Eva C. Phillips, EdD, supports early learning educators through professional development, consulting, and coaching. She provided nearly 40 years of service to North Carolina’s students and educators as a kindergarten teacher, state Title I preschool and kindergarten consultant, assistant professor and Birth-Kindergarten Education Program Coordinator, and district program manager for early learning. She co-created and co-facilitated the NC Power of K Teacher Leader Initiative and served as president of the North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children from 2009 to 2013. Dr. Phillips is coauthor of the book Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Kindergartners and of the white paper Children Come First.
Amy Scrinzi, EdD, has more than 30 years’ experience in the field of education as a classroom teacher, consultant, mentor, and author. She is assistant professor of child development at Meredith College in North Carolina, also serving as the coordinator of its birth-to-kindergarten licensure program. A former classroom teacher in pre-K through third grade, Dr. Scrinzi developed and facilitated projects that included co-leading the state’s Power of K 3-year kindergarten teacher leadership initiative. She also served as a K-2 math consultant, state lead for the North Carolina Kindergarten Entry Assessment, and mentor for nonpublic pre-K teachers seeking a teaching license. She is coauthor of the book Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Kindergartners.
Susan Friedman is senior director of publishing and content development at NAEYC. In this role, she leads the content development work of NAEYC’s books and periodicals teams. Ms. Friedman is coeditor of Each and Every Child: Teaching Preschool with an Equity Lens. She has extensive prior experience creating content on play, developmentally appropriate uses of media, and other topics for educators and families. She has presented at numerous educational conferences, including NAEYC’s Professional Learning Institute and Annual Conference, the South by Southwest Education (SXSW EDU) Conference & Festival, and the School Superintendents Association’s Early Learning Cohort. She began her career as a preschool teacher at City and Country School in New York City. She holds degrees from Vassar College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
