Season's Greetings!

Hello, and Season's Greetings to our providers! 2021 has been yet another weird year for everyone, but I hope you all have been able to return to some normalcy . . . whatever that may be for you now. As we look ahead to a new year, I just want to take a moment and share with you all about our wonderful Resource and Referral team here at Ivy Learning and how they can support you.

Heather Cruz is our Resource and Referral Specialist. She joined our team in January of 2019. Heather comes with a background as a Head Start teacher. She is a pro at classroom management and all the things that entails including, but not limited to, routines and transitions, music and movement, challenging behaviors, large group activities, and sensory play. She has completed multiple trainings on the Pyramid Model and is familiar with Conscious Discipline. Heather can help you organize your classrooms or organize your days. Heather can work one-on-one with teachers in the classrooms with coaching or technical assistance or provide high quality trainings to jump-start your professional development goals.

Renae Barnett is our Infant Toddler Specialist. She also joined our R&R team in January of 2019. She came to us from one of our very own classrooms as a lead teacher in a mixed-age infant toddler classroom. She also has Head Start experience. Renae specializes in all things infants and toddlers including, but not limited to, caregiving routines, age-appropriate activities, daily schedules, and classroom management. She can work directly with teachers in the classrooms providing coaching or TA and can provide high-quality trainings for infant toddler staff. She has completed numerous trainings on the Pyramid Model among other things.

Tracy Hinton is our Business Consultant. She is our newest member and just joined our team in September. Tracy has owned and operated her own Family Child Care Home, taught child development classes for colleges, and provided trainings for providers for many years. Her position is a new role, and while we are learning what exactly that may look like, her main focus is going to be on supporting the business side of child care whether for a family child care home or a child care center. Be on the look-out for more information about what Tracy will be offering very soon.

I’m truly blessed by the team we have, and I hope you all reach out to our team and take advantage of the years of experience and the knowledge they bring to the table.

Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a Happy and Blessed New Year!

Kelsey Thomas

Program Manager