About Me
My Education and Experience
While most of my pre-teen and teenage years in Oklahoma were spent babysitting as often as I could, my official career with children didn't begin until I was seventeen and I accepted my first job as a full-time nanny, and later a preschool teacher. I continued to work as a nanny through college, where I studied Early Childhood Development and Community Organizing alongside my major in Political Science.
During my college years in NYC, I read an article in the NYTimes about a social activist and visionary named Geoffrey Canada. Originally from Harlem, he left home to study at Harvard and returned to begin The Harlem Children's Zone Project. This project was aimed to support families in Harlem by providing evidenced-based and deeply transformative programming for children and families suffering from systemic racism and the intergenerational poverty resulting from the generations of slavery in the U.S. I reached out immediately to see how I could be of service and I was lucky enough to work with the Harlem Children's Zone Project for my last two years of university. During my time in Harlem, I realized that my work with children and families was my true heart-calling, and not just a job.
Once I completed my Bachelor's degree I accepted a lead teaching position at a Head Start Program back in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This particular Head Start Program was awarded national recognition through a personal visit by Barack Obama (a senator at the time) as he toured the U.S. promoting Early Childhood Education. It was also the subject of a groundbreaking Georgetown University academic paper as a case study of the long-term, transformative impact of Early Childhood Education for children, families, and entire communities. My time with Head Start awarded me the most progressive and empowering educator training I have ever experienced, and I have been inspired and committed to continuing my education in my field ever since. I have completed an average of 60 hours of continuing education every year for 20+ years, in the form of college course work and certificate-based conferences and trainings through West Ed, NAEYC, NAFCC, San Francisco Children's Council, and a network of nationally recognized Early Childhood Education experts and teacher trainers. I am eternally eager to learn more and continue to do my part in elevating children, the quality of their care, and the whole-child approach to early education.
I opened my first home+nature based early childhood program in San Francisco in 2011 and I thrived there for 10years. Now that I have moved to Grass Valley, I have a new space and new opportunities to reimagine what's possible with a small group of bright spirits and open-ended play and creativity. So far it's been beautiful and oh so sweet!
Contact me at kristikeefe@gmail.com