Lynette Aytch is an early childhood professional committed to the healthy development, care, and education of young children, particularly those living in poverty, children of color, and children with disabilities. She is currently Director of the Leadership Development Institute at ZERO TO THREE. In this role she supports the ZERO TO THREE Fellowship Program and the Academy of ZERO TO THREE Fellows.
Prior to ZERO TO THREE, Dr. Aytch was Director of Organizational Development at the North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC), where she provided primary leadership in the design, implementation, and evaluation of an organizational development initiative to strengthen executive leadership, governance, community engagement, and financial sustainability of the statewide network of Smart Start partnerships. This initiative was implemented in collaboration with a diverse team of local, state, and national nonprofit and early childhood leaders. Prior to NCPC, Dr. Aytch was Assistant Director of the National Center for Early Development and Learning (NCEDL), a 5-year, $14 million grant from the US Department of Education housed at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. In addition to administrative responsibilities, she was the lead researcher on a project focused on the quality of early intervention services for infants and toddler with disabilities. Prior to NCEDL, she worked as a School Psychologist in Camden, New Jersey focused predominately on children preschool to 3rd grade.
In support of her own leadership development, Dr. Aytch has participated in several leadership programs including BRIDGES – Leadership for Women in the Academy, Leadership North Carolina, and the William C. Friday Fellowship in Human Relations. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Southern University and a Doctor of Psychology degree from Rutgers University in School Psychology. In her leisure, Lynette enjoys biking, yoga, gardening, and the arts, particularly contemporary dance and theater.
