Instructor:
, Phone: E-mail: megabaker@gmail.com mbaker@acsdvt.org |
Instructor Level
| Master |
Education
| High school diploma or GED in Bachelor's degree in Psychology & English Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, Leadership Professional certificate or license in Special Education | |
| - Vermont Special Education K-8 licensure - Vermont Early Ed, birth to third licensure - Vermont Principal licensure - Early MTSS coach | |
| has received formal instruction in adult education or in the facilitation of learning for adults. |
Work Experience
| Preschool and Early Childhood Transitions Coordinator Addison County, VT Addison Central School District July 2021 - Present - Engaged a district leadership committee in an ongoing process of evidence-based planning, implementation, and evaluation for continuous improvement of district preschool programs and systems. - Led professional learning communities and professional development workshops for public and private early childhood teachers and leaders to promote preschool student success. - Coordinated with school staff to modify district systems such as human resources, nursing supports, and financial resources to work more effectively within state and federal regulations and laws pertaining to district preschool classrooms (e.g. Child Development Division licensing regulations, STARS, ECSE regulations). - Developed and implemented a district-wide preschool enrollment system focused on equity. - Collaborated with administrators and teachers to develop a coordinated process for kindergarten transition into the seven district elementary schools. - Communicated with nearly 150 families with a rising kindergarten student to provide information and address family questions about the new school. - Offered parent forums on topics that enhance families’ abilities to support their preschool children. - Developed individualized plans for preschool and rising kindergarten students as needed, collaborating with other school staff and community service agencies to meet a range of individual educational, social, behavioral, and medical needs. - Serve on statewide early childhood leadership committees such as the Early Learning and Development and STARS Revision Committees. Universal PreK Coordinator Addison County, VT July 2015 - Present - Develop and oversee implementation of publicly-funded PreK in three school districts with 30-40 private partners and over 400 children annually. - Developed and taught curriculum and mentored as the licensed teacher in two programs that did not have a licensed teacher. - Develop policies, protocols, forms, and systems to support the individual and collective needs of PreK children, district and school programs and private PreK programs (home and center based). - Engage the community around early care and education topics, including conducting stakeholder surveys, drafting press releases, developing fact sheets, and attending and planning community forums and meetings. - Support and mentor early childhood professionals regarding publicly-funded PreK programming, including improving quality, program management, budgeting, legal issues, and communicating with families through individual and group meetings, professional development, and communication. - Plan and implement professional development with the goal of increasing PreK capacity and quality in Addison County. - Facilitate professional learning communities in public-private partnerships. - Provide trainings on Pyramid Model teaching practices, lead public-private Community of Practice sessions, and coordinate countywide efforts to improve early childhood social-emotional development. - Analyze data such as STARS, enrollment information, and survey data and utilize data-based decision making regarding capacity, quality, and needs of PreK programming within Addison County. - Regularly evaluate TS Gold assessments for all county children to establish needs and communicate with teachers and principals about kindergarten transitions. - Communicate and build relationships with stakeholders such as program directors, principals, kindergarten and preschool teachers, and staff at school districts including superintendents, curriculum directors, student services directors, information and technology staff, finance directors, homeless education liaisons, ELL teachers, school nurses, and transition coordinators. - Coordinate systems, policies, and paperwork with other coordinators statewide, including organization of statewide conferences and meetings. Instructor / Assistant Instructor Middlebury, VT, Statewide Child Welfare Training Partnership, University of Vermont/DCF March 2013 – Present - Teach the four sessions of the First Steps: Foster Care curriculum to a statewide audience, covering topics such as the court process, discipline, and navigating daily life as a foster parent - Team-teach the six sessions of the Foundations for Kinship, Foster, and Adoptive Families curriculum on a twice-yearly basis to a primarily Addison County audience, covering topics such as attachment, grief and loss, resiliency, adolescence, trauma, and family connections. - Team-teach the Fostering to Forever: a Lifelong Journey class to a primarily Addison County audience, covering topics related to adoption from foster care - Plan curriculum, coordinate food and manage attendance rosters for the above listed class sessions several times per year. Grantwriter / Early Childhood Programs Trainer Fairfax & Middlebury, VT July 2006 – March 2011 - Wrote 37 grant proposals to local, state, and national, public and private sources of funding. - Maintained working relationships with three separate organizations, communicating as needed to create and edit proposals. - Created timelines, plans, and budgets for new programs and facilities in collaboration with clients. - Composed evaluation plans to assess the efficacy of grant funding. - Regularly invoiced clients and maintained associated business paperwork. - Designed and delivered multiple trainings on each of the domains of the Vermont Early Learning Standards (VELS) to an audience of early childhood program teachers and directors in Franklin, Grand Isle, and Chittenden Counties Franklin County Early Childhood Programs & Success by Six St. Albans, VT Advisory Council Director & Success by Six Coordinator November 2003 - July 2006 - Managed Success by Six grant activities, including the Franklin-Grand Isle Bookmobile, Welcome Infant and fifteen community teams, and performed record-keeping and evaluation activities associated with the grant. - Coordinated efforts among community agencies involved with young children and their families. - Oversaw the work of the Council and its workgroups, including writing and evaluating strategic plans and grants, planning events, managing budgets, providing education to legislators and the public, and facilitating meetings. Central Vermont Early Childhood Council Barre, VT Community Organizer January 2003 - November 2003 - Coordinated and facilitated regular Early Childhood Council and committee meetings to plan CVECC activities and budget, informed and educated participants, coordinated and unified regional early childhood services, and discussed local, statewide, and national issues. - Managed and evaluated five Central Vermont Success by Six programs annually serving a total of approximately 1,700 children and families through five different service agencies. - Supervised the Local Team Liaison and collaboratively supported seven local teams that annually sponsor playgroups, parent education, and family events for approximately 2,000 individuals. - Administered the CVECC budget and authored grant and award proposals to benefit the region's early childhood programs. Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. Washington, DC Senior Program Specialist, Special Literacy Programs, June 2001 - July 2002 Senior Program Specialist, Delaware Initiative, July 2000 - February 2001 - Managed the Shared Beginnings SM program, a national literacy program targeted at adolescent parents and their children. - Partnered with other staff, individuals, and organizations to expand two family literacy programs to serve approximately 150,000 new children. - Developed and delivered trainings to volunteers and educators using multimedia and hands-on activities. - Managed a statewide literacy initiative in Delaware, serving nearly 15,000 children in all elementary schools and at-risk early childhood programs. - Distributed federal, corporate, foundation, and individual grant funds to programs and reported on budgetary information to the Director of Programs. - Screened volunteers interested in working with students. Arlington Public Schools Arlington, VA Special Education Teacher February 2001 - June 2001 - Individualized and delivered instruction for a non-categorical classroom of five students in Language Arts and Math. - Coordinated all special services provided to eight students in kindergarten through second grades identified with a variety of disabilities. - Communicated regularly with families through conferences, letters, and telephone conversations regarding students' academic and behavioral progress. - Consulted and collaborated with nine teachers regarding ongoing curricular, behavioral, and instructional modifications for students in kindergarten through second grades. | ||||||||||
| More than 15 years instructing adults. | ||||||||||
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Additional Information
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| Child Development (Early Childhood) Families and Communities (Early Childhood) Teaching and Learning (Early Childhood) Professionalism and Program Organization (Early Childhood) Observing and Assessing (Early Childhood) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Specific Curricula: | Advanced Specialized Care Vermont Early Learning Standards (VELS) Modules Pyramid Model Training Modules Recognized Community of Practice Facilitator | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Training Topics | How Children Develop Influences on Development Child Development Theory Brain Development Temperament Resiliency Physical and Intellectual Development Social/Emotional Development Addressing Challenges Supportive Interactions Special Education Early Intervention Building Relationships with Families Family Systems Respectful Communication Parenting Parent Involvement Community Resources Networking and Collaborations Indoor Learning Environments Outdoor Learning Environments Observation/Assessment Curriculum Development Early Literacy Math Science Systems Resources Ethical Conduct Professional Growth Working with Staff and Colleagues Regulatory Compliance Program Quality/Accreditation Program Assessment and Evaluation Legal and Financial Issues Program Administration Leadership | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| - Adults (like children) learn in a variety of ways and instructors should provide visual, auditory, and kinetic experiences for learners that reinforce the message. - Learning should be directly related back to personal experience and reflection whenever possible. - For every presentation, there should be no more than about three to five "take-home messages" which should be reviewed for participants. |
Logistics
| Addison County | |
| *Inquire with Instructor, Addison County | |
| 40 miles from , | |
| Negotiable |