What the mission means to Amanda
In my years of working with babies and families, I have been awestruck at the jaw dropping speed with which they learn, the incredibly complex biological mapping in their brains, and the deep and primal feelings that they draw from the people who care for them. To me, there is nothing more wondrous or beautiful than babies and their families, or more meaningful than our mission to make sure that every single baby has a strong start.
Professional Background
Amanda comes to her role with experience as an infant-toddler teacher supported by the Child Care Development Block Grant, an early interventionist under funding from Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and sixteen years as a trainer and technical assistance provider with Early Head Start. She has a Masters degree in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Certificate in Interdisciplinary Early Intervention from the Virginia Institute for Developmental Disabilities. Amanda has particular expertise in attachment and the pivotal family role in child development and learning. In her current work, she is most interested in engaging families and direct service staff in grassroots advocacy for their young children and communities.
As a Senior Advocacy Specialist, Amanda Perez works with the advocacy team to develop and implement advocacy campaigns on infant-toddler issues. Amanda contributes to a variety of written products from ZERO TO THREE’s Policy Center, and edits, produces, and writes for our bi-weekly policy newsletter, The Baby Monitor.
Future Vision
Amanda commits her work toward a society where people, programs, priorities and policies align to give every baby a strong start in life. Every. Single. Baby.
Contact us if you’d like to request Amanda as a speaker. Visit our Speakers Bureau to learn about many of our other subject matter experts.
