CDA Credential - Preschool, Part 12

Jane Madell
PhD CCC-A/SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT

Director of Pediatric Audiology Consulting

Jane Madell, PhD, FAAA, is a certified audiologist, speech-language pathologist, and LSLS auditory verbal therapist. Dr Madell was formerly the Director of the Hearing and Learning Center and Cochlear Implant Center at The Ear Institute, NYEE/Beth Israel Medical Center and Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her clinical and research interests include evaluation and management of hearing in infants and young children, including hearing aids, cochlear implants and RM systems, assessment of auditory function, and evaluation and management of auditory processing disorders. Dr Madell has published 7 books, numerous book chapters and journal articles. She writes the HearingandKids blog for www.HearingHealthMatters.org. She is the recipient of the AAA 2017 Marion Downs Award for Excellence in Pediatric Audiology. She presents at parent and professional meetings, nationally and internationally, on management of children with hearing loss, assessing technology, listening and spoken language, auditory processing disorders, and child and family support.

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.

Amy Schlessman
BS, MPT, DPT, DHS

Amy Schlessman, PT, DPT, DHSc, is the Director of ADEPT (Accelerated Development of Excellence in Physical Therapy) at Tufts University, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences. She has over 22 years of experience as a school-based physical therapist, working with early childhood and school-age students, teachers, parents, and administrators.

Her research is focused on embedding physical activity throughout the school day/health promotion, emergency preparedness, collaborative practices, and best practices in teaching. Amy has delivered over 65 professional presentations at national, state, and regional conferences and over 100 invited speaker presentations. Amy is the author of Recycle Bin Boogie: Move and Learn with Recyclables, a guide to physical activities combined with academic concepts using recyclables. Amy serves the Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy as a member of the Communications/Membership/Public Relations Leadership Committee and State Advocacy Liaison for Ohio. Amy serves the Ohio Physical Therapy Association as part of the Pediatric Special Interest Group’s leadership team.

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.

Amber Tankersley
PhD

Amber Tankersley is an associate professor in child development within the department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas. She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary/early childhood education, a master's degree in elementary education, and a PhD in curriculum and instruction. She has worked in the field of early childhood for over 20 years as a preschool teacher, university child care center director, university instructor/professor and director of an NAEYC accredited preschool lab. She often presents at workshops/conferences on the topic of early childhood curriculum and the importance of play. She teaches courses such as: early childhood curriculum, interacting with children, parent/professional relationships, and she supervises practicum students and preschool student teachers. 

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).