CDA Credential - Family Child Care, Part 12

Karen Deerwester
EdS

Owner of Family Time, Inc.

Karen Deerwester is the owner of Family Time Coaching & Consulting, the director at Family Time classes at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton and the host of the weekly podcast See Me Hear Me Love Me. Karen is the author of three parenting books: The Entitlement-Free Child (Sourcebooks 2009), The Playskool Guide to Potty Training (Sourcebooks 2008), and The Potty Training Answer Book (Sourcebooks 2007) which won the 2008 NAPPA Gold Award for parenting resources. Karen has also appeared on numerous TV and radio programs including MSNBC, NBC, and NPR, as well as contributed parenting/early childhood advice to Parents Magazine, Parenting Magazine, Real Simple, Women’s Day, and Essence Magazine.

Natasha Crosby Kile
MS

Natasha Crosby Kile, MS is a Program Coordinator for Bentonville Schools in Bentonville, AR, and works as a certified trainer, writer, coach and consultant for both the University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University. Natasha has over 25 years of experience working in the field of Early Childhood as a teacher, supervisor, trainer and mentor. She holds a Bachelor's of Science in Child Development from the University of Arkansas and a Master's of Science in Childhood Services from Arkansas State University. Natasha has served as a leader in many areas including serving on the board of Arkansas Early Childhood Association. Natasha has a passion for training early childhood professionals and finds herself right at home in a group of 5 to 5,000 teachers that are eager to facilitate the growth of young children and support their families. She is a distinguished expert, and was named Arkansas Early Childhood Professional of the Year in 2012.

Terrie Rose
PhD, LP

Dr. Terrie Rose earned her PhD at the University of Minnesota where she served as a statistician on the Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation and as the Associate Director for the Irving B. Harris Training Center for Infant and Toddler Development. She is a licensed child psychologist and the founder of Baby’s Space, a full-service child development center located in the heart of Minneapolis’s urban American Indian community.

Fulfilling her teenage dream of being an actor, Terrie is on stage as a national speaker training health and education professionals about child development, mental health diagnoses, trauma, and parenting. Her TEDx Talk From the Baby’s Point of View is available at tedxtalks.com and YouTube.

Dr. Rose co-authored many articles and the STEEP manual, a preventive intervention program of parent education for at-risk parents and infants. Her first book, Emotional Readiness: How Early Experience and Mental Health Predict School Success was published in 2014. Most recently she completed a comprehensive curriculum for infant, toddler, and three-year-old childcare. Terrie’s blog, available on her website drterrierose.com translates everyday events and child development into bite-size bits.

Sara Pullen
DPT, MPH

Dr. Pullen is an Associate Professor at Emory University School of Medicine, where she coordinates the service learning program and the pro bono physical therapy clinic. Dr. Pullen’s clinical practice and research focuses on the intersection of HIV, chronic pain and opioid use, especially in underserved areas. Dr. Pullen started the first physical therapy clinic within a freestanding, multi-service AIDS clinic in the southeastern U.S. where she holds weekly clinics and conducts clinical research.  She has wide experience in the provision of health services to underserved communities both in the U.S. and internationally. She has published several peer-reviewed journals on the topic of HIV and physical therapy, and provided the HIV content of the two major study guides for the physical therapy national board licensure exam. In 2015, she received the IPT-HOPE Award from the World Congress of Physical Therapy for her work in the field of HIV and physiotherapy. In 2018, she received the Emory University School of Medicine’s prestigious Hidden Gem Award for her groundbreaking work with HIV and chronic pain in vulnerable communities. 

Caitlin Frazier
MS

​Caitlin Frazier has been a dedicated early learning advocate for over a decade. In addition to being a lifelong learner, Caitlin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education & a Master of Science in Educational Administration. Caitlin has served young learners from New York to California as an administrator, teacher, researcher and consultant in university, public, and private school settings. These experiences have always motivated Caitlin to help high quality early learning become more modern, simple, and accessible. With this mission at the forefront, Caitlin deeply enjoys working with school staff of all levels in order to help them reach their greatest potential in supporting our littlest learners.

Kathy Lincoln
MA

Kathy Lincoln holds a master's degree in Educational Administration and has nearly 25 years experience in education.  She provides consultation and professional development for teachers and leaders that supports the creation of high quality, early education environments. With a background in business management, early education, sociology of families and communities, and language acquisition, she has acquired a unique skill set that supports the development of rich learning environments where every student and every staff member can be dedicated to reaching their fullest potential.

Katie Nelson
BS, MEd

Katie Nelson holds a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education from Southern Methodist University and is going into her tenth year as a Pre-K teacher at The Lamplighter School in Dallas, TX. She is a strong advocate for unplugged technology activities that introduce her students to the basics of using technology while being cognizant of limiting screen time. Over the last five years, she has successfully piloted a screen-free coding program at Lamplighter and continues to find ways to bring technology into the lives of the youngest learners. She has presented on the topic of Coding with Pre-Readers at numerous conferences across the country including the national conference for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and numerous conferences for the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA).

Amy Schlessman
BS, MPT, DPT, DHS

Dr. Amy Schlessman has a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Physical Therapy degree, a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, and a Doctor of Health Science degree. Amy has taught as an assistant professor and an adjunct professor at Mount Saint Joseph University. She has also taught as an adjunct professor at Sinclair Community College, Miami University, and the University of Cincinnati. Amy is currently an assistant professor in the physical therapy program at the University of Findlay while she continues to work as a school-based physical therapist. She has practiced physical therapy for sixteen years primarily in the school-based setting, promoting physical activity embedded into academics, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the use of technology in therapy, while closely working with educators, administrators, therapists, and parents. Amy has conducted numerous presentations for teachers, parents, and therapists on a variety of topics. 

Julie Kurtz
MS

Julie Kurtz is an author, national speaker, and expert consulting and training on trauma and resilience. She promotes the concept of optimal brain integration to maximize the human growth potential. Julie is the Founder and CEO for the Center for Optimal Brain Integration.

She is a co-author of: 

• Trauma-Informed Practices for Early Childhood Educators: Relationship-Based Approaches that Support Healing and Build Resilience in Young Children.
• Culturally Responsive Self-Care Practices for Early Childhood Educators (Spring 2020).

Julie Kurtz is the creator of the phone/tablet Application (APP) Trigger Stop: Sensory and Emotional Check-in designed specifically for children ages 3-8 years to promote sensory and emotional literacy and to support self-regulation.

In 2011, she was named as one of the most 100 Influential Woman of Silicon Valley, CA by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal.