WHY CHILD?
CHILD offers high-quality, tailored professional development for early childhood practitioners. Recognizing the unique skillset required of early childhood educators to ensure children and families develop optimally, CHILD sponsors professional development opportunities that make a difference. Through intentional professional development offerings and the use of knowledgeable, experienced trainers that know and understand how adults learn, CHILD. helps advance the profession while strengthening the relationships between practitioners, children and families.
We offer monthly seminars that cover a variety of the Texas Core Knowledge and Skills areas as well as an annual Spring Conference that serves between 600 and 1,000 early childhood practitioners, administrators trainers and advocates.
OUR MISSION
The mission of the Center in Houston for Infant Learning and Development (CHILD) is to promote early childhood education through the dissemination of educational materials and sponsorship of seminars and training for parents and early childhood education professionals in the Houston community.
OUR VISION
Our understanding of infant learning and development is increasing exponentially. There is an expanding body of evidence that the single most critical factor influencing a childs future is that childs experience during the first few months and years. CHILD collaborates with qualified and experienced early childhood educators to share that knowledge and experience through the dissemination of educational materials and sponsorship of seminars and training for parents and early childhood education professionals in the Houston community.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
GREG ROBERS
PRESIDENT
A retired international petroleum attorney, Greg has lived and worked around the world. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Engineering and Stanford University Business and Law Schools. Dedicated to early childhood education, he is the founder of the Cathedral House Montessori School, President of the Center for Early Childhood Education, President of Metropolitan Montessori Schools, and a sponsor of the Center in Houston for Infant Learning and Development.
AARON CARRARA
VICE PRESIDENT
Aaron has eighteen years of experience in the early childhood education field and holds leadership positions in numerous professional and industry-related organizations. He is a past president of the Houston Area Association for the Education of Young Children (HAAEYC), Past President and Board Chair of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TAEYC) and is a certified Touchpoints Trainer through the Brazelton Touchpoints Center.
TERI JACKSON
VICE PRESIDENT
Teri has served as administrator of Cathedral House Episcopal School since 1994. A certified Montessori teacher and trainer, she has worked in the early childhood education field for over thirty years. Teri is the Past President of the Houston Area Association for the Education of Young Children (HAAEYC). Additionally she is a certified infant/toddler and primary teacher, a certified Touchpoints Trainer through the Brazelton Touchpoints Center and a board member of the Montessori Administrators network.
KAREN GATTEN
SECRETARY
Karen has more than thirty years of experience in the early childhood education field. She is a mentor and field consultant for the American Montessori Society and is a Certified Montessori Teacher through the National Center for Montessori Education (NCME). Karen is skilled in the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Accreditation process and is a former board member with the Houston Area Association for the Education of Young Children (HAAEYC).