) Initiative by facilitating the California Child Development Permit application process. Specifically, she helps CARES participants apply for their Santa Clara County Office of Education "Temporary County Certificates" for first-time, upgrade and renewal applicants.
Prior to joining the E3 Institute, Esperanza worked in the real estate industry.
She received an AA in business administration from San Jose City College and a BA in business administration from San Jose State University.
Patricia Jordan
Senior Program Associate/Program Manager
408.299.1704
pjordan@wested.org
As Senior Research Associate for WestEd’s E3 Institute: Advancing Excellence in Early Education, Patricia Jordan develops key publications, presentations, and articles. A writer who has spearheaded award-winning publications, Jordan works on E3’s Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards (CARES) and Power of Preschool projects.
A WestEd staff member since 2005, Jordan has served as lead writer on a number of publications including Preschool for All, 5-Year Master Plan: 2006–2010, 5 Years of Learning: A Report on the First Five Years of Santa Clara CARES 2002–2006, and CARES Round 6 Handbook 2006. She also wrote the poster presentation E3 staff delivered at the Asia-Pacific Educational Research Association International Conference 2006 in Hong Kong.
Jordan became familiar with WestEd's E3 Institute and FIRST 5 when she served as a technical writer, editor, and researcher for the FIRST 5 Santa Clara County High-Risk Design Research and Development Team. The team's research findings have since been incorporated into the FIRST 5 Santa Clara County Community Service Plan, which provides services and high-quality preschool to children and families who are least likely to receive them. This service plan, codeveloped by Jordan, is unique in its delivery of three elements Ô high-quality preschool, home visitation, and community service/family supports Ô thus reaching all domains of a child's life.
Jordan has over 20 years of experience as a technical writer, speechwriter, editor, project manager, managing editor, and lead researcher. She has worked for Hughes Space and Communications Satellite Division (now Boeing), Atlantic Richfield Oil Corporation (ARCO), National Association for Critical Care Nurses, EMQ Children and Family Services, and, most recently, the University of California, Los Angeles’ Graduate Division.
She received a BA in journalism from California State University at Northridge and an MA in family studies from Azusa Pacific University.
Sandra Laguna
Program Assistant
408.299.1719
slaguna@wested.org
Maria Munoz
408.299.1728
mmunoz2@wested.org
Phuong Pham
Administrative Assistant
408.299.1725
ppham@wested.org
Phuong Pham joined WestEd’s E3 Institute in 2006 as an Administrative Assistant. She provides administrative support to the Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards (CARES) program and Power of Preschool (PoP).
Prior to joining the E3 Institute, Pham worked as an Administrative Assistant in various professional environments, including the Asian Americans for Community Involvement, the Santa Clara County Office of Education – Head Start, Kay’s Sterling Inc., and Minh Man Jewelry.
Pham received a BS in information resource management from San Jose State University and holds a credential in the California Family Development Program (FDC) from Cornell University. She is certified by the Gemological Institute of America in both diamonds trading and selling, and in diamonds and diamond grading.
Maia Connors
Program Assistant
408.299.1727
mconnor@wested.org
WestEd Program Assistant Maia Connors supports program development and implementation for the Power of Preschool (PoP) initiative in California's Santa Clara County.
Connors is a member of WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies' E3 Institute Advancing Excellence in Early Education, which supports and strengthens early childhood professional development through education, recruitment, and financial incentives. It also led the planning and is overseeing the implementation of PoP, which expands access to preschool for Santa Clara County's 3- and 4-year-old children and provides additional resources for families and early educators. PoP was created to help children become personally, socially, and physically competent, effective learners, and ready to transition into kindergarten.
In her PoP work, Connors collaborates closely with preschool administrators to ensure quality services for children, collection of quality data for program evaluation, and a collaborative partnership between E3 Institute and preschool providers.
Connors also facilitates arts and science enhancement programs in PoP classrooms. This effort has resulted in the placement of arts and science specialists who are also familiar with issues specific to early childhood and preschool in classrooms to lead weekly hands-on workshops. Children experience exciting and in-depth explorations of these often under-leveraged content areas and teachers learn how to better incorporate arts and science themes and activities into their daily curricula. These workshops are paired with tools that Connors helped to develop for teachers' use to reflect on the children's and their own experiences in the workshops and to plan how to incorporate each week's content or skills into their classroom and curricula.
Prior to joining WestEd in 2008, Connors was a teacher in a classroom of 2-year-old children at a child care center in downtown San Francisco. She also worked at the Providence Children's Museum in Providence, RI, where she supported a weekly program for preschoolers and their parents and facilitated positive experiences for families in the museum's exhibits.
She conducted a research study on supporting the social development of 3- and 4-year-old children. The study reports on observations of child and adult play conducted at the Providence Children's Museum. Study findings have strong implications for both exhibit design and adult behavior that promotes peer play among young children in public play settings.
Connors received a BA in education and sociology with a focus in human development from Brown University, where she was awarded the Reginald Archambault Prize for Outstanding Honors Theses.
Evelina Du
Research Associate
408.299.1721
edu@wested.org
As a Research Associate with WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies, E3 Institute, Evelina Du conducts research and analysis in the early childhood education field to support the work of the Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards (CARES) and the Power of Preschool (PoP) initiatives in Santa Clara County.
Du oversees and serves as the liaison between staff and consultants for the Quality Enhancement and Support Team (QuEST) in an effort to raise preschool quality. She also collaborates with WestEd Interactive staff to integrate the CARES and PoP databases by building online tools to increase program efficiency; increase cohesiveness among staff, consultants, and clients; and provide accurate data to enhance services.
Previously with WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Services, Du provided development and technical assistance on the Alternative School Accountability Model (ASAM), serving California students at risk of academic failure, with the California Department of Education. She also conducted research and data analysis to refine the program and to measure student progress. In addition, Du supported the development of the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) for the state of Kentucky.
Prior to joining WestEd in 2004, as a Mandarin-English biliterate, Du worked as a lecturer at Peking University’s Foreign Language Department in Beijing, China, where she taught English literacy, conversational, and pronunciation courses. She also taught at Kaplan as a TOEFL assessment instructor, and a course developer and project staff at the University of California, Los Angeles' (UCLA's) Fully Employed MBA program.
Du received a BA in economics with an emphasis on education from UCLA and an MA in international educational administration and policy analysis from Stanford University.
Regina Garcia
Program Assistant
408.299.1709
rgarcia2@wested.org
Veronica Medina
Administrative Assistant (Bilingual)
408.299.1700
vmedina@wested.org
Veronica Medina serves as Administrative Assistant for WestEd's Center for Child & Family Studies. Her responsibilities include providing administrative support to ensure the success of the E3 Institute.
Veronica Mendoza
Administrative Assistant
vmendoz2@wested.org
Jessica Mihaly
Senior Program Associate
408.299.1720
jmihaly@wested.org
As Senior Program Associate for WestEd's E3 Institute Advancing Excellence in Early Education, Jessica Mihaly supports and strengthens early childhood professional development through education, recruitment, and financial incentives in California's Santa Clara County.
She facilitates the CARES (Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards) Roundtable, which brings together representatives of Santa Clara County's six community colleges, San Jose State University, National Hispanic University, and four community-based organizations to coordinate approaches to early childhood workforce development in the county.
In addition, Mihaly chairs the Bay Area Early Childhood Professional Development Collaborative, a group of educators and staff from community colleges, state universities, First 5 Commissions, and community-based organizations. This group supports early childhood education (ECE) postsecondary education efforts and develops a systems-wide approach to improving ECE professional development.
Mihaly has worked in early childhood education for the past 15 years. Prior to joining WestEd, she served as the Preschool for All Coordinator and Early Childhood Program Specialist for First 5 San Mateo County. As Coordinator, she helped launch the state of California's first universal preschool demonstration site, which currently provides high-quality preschool to 800 children per year in San Mateo County. In 1997, she helped draft California CARES legislation. The legislation served as the framework for successful CARES programs throughout the state, providing incentives to tens of thousands of early childhood professionals to pursue higher education and professional development.
She has served as an adjunct faculty member in the Child Development Departments at City College of San Francisco and the San Mateo Community College District.
Mihaly is the author of Caring for California’s Children: A Career Guide for Students, Job Seekers and their Counselors (a project of The Peninsula Articulation Committee of Advancing Careers in Child Development, 2000) and coauthor of The CARES Initiative in California: Pursuing Public Policy to Build a Skilled and Stable Workforce, 1997-2000 (Center for the Child Care Workforce 2001).
Mihaly received a BA in dance/movement studies from the Naropa Institute and an MA in early childhood education and a multiple subjects teaching credential from Mills College.
George C. Philipp
Senior Program Associate
408.299.1720
gphilip@wested.org
Natalie Seer
Research Associate
408.299.1726
nseer@wested.org
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