Teaching Strategies Employee Spotlight: Lauren, Director of Public Policy and State Partnerships
Lauren began her career as a kindergarten teacher. During this time, she had the opportunity to be a Teaching Strategies customer. With her love for education continuing to blossom in several ways, she made a pivot into a position within the state government of Arizona. Lauren occupied various positions during her time in state government, including Director of Professional Learning and Sustainability at the Arizona Department of Education and Inter-Agency Deputy Director for Early Childhood at the Texas Education Agency.
Lauren now uses her experience as a Teaching Strategies customer and former educator and her knowledge of early childhood learning policy in her role here at Teaching Strategies.
Recently, we asked Lauren to share her thoughts on work and life at Teaching Strategies.
What is the most rewarding part of your work with Teaching Strategies?
As a past educator and state agency leader, one of the most rewarding aspects of working for Teaching Strategies is that I am working for a partner that listens and responds to the needs of the field. All our exciting new solutions are thanks to feedback and collaboration with families, educators, administrators, and state agency leads. I am humbled to work for an organization that values all members contributing to improved outcomes for children.
Why do you feel ECE is so important to a child’s well-being and educational development?
Early childhood education (ECE) is critical to a child’s well-being and educational development, as it lays the foundation for a child’s lifelong learning, behavior, and overall well-being. During the early years, a child’s brain develops rapidly, making this period the most influential for shaping cognitive, language, and social skills. Quality early experiences help children build essential skills in communication, problem-solving, and self-regulation, which are critical for success in learning and life. These early childhood experiences also provide opportunities to engage children’s curiosity and confidence and develop their love for learning. Recognizing that ECE not only fosters immediate development but also lifelong academic performance and improved health outcomes, I am humbled to support early childhood education through Teaching Strategies, an organization setting the standard for quality early childhood education for every child by connecting teachers, children, and families to inspired teaching and learning experiences, informative data, and stronger partnerships.
Tell us about your role at Teaching Strategies. What does your day to day look like?
Lauren’s role at Teaching Strategies primarily revolves around advocacy and policy collaboration with external stakeholders, state leaders, and state legislative members. Although each day looks a little different from the last, every day is supporting those critical pieces.
Her days include update calls with state lobbyists, identifying opportunities to lend support to early childhood education policies, check-in calls with state agency leaders, and internal collaborations. In conjunction with these calls, she actively tracks federal and state legislation, identifies opportunities to share state initiatives and resources to support state partners.
Aligned to her day-to-day work, Lauren oversees the State Partners Thought Leadership Group, a working group designed to provide state early childhood education leaders the opportunity to connect, collaborate, and share ideas with one another and the Teaching Strategies team through a collaborative community and peer learning exchange. The group shares resources and convenes virtually on a quarterly basis.
Recognizing the importance of collaboration, Lauren also supports external partnerships with supporting organizations such as National Association of State Leaders in Early Education (NASLEE), National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE), National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL), and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). These partnerships include resource sharing, conference collaborations, member networking, and reinforcing systems of support for the field.
What do you think the future holds for Teaching Strategies?
Partnership. The future for Teaching Strategies will always include partnership with the field. We pride ourselves in being your partner in early childhood education, whether that be in support of implementation or policy development or as your thought partner.
I am proud to work for an organization that partners with you to continuously innovate to meet the needs of the field and improve outcomes for children.
