What the mission means to Kristen
I know with all of my experience, my knowledge, and my heart that the earlier in life our society embraces its responsibilities to the healthy development and learning of young children, the more profoundly transformed our children’s capacities and achievements become. As a country and world, we possess the knowledge and resources to sustain positive trajectories for every child, no matter where their family lives. We must commit these resources to the children, their families, and our future. ZERO TO THREE staff acts to achieve this outcome and uphold this universal human right.
Professional Background
From Kristen’s first job as a classroom teacher to her current role as a Special Projects director in the ZERO TO THREE Policy Center, her determination has grown stronger to create training, programs, initiatives, and systems that promote meaningful, nurturing, and responsive interactions between and among early childhood professionals, families and young children. She has learned that supporting responsive human interactions, especially adult-child interactions, and relational health ultimately creates the learning moments, experiences, and environments that fulfill every EC professional’s and young child’s developmental potential.
Kristen Greene began her career as an early childhood special educator on an interdisciplinary team working with young children with social-emotional disabilities. The children and their families came to her classroom and program needing more than educational expertise, often struggling with poverty-related issues of unsafe housing, lack of food, and ineffective, sometimes harmful social services and systems. Through her and her team’s collective work with the children and families, children returned to public school settings with the social-emotional skills and capacities needed, and families had stronger support networks. These experiences informed her educational journey and career.
Kristen joined ZERO TO THREE in May 2016 after serving as an Early Childhood Education Specialist under a federal Race to the Top – EC grant at the RI Department of Education. Kristen holds a doctorate in early childhood, family, and literacy studies and brings a wide range of additional professional experience focused on young children’s development. These experiences include positions as an early childhood special education teacher, child care center administrator, higher education faculty member, infant and early childhood consultant, and Early Head Start Infant Toddler training and technical assistance specialist. She has expertise in social-emotional development and disabilities, early care and education, and effective ECE professional development and systems that support practice change.
Future Vision
Kristen envisions thriving early childhood professionals, particularly educators, engaging in meaningful, joyful learning moments with young children. The early childhood programs they work for will provide high-quality learning environments supported by effective state and federal policies and dedicated funds. In doing so, our society will lead the world in innovations that to heal our world and each other.
