THE VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Volume 2015-2016
No. 1, Fall 2016
www.VAECE.org
email: vaecehotline@aol.com

INDEX:
In Memory Of
Chris Spanos
pages 2
Component
Connections
pages 3-5
Points of View
pages 6
Advocacy & Public Policy
pages 7-8
Accreditation / CDA
Updates
page 9
Contact Info
page 10
VAECE HOTLINE
1-888-22VAECE
(1-888-228-2323)
Call for
information about:
Membership
How do I join?
How do I contact my
local affiliate?
Annual Conference
Where is it?
When is it?
How do I volunteer?
How do I register?

I Get By With a Little Help

From My Friends
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

By Holly McCartney

Did you know that the VAECE board

is made up entirely of volunteers? Men
and womenthe friends of VAECE
who give of their time because they
have made it their mission to support
the education and welfare of young
children spend countless hours together
at meetings, working on public policy,
developing professional opportunities
like the annual state conference,
revamping the website and social
media plan, and navigating the national
dialogue and restructure process. These
are just a few of the projects that are
on going this year and will continue to
require the work of volunteers.
There are times when I wonder if
we ask too much of ourselves. Change

and progress seem to come slowly

in all volunteer organizations, and
remembering that we all have other lives,
full time jobs, second jobs, families, and
responsibilities outside of VAECE is
important. When I did a quick Wikipedia
search of the word volunteer I was
surprised to find that there are those who
believe some volunteers are only in it for
themselves. The idea of volunteers who
travel overseas to deliver medical care
has recently attracted negative criticism
when compared to the alternative notion
of sustainable capacities, i.e., work done
in the context of long-term, locally-run
organizations. I can assure you that no
one on the VAECE board is volunteering
(continued on next page)

FALL 2015

(continued from previous page)

because they need to build their own resume, or want a trip

to Ashland, VA to stay at the Holiday Inn Express for the
weekend for a meeting! Each day I am more impressed with
our board and the dedication they have for the work they do.
We even bring our own food for a potluck dinner and have
the leftovers for lunch the next day! We are nothing if not
sustainable and resourceful.
As I move out of the role of president-elect and into that
of president this year, I am grateful to have board members
who I consider my VAECE friends. Some I have known
for quite a long time, and others who are new faces new
friends, and all are willing to do the work necessary to make
a difference in the lives of Virginias children and families.
We were reminded this summer at our annual retreat
that VAECE is not some unknown entity making decisions.
VAECE is all of us working together. WE are VAECE. Your
board members are your voice and your connection to early
childhood in the state of Virginia and at the national level.
In this issue of Viewpoint youll find an update from our
past president, Debi Deloose, on the National Dialogue
with NAEYC and how that process is moving forward
along with resources to help determine which option is
best for local groups. Youll also find an update from Susan
Barnes, our Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA)
representative and how the NAEYC restructure process may
impact that relationship. I encourage you to reach out and
ask questions at your local and state level. Please know that
we are only a phone call or email away. Contact information
for local affiliate and chapter presidents as well as VAECE
board members can be found at the end of this newsletter.
While the process may seem to move slowly and at times
seems challenging, we will get by with a little help.from
our VAECE friends.

Check out VAECEs new online

look at vaece.org
Please take a look and as you cruise the site, let us know
if you are having trouble locating any of the documents you
need!
email webmaster Jenn at director@ourneighborhoodcdc.com
with updates and questions!

In Memory Of Chris Spanos

VAECE is saddened by the loss of Chris Spanos,
long time public policy adviser for the organization.
Chris was a wonderful and amazing person who
became a friend, not only of our organization but to
many of our members. Chris had the ability to read
the politics and members in Richmond. He helped
guide the organization through the processes and
procedures to move our early childhood agenda to
a better place. His ability to discuss challenges and
opportunities assisted us in becoming better advocates.
He will be missed.

Christopher James Spanos passed away on

Friday, September 11, 2015 at age 69. He was
born in Auckland, New Zealand and later came
to the US where he attended public schools and
colleges in the state of Maryland. Chris spent
many of his years working in public policy to
build, strengthen, and protect the safety net
for vulnerable Virginians. Chris is survived by
his wife of 48 years, Anne Elizabeth Spanos;
two children and their spouses, Courtney and
Tim Wyatt, Stephen and Shauna Spanos; five
grandchildren, Alexandra, Morgan, Hallie,
Whitney and Annie James. He is also survived
by his brother, Curt; and his sister, Kim. He
was known for his generosity, kindness and
friendship, his wonderful humor, his curiosity
and keen intelligence, his devotion to his
family, and his clear sense of right and wrong.
A memorial service will be held at Ivy
Creek United Methodist Church, 674
Woodlands Rd., Charlottesville, Va. on
Saturday, October 17, 2015, 1 p.m.
Obituary from: http://www.dailyprogress.com/obituaries/
spanos-christopher-james/article_866e5dc0-3b01-54e986cc-39d3b450f2af.html

VIEWPOINT FALL 2015 THE VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

FALL 2015

Component Connections
Your membership in state organization VAECE includes memberships in the national organization NAEYC,
the regional organization SECA, and one of twelve local groups across the state of Virginia. Check out
whats going on at some of these other organizations!
REGIONAL:

REGIONAL:

Southern Early Childhood Association

Marian B. Hamilton Award

By Susan K. Barnes, PhD

Virginia Representative on the SECA Board of Directors
The Southern Early Childhood Association Board of Directors met
in July and plans are underway to create some great new opportunities
and resources for VAECE and all association members. SECA is
committed to its mission of professional development, advocacy, and
being a voice for children in the South.
With a goal to provide early childhood leaders and educators with
easily accessible and affordable professional development materials,
three popular SECA publications, the
books mathematics, obesity, and reading,
will be republished as e-books. They will
be reformatted into smaller publications
so you can purchase the just the chapters
you want in the new digital format.
These materials, along with the currently
available FREE modules, presentations,
and publications on the SECA website at http://www.southernearlychildhood.
org/public-policy/, provide you with high quality training materials for
staff and board members. Also, this fall SECA will launch a new blog
where you can share your ideas and questions with early childhood
professionals and other people interested in supporting young
children. Of course there will be wonderful professional development
opportunities at the SECA conference February 11-13, 2016 in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. The topic of the Leadership Summit, to be held on Thursday
afternoon from 2:00 to 5:00, will be What SECA Can Do for You. Any
VAECE member may attend.
Public policy resources are also just a click away, or you can sign
up to receive an email alert whenever a new issue is released, by
going to http://www.southernearlychildhood.org/public-policy/. Recent issues
featured short bios of candidates declaring themselves as candidates
for president, including our own Jim Webb of Virginia, notices about
government grants, legislative session notes, and an article on the
movement to scale back on testing.
SECA is committed to supporting all of the fourteen affiliates,
maintaining the organizational structure that has evolved over the past
67 years, and to championing the well-being of children and families. I
am honored to serve as Virginias representative on the SECA Board of
Directors. If you have any questions about accessing SECA resources
or about any of your other SECA membership benefits, please feel free
to contact me via email, barnessk@jmu.edu, or phone, 540-568-8114.
3

Congratulations to Brookes Sims and

Stephanie Massie of Central Virginia
AEYC for being selected as co-recipients
of the 2016 Marian B. Hamilton Award.
The Southern Early Childhood Association
(SECA) presents this award to honor
outstanding leadership and contributions
to the field. The award will be presented at
the SECA Leadership Breakfast that will be
held during the SECA annual conference in
Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday, February 13,
2016. The award will be presented by Dr.
Susan Barnes, the VAECE Representative
on the SECA Board of Directors.

This award was created in honor of Marian

B. Hamilton, a past president of the Southern
Association on Children Under Six (SACUS). Marian
was a member of the Kentucky association and
served as SACUS (now SECA) President in 1978
& 1979. During her term of office, circulation of
Dimensions of Early Childhood rose to 12,000 and
the first Board-to-Board newsletter was created.

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FALL 2015

Component Connections
STATE:

STATE:

Restructure Update

Seeking Nominations

By Debi DeLoose
VAECE Past-President
The National Association for the Education of Young
Children (NAEYC) is committed to strengthening the
relationships among all the component parts (national, state,
and local) and to creating an even stronger, higher performing
inclusive organization that serves the needs of members as they
work toward the goal that ALL children receive a high quality
early childhood education.
Over the past few years NAEYC has been involved in a
study of how those state and local groups function and work
together. Input was sought from both local and state AEYC
boards. VAECE was actively involved in providing input to
those working on this.
As a result of this intensive work on the part of NAEYC a
revised set of criteria for affiliation which has been introduced
and voted on by the NAEYC governing board. The new criteria
raise the bar for affiliation in the
area of budget size, reserve funds,
and staffing (either employees or
consultants) as well as in areas
of branding and relationships
Virginia Association for
between affiliates. All current
Early Childhood Education
affiliates of NAEYC, including
VAECE and the 8 local Virginia affiliates, will need to
determine if they meet the new criteria or can work toward
meeting those criteria.
At the June VAECE Board meeting the board voted the
following which will guide their work over the next few
months:
VAECE believes we are stronger together and believes
that to act and speak on behalf of all young children in
Virginia, the best structure is for VAECE to be an affiliate
of NAEYC. VAECE will continue to commit to, advocate
for and support the 12 local groups for sustainability, if
they choose to become chapters of VAECE.
The VAECE Board recognizes that the structure is not
fully developed and that a VAECE Board made of local
groups and officers will continue to determine how that
structure will look and operate.
As members of VAECE you are also members of SECA. The
SECA board is also examining how dual affiliation may look as
the NAEYC restructuring plan moves ahead. Something like
that might be enough at the moment for the full membership.
VAECE will continue to keep the membership informed of
the process with restructuring and to keep you informed as to
how this may affect your local group and you as a member.
4

AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO YOUNG

CHILDREN IN VIRGINIA
One of greatest honors that VAECE has is
presenting at the VAECE conference the annual
Award for Outstanding Service to Young Children
in Virginia.
The recipient should be someone who has made
a significant contribution to the education and
development of young children particularly in the
Commonwealth of Virginia. Ove the years the award
has been given to a wide variety of individuals from
differing fields of service to young children.
The VAECE board is soliciting nominees for this
honor. Please contact Debi DeLoose at debradeloose@
gmail.com who will provide you with the nominations
form. Please submit nominations by December 1.
MEDIA AWARDS
The support of the media for childrens issues is
invaluable. Annually, VAECE presents media awards
at the annual conference to any media representative
who has been supportive of early childhood during
the previous year. Has there been media in your
area who has shown exemplary support of early
childhood? Please consider placing their name in
nomination for this award. Nominations should be
submitted to Debi DeLoose at debradeloose@gmail.
com by December 1.

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FALL 2015

Component Connections
LOCAL:

LOCAL:

Prince William Association for the

Education of Young Children

Northern Virginia Association for

the Education of Young Children

PWAEYC affiliate is hosting it Fall Conference

on Saturday, October 17. We are excited to announce
that we have 3 wonderful presenters this year. Each
participant will be split up into smaller groups to facilitate
discussions in each training session.
Mark Gardner will be presenting Being a More
Effective Social-Emotional Detective and Problem
Solver (Using Information Gathering, Teaming and
Planning Strategies to Foster Childrens Social-Emotional
Functioning). Childrens development and functioning,
families and classrooms are complex and each contribute
to their experience in early-care settings and classrooms.
Ongoing exploration and understanding of each of these
domains and how they influence each other are crucial
to a childs social-emotional success. In this workshop
youll learn information gathering techniques to help
identify needs and (re)frame the
problem-solving process; how
to work with colleagues and
families to empower you as a
caregiver/teacher; and how to
develop effective plans to guide
your interventions.
Strategies
for
Using
Virginias Foundation Blocks
for Early Learning will be
presented by Krista Dawson.
Dig in to the revised Foundation
Blocks and get practical tips for
using classroom materials to ensure your preschoolers
are ready for Kindergarten. Practice using the tool and
see how easy it is to add quality activities to each day no
matter what curriculum you use!
All About Art! will be presented by Mariella Walker.
Thankfully we dont have to be Monet in order to
appreciate art. This seminar focuses on creative art
projects with connections to quality literature. You may
just get a little bit messy during this seminar, so dress
appropriately.
Receive 5 training hours in one compact day. Please
email the co-presidents of the Prince William Affiliate:
Laura Basu laurabasu@me.com or Stacey Godin ssgodin@
comcast.net for more information.

SAVE THE DATE

NVAEYC Fall Conference

Reach for the Stars

Achieving Success through Play
Saturday, November 21, 2015

VIEWPOINT FALL 2015 THE VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

FALL 2015

Points of View
VAECE Members represent a diverse group of individuals, working in a variety of positions for the common
goal of benefiting young children.

A Decadent Indulgence for the Professional Soul

By Gerin Martin
Early Childhood Special Education Teacher, Lynchburg City Schools
Virginias 2015 Region 5 Teacher of the Year
Wow! Wow, is the most sophisticated word I can
come up with to describe my most recent experience. In
April, I was extended an honorable invitation by the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation to attend the Elevating and
Celebrating Effective Teaching and Teachers (ECET2)
convening in Seattle Washington this July (all expenses
paideven better, right?). In the months leading up to my
trip, I dreamed of how awesome this experience was going
to be. All of my dreaming and speculating did not prepare
me for the transformation of a professional that was about
to take place, and to be blown away at the magnitude that
I was!
ECET2 was designed for teachers, by teachers. The
theme of the convening was Elevate, Celebrate, and Connect.
Elevate:
Elevating the teaching profession
through celebrating the profession

Celebrate:
Celebrating teachers and
treating them like celebrities

Connect:
Connecting with other educators
to create a network of support

Four hundred of our nations top educators, together under

one roof, sharing the same passion. The positive energy
generated from elevating, celebrating, and connecting was
powerful! There were times when the energy was so powerful
that it gave me chill bumps, shivers, and even misty eyes. It
was a decadent indulgence for the professional soul.
We were challenged to know our story, and share our
story. The convening gave me an opportunity to reflect on
who I am and what my purpose is as an early childhood
6

professional. In order to elevate the value of our most

important work with the youngest learners, we must know
what we are about and create our story. Then, tell everyone!
Affirming who you are and what you are about to others,
celebrates the fiery passion inside. Like attracts like. I am a
firm believer that an individual is only as good as those they
surround themselves with, and once you share your story,
you will find yourself cultivating a network of connections
with others that share your passions. With the powerful
energy you will generate from celebrating your story as an
early childhood professional by sharing it, and connecting
with others, together, we will elevate our profession to the
place of value it deserves.
So, heres my story to share, what I am all about. My name
is Gerin Martin and I am an Early Childhood Educator. To
borrow the words of Baruti Kafele, I have chosen a narrow
path with a singular purpose. My path and purpose is to
give families the gift of a joyful early childhood experience
for their child, while maintaining the value and integrity of
childhood. I am driven to play a role in elevating the early
childhood profession and the professionals that are teaching
our youngest learners. The early childhood profession will
be impacted by my passion, path, and purpose.
My hope and challenge for you is to take some time to
celebrate yourself by defining the magical early childhood
educator you are. Whats your story? What is your purpose?
What are you about? Now, shout it from the roof tops!

With the powerful energy you will

generate from celebrating your story
as an early childhood professional by
sharing it, and connecting with others,
together, we will elevate our profession
to the place of value it deserves.

VIEWPOINT FALL 2015 THE VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

FALL 2015

Advocacy and Public Policy

Seeing it in focus-Thoughts from the Jt. Subcommittee on VPI Reform
By Emily Griffey
Voices for Virginias Childrens Senior Policy Analyst for Early Childhood and Education
Reprinted with permission from vakids.org
This summer legislators on the Joint Subcommittee on VPI Reform
are getting a crash course in early childhood education policy. They are
lucky to have some of the best instructors in the country to share their
knowledge and insight. The presentations at the 8/25 meeting from
Steve Barnett of NIEER, Amanda Wiliford of UVA, Katharine Stevens of
AEI and leaders from Michigan and North Carolina were very detailed,
thorough and fact-based. These presentations, on top of the information
shared at the July and June meetings, gave legislators a lot of detailed
information to consider. (I encourage everyone to review the slides
from the presentations at the 8/25 meeting. There was not a lot of new
information that would be surprise to long-time advocates but it was
authoritatively and definitively presented.)
Early childhood education is appealing to policy makers because of
the payoff. What we know is that payoff is not guaranteed, nor is it as
great, if our programs are not high quality. We must ask our legislators
to tread carefully through this process and make policy choices that are
supported by research.
There was some talk at the end of the August meeting about the
future of the Joint Subcommittee. The members unanimously agreed
to keep their work going for another year. They discussed wanting to
expand their attention beyond public preschool. They also discussed
potentially piloting new approaches to private-partnerships and teacher
credentialing. They have mentioned that they will attempt to fix the
problems with the eligibility criteria established last year. To me, these
discussions speak of the need of the Joint Subcommittee to spend
some time reviewing how they might focus their efforts more
specifically on Virginias barriers to access and quality in early
childhood education.
We have a few takeaways from the expert presentations. Based
on those takeaways and our understanding of the current barriers in
Virginia, we think there are some clear policy choices for our legislators
to consider. And, as an added benefit, many of those policy choices have
spillover effects to do more for kids and families to prepare for success
in school than investments in VPI can do alone.
Takeaways
#1 - All of the early years are critical to a childs development.
#2 - At the preschool stage, full-day, high-quality early childhood
education helps to close the achievement gap.
#3 - High-quality settings educational settings are defined by
teachers who are adequately prepared to support learning and who are
highly interactive with students.
#4 - Getting good outcomes requires a process of continuous quality
improvement and monitoring implementation.

#5 - We are already getting good outcomes from VPI, but perhaps

we could do even better, serve more kids, and improve the overall early
learning continuum if we made some tweaks.
Policy Choices around VPI
1. Spending/true cost/local match - No beating around the bush;
quality early childhood education has a cost. State policymakers shouldnt
ask localities to shoulder even more of the burden of educational costs. If
we want to get better outcomes of early childhood education, we need
to put more into it. With investments in quality we should be able to
avoid costs later on, but we need to prime the pump.
2.Systems-building and oversight - The lessons learned from
other states show that private provider partnerships require oversight
and support systems. Virginia has the opportunity to put those systems in
place through our Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) and our
choices about early childhood leadership and governance. Localities can
easily identify and monitor high-quality private providers that participate
in QRIS. Providers can be supported to improve quality through QRIS,
which can have a spillover effect to children of all ages in private child
care arrangements. Low-income families needing care can better access
high-quality providers when their assistance is linked to a proven highquality setting. Finally, Virginia can better focus and align efforts when
high-level leadership, oversight and accountability is in place.
3. Teacher background and preparation and on-the-job
training - Two letters of the alphabet are divisive in the early childhood
field- BA. There are those who say the best education and preparation
comes through a college education, and those who say training in the
appropriate skills and competencies is enough. The reality might be that
both schools of thought are right and a solution incorporates both. Our
current policy choices rest on what we require in terms of preparation to
be an early childhood educator, if there are different rewards or benefits
for achieving more skills and competencies, and how we support those
who are already working in the field or want to be working in the field
to improve their skills. We believe systems-building and oversight can
play a role here, as well as investing in workforce preparation. We
also see a big role for on-the-job mentoring and coaching in the field.
Investing in those supports could also be useful to improve the skills of
K-3 elementary educators as well.
We hope that as the policymakers on the Joint Subcommittee continue
their work that they will focus on these three areas. We also hope that they
will consider the broader contexts of these policy options- how decisions
can impact the birth to five cohort and kindergarten to third grade. Finally,
we hope that they will keep an eye on policy decisions based on evidence;
including the experiences and expertise of Virginias early care community.

VIEWPOINT FALL 2015 THE VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

FALL 2015

Advocacy and Public Policy

This Week in Richmond
Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam & Toni Cacace-Beshears, Commonwealth Council for Childhood Success were on
This Week in Richmond in early Septemberyou can see the archived footage here: http://www.blueridgepbs.org/videos/localproductions/this-week-in-richmond/this-week-in-richmond-video-archives/1791-september-4-2015-this-week-in-richmond

Engage by Voting
Let us engage intentionally, forcefully, and conscientiously in our political system and renew our
commitment as advocates on behalf of young children and their families by VOTING!

VIRGINIA VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINES

General
22 Days before election
Primary
22 Days before election
Special
13 Days before election
Special (Called by the Governor)
7 Days before election
VIRGINIAS UPCOMING ELECTION
State General Election
November 3, 2015
Virginia polling times
6:00am to 7:00pm
Registration deadline
October 13, 2015

INFORMATION ABOUT VOTER REGISTRATION

https://www.vote.virginia.gov/
http://elections.virginia.gov/registration/how-to-register/

VIEWPOINT FALL 2015 THE VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

FALL 2015

Accreditation/CDA
Attention!
There is a New Mailing Address for submitting Accreditation & Scholarship Forms:
Kamna Seth, VAECE Accreditation Chair
3723 Mill Pond Ct. Fairfax, VA 22033
Forms and questions can also be emailed to vaeceaccchair@gmail.com

VAECE Subsidy Project for NAEYC

Accreditation

VAECE Scholarship Project

for CDA

The Virginia Association for Early Childhood

Education has established an annual subsidy to assist
early childhood programs interested in accreditation
and re-accreditation from the National Association for
the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

The Virginia Association for Early Childhood

Education has established an annual scholarship
project to assist people working with young children
interested in obtaining a Child Development
Associate (CDA) Credential.

VAECE will reimburse 50 percent of the amount

paid by an early childhood program towards fee for
any of the four steps in the NAEYC Accreditation/
Re-accreditation process, annual report fee, or the
verification visit fee.

VAECE will reimburse 50 percent of the amount

paid towards the cost of direct assessment
credentialing fee or 50 percent of the amount paid
towards the renewal fee by the candidate.

For more information on the Accreditation Subsidy,

contact Kamma Seth atvaeceaccchair@gmail.com.

For more information on the CDA Scholarship,

contact Kamma Seth atvaeceaccchair@gmail.com.

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FALL 2015

Contact Information
VAECE HOTLINE 1-888-22-VAECE (1-888-228-2323)
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
(VOTING MEMBERS):

AFFILIATE CHAPTER PRESIDENTS

(VOTING MEMBERS)

President/NAEYC Affiliate
council rep.
Holly McCartney
hbmccartney@gmail.com
(C) 540-478-4558
(W) 540-568-8753

Central Virgnia AEYC,

President
Jennifer McDonald
director@ourneighborhoodcdc.com
(W) (434) 202-8639
Lord Fairfax AEYC, President
Maureen Keeler
LFAEYC@yahoo.com
KFDC@inbox.com
(H) 540-667-9350

Past President
Debra DeLoose
debradeloose@gmail.com
(H) 703- 451-2047
(C) 571-422-1226

SECA Rep
Susan Barnes
barnessk@jmu.edu
(H) 540-246-6313
(W) 540-568-8114
First VP for Affiliate Support
Cindy Brown
cindybrown51@gmail.com
(C) 757-339-1097
(W) 757-245-8635
Second VP for Professional
Development
Jane Plum
janemplum@aol.com
(C) 703-975-3531
Third VP for Public Policy and
Liaisons
Pat Victorson
mvictors@verizon.net
(H) 703-730-7449
Fourth VP for Outreach
Brookes Sims
bsims@piedmontymca.org
(C) 434-242-8193
(W) 434-974-9622
Secretary
Stephanie Massie
stephmassie214@gmail.com
(H) 434-531-9488
Treasurer
Toni Cacace-Beshears
cacaceb@verizon.net
(W) 757-397-2981
(C) 757-641-2913
Member at Large for
Membership
Mary Braxton
1braxton@comcast.net
(C) 571-288-4466

NRV Chapter of VAECE,

Co-President
Kim Thomason
Kimbe74@vt.edu
NRV Chapter of VAECE
Co-President
Katie Thompson
katie@thelearningladder.net
540-381-6095
Northern VA AEYC, Co-president
Ginny Holloway
gholloway51@yahoo.com
information@nvaeyc.org
(H) 703-922-4481
Northern VA AEYC Co-pres.
Fahemeh Pirzadeh
Rccfahemeh@aol.com
nvaeyc.board@gmail.com
(H) 703-542-5185
(W) 703-476-8150
Greater Lynchburg Chapter,
Co-President
Janet Trent
jttjst@verizon.net
(H) 434-525-6651
(W) 434-384-3131
Greater Lynchburg Chapter,
Co-President
Holly Layne
hlayne@randolphcollege.edu
(C) 434-444-4294
(W) 434-947-8787
PWAEYC, Co-President
Laura Basu
laurabasu@me.com
(H) 703-583-5123
(W) 703-216-5274
PWAEYC, Co-President
Stacey Godin
ssgodin@comcast.net
(H) 703-583-2077
(W) 571-274-7587
Richmond ECA, Co-President
Debbi Mintz
msdebbi@humcpreschool.com
(W) 804-272-1704
(C) 804-305-8878

10

REVISED OCTOBER 2015

STANDING COMMITTEES &
OTHERS (VOTING AND
NON-VOTING MEMBERS)

LIAISONS
(NON-VOTING MEMBERS)

Richmond ECA, Co-President

Susan Hill
shill@clcrichmond.org
(W) 804-740-9342
(C) 804-467-3081

Viewpoint
Paige Beatty
paige.beatty@gmail.com
(C) 703 851-8369
(W) 202-226-9321

Social Services Division of

Licensing Programs
(H) 804-272-4392
(W) 804-726-7156
bast7960@comcast.net

Southeastern AEYC,
Co-President
Joyce B. Oandasan
Joyce@RainbowStationVAB.org
(W) 757-426-6490
(C) 804-338-4048

Public Policy Taskforce,

Chair
Pat Victorson
mvictors@verizon.net
(H) 703-730-7449

VA State Occupational
Child Care
Kathy Strickler, ECE Teacher
(W) 540-658-6080 ext. 1132
(Fax) 540-658-6072
stricklerka@staffordschools.net

Southeastern AEYC,
Co-President
Navine Fortune
npfortune@nsu.edu
(C) 757-217-7218
(W) 757-823-8111
Southeastern AEYC,
Co-President
Navine Fortune
npfortune@nsu.edu
(C) 757-217-7218
(W) 757-823-8111
Southside AECE,
President
Joyce P. Jones
jpjones@hopewell.k12.va.us
(C) 804-943-3092
(H) 804-530-1270
Southside AECE,
Secretary
Peggy Fulton
alderaan1@aol.com
(H) 804-691-1064
Southwest VA AECE,
President
Donna Foley
donnaf@va.childcareaware.org
540-420-2474
Tidewater AECE,
Co-President
Cecil Overton
coverton3@cox.net
(C) 757-879-2857
Tidewater AECE,
Co-President
Connie Goode
constance.23666@yahoo.com
757-826-1136

Accreditation / CDA
Chair
Kamna Seth
vaeceaccchair@gmail.com
(H) 703-255-7130
(W) 703-860-9200
Budget/Fin. Taskforce,
Chair
Toni Cacace-Beshears

Conference Taskforce,
Chair
Jane Plum
Conference
Facilitator/Manager
Sara Smith
vaecehotline@aol.com
(C) 703-946-3413
2016 Conference
Committee, Co-Chair
Joyce Jones
jpjones@hopewell.k12.va.us
2016 Conference
Committee, Co-Chair
Debbi Mintz
msdebbi@humcpreschool.com
2016 Conference
Committee, Co-Chair
Joyce Jones
jpjones@hopewell.k12.va.us
2016 Conference
Committee, Co-Chair
Debbi Heist
msdebbi@humcpreschool.com

Valley Chapter of VAECE,

President
Reece Wilson
Wilsondr@jmu.edu
540-421-8861

VIEWPOINT FALL 2015 THE VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

VA School Age
Child Care Assoc.
Roy Hughes, President
(H) 757- 473-8887
(W) 757 - 471-5884
VA Cooperative
Extension Service
Novella J. Ruffin
(W) 804-524-5257
(Fax) 804-524-5680
nruffin@vsu.edu
Child Care Aware
Sharon Veatch
(W) 804-285-0846
(fax) 804-285-0847
sharonv@va.childcareaware.org
Voices for Virginias Children
Margaret Nimmo Crowe
(W) 804-644-0184, ext. 26
(Fax) 804-649-0161
VEA
Lola McDowell
(H) 804-364-7146
(W) 804-780-4821
topktva@aol.com
Head Start
Pat Carlton
(H) 804-843-9710
(W) 804-843-2289
804-693-3497 (Gloucester)
(Fax) 804-843-2308
pcarlton@pcdcva.org
VA Preschool Initiative
Cheryl Strobel
Cheryl.Strobel@doe.virginia.gov
804- 371-7578
TCC E C Development
Program Head
Kerry Ragno
(W) 757-822-7604
(H) 757-471-1520
kragno@tcc.edu

VIEWPOINT
Bulletin of

VAECE

THE VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION FOR

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

VAECE IS ON FACEBOOK! FIND US AND BECOME A FAN.

Mission Statement
VAECE acts and speaks on behalf of all young children in Virginia.
Purpose
The purpose of this organization shall be to serve and act on behalf of the needs and rights of
all young children and to work with all groups serving the interest and well being of children in
Virginia. Some of the particular concerns of VAECE shall be:
1. To promote the professional growth of persons working with young children.
2. To improve the availability and quality of developmental and educational services and resources
for young children.
3. To advocate for and promote public policy decisions which improve the quality of life for young
children and their families.
4. To support, disseminate and utilize research related to the well being and education of young
children.
Article submission deadline for the Winter 2015 issue of Viewpoint is December 1.
Want to run an advertisement in Viewpoint? Reserve your space by November 1.
Contact the Viewpoint editor, Paige Beatty at paige.beatty@gmail.com for more information.
Viewpoint graphic design by Landis Productions, 1911 Huguenot Road, Suite 301, Richmond, VA 23235, (804) 897-0495, www.landisproductions.com

VAECE HOTLINE
1-888-22VAECE
(1-888-228-2323)

Come visit our web page!

www.VAECE.org
email: vaecehotline@aol.com