The following endorsements were given for Dan’s candidacy for the NAEYC Board election. However, they speak to his accomplishments as an early care and educator.
Sue Russell
Dan Haggard will be an excellent NAEYC Board member. He has worked in early care and education in multiple roles, demonstrated both affiliate and systems leadership in New Mexico, understands early childhood workforce needs and issues, has supported strategies that have improved the quality of and access to early childhood programs, embraces the diversity of children and families and the workforce that supports them, and has been a longstanding advocate for better systems and resources for young children, families, and teachers and early care and education providers. He has helped create a well-articulated higher education system that is built on competencies. Dan is thoughtful, respectful, and fun to work with ... and he will contribute a lot to NAEYC's next steps.
Ellen Frede
Dan Haggard is the perfect candidate for the NAEYC board! I first heard about Dan when I was leading the design and implementation of the NJ Abbott Preschool program. Multiple national leaders were talking about the astounding progress and innovative systems that were happening in New Mexico and I borrowed quite a lot then and later. When I was co-director of the National Institute for Early Education Research, I got the opportunity to work directly with Dan and his colleague...s in New Mexico and see firsthand their inventive approaches. What makes Dan a perfect NAEYC Board member is the breadth and depth of his experience in ECE. He provides leadership in Head Start, state-funded preschool, child care, home visiting and really every aspect of early care and education. But he adds to that an uncommon ability to coordinate across sectors and just do what is best for children and families. His years of experience in New Mexico have added to his understanding of how best practice cannot be rigidly standardized but must fit the context and the culture of the families and children. Dan is a great gift to the field of early childhood care and education and NAEYC deserves to benefit more fully from that gift. Please join me in supporting my dear friend and esteemed colleague in his candidacy for Board member.
Camille Catlett
Dan Haggard is the rare visionary leader who can integrate evidence-based frameworks like the NAEYC standards with a true understanding of the challenges of supporting each child and family on a daily basis. The results of his leadership have been thoughtful approaches that value each early childhood professional and enhance the possibility to support the full potential of children who are unique in terms of culture, language and ability.
Camille Catlett, Scientist FPG Child Development Institute, UNC-Chapel Hill
Louise Stoney
I heartily endorse Dan Haggard for the NAEYC Board. I've worked with Dan for many years. He is deeply committed to the field and has worked to craft effective public policy to strengthen the quality of services for very young children. He understands ECE from many sides -- as a service provider, administrator, policy maker and funder -- and has experience working with market-based and school-based programs. He would be a terrific asset to the NAEYC Board.
Muriel Wong
Endorsement to go here.
Margie Wallen
It is a great pleasure to endorse Dan Haggard for an at-large position on the NAEYC Governing Board and to urge you to vote for Dan!
As the Ounce of Prevention Fund’s Director of Policy Partnerships, I work with early childhood leaders from across the nation. For almost 20 years, I have been mentored by and worked alongside of Dan who has devoted his career to giving young children the best chance for success in school and in life by expanding access to high-quality early care and education and family engagement and leadership opportunities.
Using knowledge from research and practice and working across Head Start, child care, pre-k, school-based programs, home visiting, family support, and higher education to enact policies and advance professional development is at the core of Dan’s professional practice and accomplishments. As a local, state, and national policy leader, Dan would bring to the NAEYC Board:
strategic thinking, tenacity, and reflection
creative approaches and practical solutions to bridging diverse points of view, building partnerships, and achieving NAEYC’s goals
respect for the strengths, languages, and cultures of children, families, and professionals
passion for enhancing the lives of young children and families and early childhood professionals
Within New Mexico and nationally, Dan is a proven and visionary leader and implementer who has made lasting contributions to the field of early childhood education. His considerable skills and passion for young children and families would be assets to the NAEYC Governing Board.
Please vote for Dan!
Peter Winograd
Dan Haggard would be such a great addition to the NAEYC Governing Board. Here are some reasons why:
The state of New Mexico is a recognized leader in efforts to improve the care and education of young children. Some of the most important accomplishments include:
• New Mexico was among the first three states to implement a Quality Rating System for early childhood programs in 1998 and 1999 and is now piloting its third generation of the Tiered Quality Rating System.
• Funding For Early Childhood programs has increased 84% over the last five years from $137 million in FY12 to $252 million in FY16.
• New Mexico has established, both in practice and in law, a System of early childhood systems that includes home visiting; childcare assistance; Pre-K programs; Headstart programs; Family, Infant and Toddler Programs; early literacy efforts; and Kindergarten to Grade 3 Extended Year programs.
• New Mexico was an early winner of the Race To The Top –Early Learning Challenge Grant which included the concept of Early Child Investment Zones for identifying and prioritizing communities where children are at the greatest risk.
These accomplishments have come about because New Mexico has a diverse, vibrant, and passionate community of early childhood leaders, advocates, practitioners, and others. Each and every one of us in that early childhood community would point to Dan Haggard as one of the most important reasons we have made such progress in taking care of the youngest New Mexicans.
Dan Haggard has been working in early childhood for the last 45 years (35 years in New Mexico). He is deeply respected for his vision, his expertise in policy and practice, his network of relationships, and his deep commitment to the young children of our state. Dan has the rare ability to work with practitioners, state agency staff, governors and legislators from both sides of the political aisle, and national experts and advocates.
I join my fellow New Mexicans in supporting Dan Haggard’s candidacy to serve on the Governing Board of Directors for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). We have accomplished much for young children across the country, but there is still so much more to do. Dan will be an invaluable addition to the Governing Board and a powerful national advocate for young children across the country.
Dr. Peter Winograd
Professor Emeritus, University Of New Mexico
Jesse Leinfelder
I urge you to support Dan Haggard for Governing Board. Dan is leading stakeholders in NM to construct an exemplary "early childhood system of systems" - recognizing the interconnectedness of all elements and efforts. As Deputy Director of Early Childhood Services he has worked for many years within state government to establish a solid foundation for early childhood. Here are a couple notable examples:
- With Dan’s leadership the higher education task force accomplished common core curriculum and syllabi for EC courses across the state, so classes taken at one institution transfer seamlessly to another. The core design is updated at minimum every 5 years, and all staff are invited to the annual Faculty Institute for targeted professional development.
- NM’s QRIS was among the first in the nation, and has undergone 3 transformations under Dan’s leadership. The current FOCUS on Children’s Learning emphasizes use by teachers of the Early Learning Guidelines in an ongoing process of authentic observation, documentation and curriculum planning. This is a very innovative approach to QRIS, designed in response to persistent low proficiency on later standardized tests and is showing promising results.
- FOCUS embraces child care, state PreK, early intervention Parts C and B, and home visiting—bringing all these programs/systems under a standards-based umbrella, with common understanding of our goals for children and families. With Dan’s guidance NM is building the data management capabilities necessary for unified planning, reporting and accountability of these early childhood systems. Dan promotes participation by all stakeholders in collaborative planning for policy and program development.
He has been involved with NAEYC initiatives for many years, is a strong leader of TEACH and WAGES, and maintains collegial connections with several key NAEYC leaders—preparing him well for service on the Governing Board.
Jesse Leinfelder , Ed.D. Consultant, Policy Solutions
Judith Paiz
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