You have spent your entire career in Washington, DC, across DCPS, charter schools, and nonprofits. Looking back, what first drew you to early childhood education in this city, and what has kept you here?

What first drew me to ECE in this city was my time at Howard University. During my freshman year in college as a tutor with the Howard University Family Life Center (HUFLC), I was able to tutor students on not only homework, but also interpersonal skills such as anger management and anti-violence training. I then began working for Heads Up a neighborhood-school

initiative funded by  AmeriCorps, where I completed over 900 hours of service supporting students’ literacy and social emotional development. These two experiences served as a catalyst for my ambition to become a teacher and ultimately a school leader. I also fell in love with the city and its deep commitment and investment in early childhood education, school choice and access.

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​​As your roles evolved from school based work into  leadership, what were the most important lessons you carried with you about what children and families actually need from a strong program?

The most important lesson that I have carried with me about what children and families need from a strong

program is that they need to be centered in our decision-making. What is best for the child and asking families

what their goals are and how can we support them is what grounds me each day.

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You are now the School Director at Educare DC. How would you describe the core purpose of your program, and what does success look like for children and families in your community?

Educare DC is a Head Start program and a part of network of high quality schools across the county. Our core purpose is to close the opportunity gap that exists for children 0 – 5 in our community. Our goal is not

only to improve the lives of our children and families but we also address the way that the District and America thinks about early childhood education for all. We do this by ensuring that each, child, family and teacher can develop to their full potential through high quality teaching practices, embedded professional development, intensive family engagement, comprehensive services and data utilization. Our mission is

to inspire a lifelong love of learning, nurture each child's natural curiosity and empower teachers and families with the tools they need to succeed.

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When you think about the day to day experience inside the building, what are the leadership decisions that most directly shape quality for children, and why?

When a leader decides to prioritize reflective supervision and meaningful feedback cycles they are directly

improving child outcomes. Why? Because a teacher who is coached and emotionally regulated is a teacher who can effectively implement the DC Early Learning Standards. Ultimately, the most impactful decision is creating a 'Culture of Growth' where every staff member feels they have the resources and agency to innovate for their students. When we do this we are able to ensure that our students’ daily experience is consistent, culturally responsive, and supported by every adult they encounter.

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You have led teams with a strong focus on systems, instruction, and human capital. What have you

found are the non-negotiables for building a stable, high performing team in early learning?

​1 . Communication and  Collaboration

2. Accountability

3. Kindness

4. Continual Education and Feedback

 

In your Temple University Strengths Based Leadership training, what ideas or practices changed how you coach and develop staff, especially during high pressure moments?

The Temple University Strengths-Based Leadership training shifted my focus from fixing weaknesses to

leveraging individual talents, particularly using the Gallup Clifton Strengths framework. It’s important to think about how the team’s ability to influence and execute but also being intentional about relationship building and strategic thinking.

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Your experience includes both program leadership and policy experience. Where do you see the biggest disconnect between policy decisions and the realities programs face, and what would you want decision makers to understand better?

Having sat on both sides of the table, I believe the biggest disconnect is the gap between policy, practice and capacity. We often write policy in response to a problem but we are not engaging the folks who the problem impacts most or addressing the actual roadmap that a program will have to follow to get there.

What I want decision-makers to understand better is 'The Margin of Reality'. Small programs often lack a

dedicated HR or compliance department. Every hour a director spends navigating a complex new portal is an hour they aren't mentoring teachers or supporting families.

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When you look at the last year of your work, what is one change you led, or one achievement your team reached, that you feel most proud of, and  what made it possible?

I am most proud of our campuses both receiving NAEYC accreditation. It allowed our team time to reflect on current practices and gave them the agency to lead. They didn’t just meet the standards, they embodied them. It further solidified us as a school of excellence as we had a national body verify that our

pedagogy, health and safety and community engagement are operating at the highest level.

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Finally, for early childhood professionals who are stepping into leadership, what guidance would you offer about leading with impact while also protecting sustainability for themselves and their teams?

I would tell them to carve out time on a weekly basis to reflect on how the last week went, what are their

priorities for next week and identify what is draining them. I would recommend that they find a community

of professionals that they can lean into. You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel, chances are someone already has a wheel or two they can spare. For professionals stepping into leadership, my primary guidance is this: Do not confuse activity with impact. In our field, it is very easy to be 'busy' for 10 hours a day without actually moving 
 

To lead with impact, you must prioritize Instructional Support. But to do that sustainably, you must be the Architect of Systems. I would tell a new leader to focus on four things:

1 .Empowerment over Rescue: Don't just solve a teacher's problem; coach them through the solution. This builds their capacity and protects your bandwidth.

2.Systematize the Mundane: Automate your compliance and administrative tasks as much as possible so they don't eat your spirit.

3.The 'Rest and Reflect' Requirement: In DC, our standards are high and our pace is faster. Self- care isn't a luxury; it’s a professional responsibility to the children. It is also pivotal to reflect each week, identify priorities and opportunities for learning. If we are burned out, we are not 'High Quality'.

4.Build Your Community: find a community of professionals that they can lean into. You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel, chances are someone.

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Ultimately, you protect your team’s sustainability by being the 'umbrella' that shields them from unnecessary administrative storms, allowing them to focus on the magic of teaching.

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Read the interview in Voices of Early Learning Magazine here!