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

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.
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.

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

Formerly worked in state government in New Mexico, and was formerly an early childhood stakeholder in Florida (NSU, The Children’s Trust)

Margie Wallen

Louise Stoney

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