What the mission means to Maria
I am passionate about supporting the earliest relationships because they profoundly impact everyone’s potential to live a healthy and resilient life. I am inspired by the opportunity to strengthen connections between families, professionals, and systems to ensure every baby has the chance to grow and flourish. At ZERO TO THREE, our work allows me to help create environments where relationships are prioritized and families feel seen, valued, and supported.
Professional Background
Maria is a social service professional with over 30 years of experience spanning early childhood education, home visiting, and child abuse prevention. As Senior Director of Practice and Field Operations for ZERO TO THREE’s Safe Babies program, she leads a team that supports the implementation of the Safe Babies approach nationwide. Her team provides capacity-building technical assistance at the state level while working closely with communities to advance site-level implementation. Maria’s commitment to fostering collaboration and reflective practices in diverse settings has been integral to strengthening early childhood systems across the country.
In addition to her work with Safe Babies, Maria directed ZERO TO THREE’s Mindfulness in Early Childhood Project, which emphasized integrating mindfulness and compassion practices into early childhood settings. She also led two national technical assistance centers focused on building capacity for home visiting programs in tribal communities and state systems. Before joining ZERO TO THREE in 2011, Maria developed and implemented evidence-based home visiting initiatives in Washington State, successfully securing state funding to expand these services. With a Master of Social Work from the University of Washington and a B.A. from Hamilton College, Maria continues to apply her expertise to advance early childhood program implementation and systems development.
Future Vision
Maria envisions a future where every child has access to the nurturing relationships and environments they need to thrive, starting from birth. She intends to continue shaping systems that prioritize the well-being of infants and toddlers, ensuring that families and professionals are equipped with the tools and support to foster the healthy development of children. Through her collaborative work, she aims to create lasting change in how early childhood systems understand the impact of early relationships in every child’s life.
