CDA Credential - Infant and Toddler, Part 11

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.

Nicole Quint
Dr.OT, OTR/L

Nicole Quint has been an occupational therapist for over 15 years, working in adult and pediatric rehabilitation and academia. She is currently Associate Professor in the Occupational Therapy Department at Nova Southeastern University, teaching in both the Masters and Doctoral programs. She provides outpatient pediatric OT services at NSU and Social Mind Center, specializing in children and adolescents with Sensory Processing Disorder and concomitant disorders. She also provides consultation services for schools, professional development, and special education services. She provides continuing education on topics related to Sensory Processing Disorder, pediatric considerations on the occupation of sleep, occupational therapy and vision, reflective therapist, executive functions, leadership in occupational therapy and social emotional learning. She is currently working on a PhD in conflict analysis and resolution specific to systems and organizations, with an interest in disability and conflict.

Amanda Schwartz
PhD

Amanda Schwartz, Ph.D. is an educator and Federal contractor who has worked at national, regional, state, and local levels. While her expertise is focused on special education, health, early childhood education, and family engagement, Dr. Schwartz has worked on program management and emergency preparedness issues related to children and families. As a team member on several Federal projects, Dr. Schwartz worked in technical assistance, resource development, research, and monitoring. Throughout her career, Dr. Schwartz has developed professional development opportunities and publications to facilitate the use of research-based interventions and support data-driven decision-making by practitioners, technical assistance providers, and Federal staff in the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. 

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.

Charlotte Hendricks
PhD

Erika Flores
BS, MEd

Erika Flores is the founder of ChildrenFlow, an organization whose mission is to empower young children’s development through evidence-based professional development to teachers, coaches, trainers, and administrators. She has over 20 years of experience in the early education field in various capacities and in different countries. Erika has brought her expertise to large statewide strategy and implementation programs, school districts, Head Start programs, non-profit organizations and to the private sector. Before founding ChildrenFlow, Erika worked at Teachstone as a Client Relations Director, at the University of Virginia as a Researcher, and at DePaul University as faculty teaching courses to graduate and undergraduate students. Erika has also taught young children in Mexico and the US. Erika earned her MEd from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her BS in Psychology from the Universidad de Monterrey.

Cara Koscinski
BS, MOT OTR/L

Pediatric occupational therapist, Cara Koscinski, MOT, OTR/L, author of The Pocket Occupational Therapist Book Series, is a veteran clinician specializing in Sensory Processing Disorder, reflex integration, trauma-informed care, and autism. In addition to her longstanding work as a private practice OT, Cara is a successful entrepreneur, having started two companies. Her products can be found in special needs catalogs and websites across the US. Cara’s latest venture is The Pocket Occupational Therapist Book Series. As an author, Cara brings her expertise as a pediatric occupational therapist and mother of two children with autism to parents, caregivers, families, and educators in an easy-to-read, easy-to-follow format. She has six published books. Cara speaks regularly across the US and provides OT consultations, trainings, and seminars as The Pocket Occupational Therapist. She serves on the Advisory Board of Autism Asperger’s Digest Magazine. She is currently working on her doctorate in occupational therapy.

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.