FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tracy Zimmerman - Phone: (919) 821-9564
Date: April 2, 2009
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Stephanie Fanjul Elected President of National Early Childhood Board
National Organization Taps Local NC Leader for Key Position
Raleigh, NC—Stephanie Fanjul, president of The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. (NCPC), was elected president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Governing Board.
“The members of NAEYC are courageous and relentless champions for our children,” Fanjul said. “I am honored to be part of this group and use the skills I have gained to achieve lasting change for young children.”
Founded in 1926, NAEYC has nearly 90,000 members worldwide. The Governing Board works to raise the quality of early care and education for all young children and ensures that the association is well managed in pursuit of this mission.
Fanjul’s four-year term begins June 1, 2009. She will serve one year as president-elect, two years as president, and one year as past president. She follows other North Carolina leaders; Sue Russell, president of Child Care Services Association in Chapel Hill, is NAEYC’s outgoing president; and Dr. Richard Clifford, senior scientist at FPG Child Development Institute, is a past president.
In North Carolina, Fanjul was instrumental in creating Smart Start, which is overseen by NCPC, and the nation’s first comprehensive rated license for child care programs. Now, as NCPC’s president, Fanjul supports 78 local partnerships serving every county in North Carolina. They bring together families, teachers, doctors, dentists, libraries, schools and others to create a comprehensive system of early childhood care and education for children across the state. Since its inception, Smart Start has dramatically improved the quality of the state’s early childhood programs.
“I am driven by a passion, energy, and hope that all children will get everything they need to thrive,” Fanjul added. “We all have a stake in their development. Today’s children are our future leaders, parents, and workers. Investing in early childhood education is essential to our nation’s future economic prosperity.”
Other leadership positions Fanjul has held include director of the North Carolina Division of Child Development; deputy commissioner in the Child Care Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC.; and director of student achievement for the National Education Association.
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Smart Start is North Carolina’s early childhood leadership network dedicated to assuring that every child reaches his or her potential and is prepared for success in a global community. For more information, visit our What is Smart Start? page.