About Us - Staff

The Early Childhood Associates, Inc. staff represents the fields of Education, Child Development, Workforce Development, Management, Social Work, Policy Development, and Research and Evaluation. Our senior associates are directly involved in every project, ensuring that professional expertise and thoughtful leadership inform all aspects of our work. We use a nationwide network of experienced and professional associates to increase our capacity to ensure that all of our services are of the utmost quality.

Staff

Linda Warren, Ed.D.
Founder and President

A leader in training, research, and product development, Dr. Warren has designed a cutting edge curriculum based on sound theory and practice, and has accessed millions of dollars for state and local collaboration projects to support families and communities. She conducted groundbreaking research on learning styles, left/right hemispheres, and instructional outcomes for children. Dr. Warren spearheaded the gifted and talented program for the state of Hawaii. She led the national trainings and technical learning disability project, worked on the national dissemination network, and anchored the Steps to Success Mentor Coaching Professional Development Program for the Office of Head Start. She received national recognition for the Family Literacy Makers of Change Evaluation Model, and has investigated and analyzed the effects of literacy on poverty and family functioning. Dr. Warren’s impact has been felt throughout the country. She has worked with federal and state departments of education, legislators, and families to formulate policy, service delivery, training and media/resource development. She has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in human growth and development, assessment, special education, psychology, and leadership. Dr. Warren received a federal Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) Grant to develop the JumpStart Family Literacy Guides and Talking with Children, a guide for teaching assistants working with English Language Learners in K-3 settings. Her SBIR experiences were featured in the book Women, Research, and the SBIR Program. Dr. Warren has been a teacher and a professor at the University of Hawaii and Wheelock College. She also helped launch the inclusion model for young children with disabilities in public and private schools in Massachusetts. Dr. Warren received her Ed.D. in Special Education/Educational Research from the University of Alabama.

Patricia Devine, M.P.A., M.S.W.
Director of Research and Evaluation

Ms. Devine is an expert in the areas of project management, qualitative and quantitative analysis, program evaluation, and policy analysis. She has been a Senior Policy Analyst for the Massachusetts Division of Employment Security, and a Principal and Fellow for Caliber Associates. Her recent accomplishments include the design of a technical approach to assess the role of childcare providers, and an evaluation strategy to assess workforce development efforts and assessment practices. Ms. Devine received her Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and her Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of California Berkley.

Isabel Coletti
Office Manager

Ms. Coletti manages all aspects of Early Childhood Associates, Inc.’s office functioning. She coordinates preparation and logistics for training workshops, creates client lists to ensure effective communication, and maintains the organization’s technological operations. Ms. Coletti also conducts child literacy assessments. Prior to joining Early Childhood Associates, Inc., Ms. Coletti performed companion work for the elderly, was an assistant photographer, and cared for her growing family. Ms. Coletti received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Nichols College.

Jennifer Spera
Associate (Design and Product Development)

Ms. Spera is a skilled graphic designer who spearheaded the design of Early Childhood Associates, Inc.’s Global Café Multicultural Cookbook and For Grandparents Only handbook. Ms. Spera has exceptional computer skills and uses a variety of different software programs, including Excel, Access, and PowerPoint. She administers language and literacy based child assessment systems, and organizes and analyzes program and child level outcome data. Prior to joining Early Childhood Associates, Inc., Ms. Spera worked as a freelance photographer and in customer support services.

Benita Danzing, M.B.A.
Consultant

Ms. Danzing has extensive experience in consumer and applied social research in the areas of education, nutrition, health care, and transportation. Her expertise resides in analyzing and shaping data into valuable reports about program impact on families and their communities. Ms. Danzing assists in developing the research methodology, conducting evaluation research, analyzing data, and writing evaluation reports. She provides ongoing technical assistance to family literacy programs in Massachusetts. Ms. Danzing received her Master’s degree in Business Administration from The College of William and Mary.

John M. Crapps, Ph.D.
Associate (Statistics and Research)
Consultant (Research Methodology)

Dr. Crapps is an Associate Professor of Professional Studies and Human Development at Wheelock College. He is an internationally known researcher in the areas of child and family development and disabilities. Dr. Crapps’ work focuses on program evaluation, survey research, secondary analysis, and observational research for the state of Massachusetts, early education programs with Early Childhood Associates, Inc. and university-related projects on families, children, family literacy, and developmental disabilities. Dr. Crapps received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

Gerry Sligar, M.Ed.
Consultant (Curriculum Design)

Ms. Sligar has worked as an early childhood program director and teacher for 30 years and was the Principal of a public school early childhood center. She has worked with Early Childhood Associates, Inc. extensively on the JumpStart Family Literacy Curriculum and the Steps to Success mentor-coaching instructional design. She has coordinated Community Partnerships for Children programs, Parent Child Home Program initiatives, and collaborated on Even Start Family Literacy projects. Ms. Sligar received her Master’s degree in Special Education from Lesley College.

Johan Uvin, Ph.D.
Consultant

Dr. Uvin is a specialist in education and economics/workforce development. He has worked in the areas of policy analysis, research and evaluation, and community leadership. As the Vice President of the Center for Research and Evaluation at the Commonwealth Corporation, Dr. Uvin oversaw the design and implementation of studies on the effectiveness of public workforce development programs and their economic impact in Massachusetts. He co-authored New Skills for a New Economy: Adult Education’s Key Role in Sustaining Economic Growth and Expanding Opportunity (Comings, Sum, & Uvin, 2000), a case study of adult literacy programs in Massachusetts commissioned by MassINC. Dr. Uvin received his Ph.D. in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from the Harvard University School of Education.

Fred Woods
Distributed Learning Technology

Mr. Woods, the President and Creative Director of Fred Woods Productions, has provided media development and production services for corporations, government agencies, not-for-profit, and educational institutions for more than 20 years. Fred Woods Productions specializes in education, the public sector, and public issues. The company has produced award-winning programs relating to mentor-coaching, literacy programs, employee training and orientation, product introductions, and documentaries on public issues.

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info@earlychildhoodassociates.com