Jana is the Executive Director of both the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS-SDE) and the National Association for Regulatory Administration (NARA Licensing), and provides consultancy to states and organizations on early childhood initiatives. She brings to her work more than thirty years of experience in education, including as a teacher and assistant administrator, legislative liaison, and state coordinator for federal programs. A central part of her focus has been on education system and program improvement through standards-based reform, including her work in promoting improved opportunities in early childhood education.
Jana currently oversees and consults on projects designed to advance high quality in early childhood education and in child and adult care in the states. In her work, she supports school linkages to children aged 0-8 – particularly for those at risk of school failure; facilitates early childhood systems building; expands on research findings on policies and practices that promote school readiness; and, assists states in the improvement of early childhood accountability mechanisms that support child development and learning.