2024 DEC SFQC Infant/Toddler Conference

Crystal Coleman

Crystal Coleman, Regional Coordinator with the Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) at WestEd, brings over 20 years of experience in the early childhood education field. Leading a team of infant/toddler specialists, Crystal coordinates training and coaching services to enhance the quality of care and educational experiences for infants and toddlers in family homes and center-based programs. She has been a video host for PITC See It in Practice, a content contributor and video host for the California Early Childhood Online (CECO) Health and Safety course, and participated as an interviewer and content contributor for the Culturally Responsive Trauma-Informed Practices CECO course. Crystal is a certified 500-hour Yoga Alliance instructor and educator. She is educated in mindfulness and trauma-informed care and brings this unique perspective to her training and coaching for early childhood educators.

As a young child, Crystal formed a secure attachment with her maternal grandmother. As Crystal continues to do her “inside work,” it has become clear that her grandmother helped her feel calm, supported, validated, and loved.

Janelle Crossley

Janelle Crossley is a Program Associate at WestEd, where she has supported various projects focused on infant/toddler care since 2009. She currently supports the San Francisco Quality Connections (SFQC) project through content development, team professional development, and project planning. SFQC provides training and coaching for early childhood programs in San Francisco, both center-based and family child care. Janelle started working in the field in 2003 as an infant/toddler teacher at Reggio Emilia-inspired programs and as a trainer/coach of early childhood educators. She earned her MA in Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education from CSU Fresno.

Janelle’s parents endured some trying times in her early years, but she always felt protected, safe, and loved through it all.

Jennifer Delos Reyes

Jennifer Delos Reyes, Early Learning Programs Quality Manager at DEC, has been in the field of Early Care and Education for 25 years. She has held various roles at private nonprofits serving San Francisco’s most vulnerable children and families. In addition to program work, Jennifer is an instructor at SFSU and facilitated trainings with First5 SF. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of San Francisco (1997) and an MA in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College (2009). Jennifer is the proud mother of two beautiful SFUSD students and, in her spare time, loves to bake, knit, and spend time with her family.

Marisa Espinal

Marisa Espinal is an Infant/Toddler Specialist with PITC at WestEd and a QRIS coach with the San Mateo County Office of Education. She has worked with infants, toddlers, and their families for over 30 years. She began as a summer volunteer with toddlers, became a classroom aide, and worked her way up through different programs as an Assistant, Teacher, and finally a Site Director. She also supported a Neighborhood Family Childcare Program as a Parent Coordinator. Marisa earned a BA in Child Development from San Francisco State University. Marisa has always felt that Social-Emotional Development is the most important domain. The research on brain development has validated how crucial this area is to healthy child growth and development. Marisa has been fortunate to work with educators and families from diverse backgrounds. English is her first language, but she is also fluent in Spanish, Italian, and “Toddler-ese.”

Marisa became interested in Attachment Theory when she studied child development. She recalled her attachment with her mother and how she cried at separation every day of first grade when being dropped off at school. She had no problems in kindergarten and later in school, but she recalls crying every day of first grade! Later in her career, these experiences gave her empathy for young children struggling with separation anxiety and allowed her to ease their transition into early care.

Ingrid Mezquita

As a San Francisco native growing up in the vibrant Mission District, Ingrid has been driven and inspired by envisioning a better future for San Francisco’s most vulnerable children. Ingrid’s outlook and commitment to racial equity shaped her early experiences. Ingrid’s background before the government includes the nonprofit sector, where she contributed to early childhood growth as a strategist, developer, director, adviser, consultant, and board member. Being passionate about improved public policy is the foundational experience Ingrid brings to the newly formed Department of Early Childhood with a core understanding of how systems change shapes policy and is purposeful in eliminating disparities for people of color.

Ingrid is the inaugural Director of San Francisco’s Department of Early Care (DEC) and is intentionally focused on educational equity and seizing the opportunity to help design and implement San Francisco’s universal preschool system by supporting creative, risk-taking, innovative solutions that establish a new normal for preschool enrollment. During Ingrid’s leadership at First 5 San Francisco and then the Office of Early Care and Education, preschool participation for African American and Latino children grew from 69% to 92%. Now, as the Director of DEC, Ingrid is driven by hope, and it’s reflected in her personal and collective commitment to facilitate transformation through implementing equity-driven strategies and to ensure resources are focused on children thriving in a community that respects their culture, language, and heritage.

Elaine New

Ee Leng (Elaine) New, SFQC Trainer/Coach Supervisor at WestEd, has over 20 years of experience in early childhood education. She began as a babysitter for her cousins before becoming a substitute at an early childhood education center, where her passion for working with young children and families became her career. With over 11 years of experience as an infant/toddler teacher, Elaine also served as a Family Support Specialist at SFUSD before joining WestEd, where she has held various roles, including PITC Infant/Toddler Specialist, PITC Regional Coordinator, and currently serves as the SFQC Trainer/Coach Supervisor.

As a young girl with a strong, secure attachment to her father, Elaine recognizes what it means to be seen, valued, protected, and loved unconditionally. This relationship drives how she is as an educator to children, a coach to educators, a mother to her daughter, and a wife to her husband.

Cathy Tsao

Cathy Tsao is a Senior Project Director at WestEd, where she has worked on projects related to infant/toddler care since 2004. Prior to coming to WestEd, Cathy was an infant/toddler caregiver and then Executive Director at the UCLA Megan E. Daly Infant Development Program, a laboratory school in the Department of Psychology. She also worked at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development and as a family child care educator.

Cathy earned her Ph.D. in Human Development and Psychology from UCLA under the mentorship of Carollee Howes. Her research interests focus on infant/toddler development, caregiver-child relationships in early education settings, and attachment. Providing emotional safety for the babies in her care is Cathy’s superpower.