Our Steering Committee

 

The Future Project - Steering Committee

The Future Project is all about imagining a new early learning future in Florida. The Children’s Movement of Florida and partners are developing a comprehensive roadmap for early learning, looking beyond the current political reality and focusing on the needs of young children and their families. We are grounding this work in the perspectives of parents and educators, who have often been missing from policy conversations, so that the needs and desires of diverse Florida families are at the center of our policies.

The group includes:

  • Parents and families with young children impacted by the state’s early learning services
  • Key state agencies that impact and/or administer the current public early childhood systems
  • Child care and health providers who support essential educational, health, developmental, or social-emotional supports for young children and their families
  • Advocates and leaders who work on early childhood systems and policies in Florida

Specifically, they will:

  • Make suggestions for early learning system improvement, centering the needs of children and families and drawing on input gathered during the listening tour.
  • Engage their networks in community meetings where we present the draft roadmap to receive feedback.
  • Approve and actively support roadmap dissemination.

Here you'll find more about our selection process, expectations, and agreement with Steering Committee members.

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Steering Committee Members

Our Steering Committee is a diverse group leading the creation of the roadmap. They come from different economic circumstances and family backgrounds, bringing different parenting styles and educational preferences,  with understanding the intricacies of the early learning system, and representing communities all across our state. 

  • Anna Tedder, Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Educator, Pensacola
  • Arleen Lambert, Family Child Care Home Provider, Miami
  • Belisa Morón Espinosa, Parent, Jacksonville
  • Dawn Montecalvo, Guadalupe Center, Immokalee
  • Denise Brown, Parent, Jacksonville
  • Diana Romero, Home Visitor, Jacksonville
  • DJ Lebo, Early Learning Coalition of Flagler and Volusia Counties, Daytona Beach
  • Gladys Montes, Former educator and director, Miami
  • Heather Siskind, Jack and Jill Center, Ft. Lauderdale
  • Herman Knopf, Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies, UF, Gainesville
  • Janet Maxham, Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County, Sarasota
  • Jennifer Coleman, Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County, Palm Beach
  • Jesyca Katie Blaine, Parent, Tavares
  • Kayla Miranda, Parent, Crawfordville
  • Kettia Lafleur, Parent, Arcadia
  • Kimberly Singer, Head Start Collaboration Director, Statewide
  • Kissha Ballard, Kissha's Little Ones Child Care, LLC, Orlando
  • Lourdes Villanueva, RCMA, Plant City
  • Madeleine K. Thakur, The Children's Movement of Florida, Statewide
  • Maria Somera, Parent, Sarasota
  • Mary Huffstetter, St. Lucie Public Schools, Port St. Lucie
  • Mia Jones, Children's Trust of Alachua County, Gainesville
  • Miracle Wilson, Parent, Daytona Beach
  • Molly Grant, Association of Early Learning Coalitions, Tallahassee
  • Nadeige Theresias-Joisil, Sant La, Haitian Neighborhood Center, Inc., North Miami
  • Nidia Duque, Owner, Good Adventure Family Child Care Home, Lakeland
  • Pamela Hollingsworth, Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade and Monroe, Miami
  • Randy Aleman, Parent, Jacksonville
  • Rita Brown, Brownsville Preparatory Institute, Tallahassee
  • Russell Scoates, SWDC of Florida, Inc., Gainesville
  • Sandi Bisceglia, Former Elementary Teacher and Pre K-8 Principal, Florida Keys/Islamorada
  • Sasha Pack, Early Childhood Educator, Palm Coast
  • Sharon Miller, King's Kids Christian Academy of Tampa, Inc., Tampa
  • Simone McDaniel, Parent, Tallahassee
  • Suzan Gage, Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida, Panama City
  • Tamara Tener, Florida Family Child Care Home Association, Inc. (FFCCHA), Crystal River
  • Toshiko Pinckney, Early Childhood Educator, St. Petersburg
  • William L. Edwards III, Early Childhood Educator, Crescent City
  • Zhane Clayton, Early Childhood Educator, Daytona Beach

Project Team

The Steering Committee is supported by a dedicated team of consultants and staff from The Children’s Movement of Florida.

  • Hamilton Simons-Jones, ResourceFull Consulting, New Orleans, LA
  • Maureen Joseph, ResourceFull Consulting, New Orleans, LA
  • Rocio Velazquez, The Children's Movement of Florida, Miami
  • Keshia Jenkins, The Children's Movement of Florida, Tallahassee
  • Parent engagement: Talethia Edwards, TOE & Associates, Tallahassee
  • Spanish-Speaking Families: Mapi Garcia, The Joy of Impact, Miami

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Learn more about The Future Project