Contact ed@nvaeyc.org for new Board of Directors and volunteer positions!
Who We Are
NVAEYC is a proud affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. We are 501(c)3 membership organization serving Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, and Loudoun County in Northern Virginia. Our members are early childhood educators and other advocates and professionals who work with or on behalf of young children.
Vision, Mission, and Goals
Vision
Every child birth through age eight has a safe, healthy environment with caring people who promote their well-being, meet their individual needs, and support learning through play.
Mission
NVAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for every child birth through age eight. We connect practice, policy, and research to support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children in Northern Virginia.
Values
Advocates | Inclusive | Developmentally-Appropriate | Responsive | Professional
Executive Board Members
Kimberly Reinhard
President
Kimberly has been in the field of early childhood education for over 20 years as a teacher, director, trainer, consultant, and child care specialist. She is co-author of Rituals and Traditions: Fostering a Sense of Community in Preschool and has written articles for Teaching Young Children and Young Children. She has served on the NVAEYC Board for over seven years. Email: kreinhard [at] nvaeyc.org
Rosemary Kendall
Rosemary Kendall has been an early childhood professional for over 40 years as a teacher, director, parent educator, researcher, advocate, and consultant. She considers NAEYC her “professional home” and has held various positions in NVAEYC since she moved to Northern Virginia in 1981. Email: rkendall [at] nvaeyc.org
Past President
Laura McCarty
Paige Beatty
Past President
Paige has been working with the NVAEYC Board for over 15 years. She is the Program Director
for a government child care center in Washington, D.C. Paige and her team recently authored the article, "Community, Connections and COVID-19: How the House of Representatives Child Care Center Stayed Together While Working Apart," featured in the November/December 2020
edition of Child Care Exchange Magazine.
Email: pbeatty [at] nvaeyc.org
Liz Cassidy
Treasurer
Liz Cassidy has been a proud early childhood educator since 2013. After working in high-quality community preschool settings for 6 years, Liz returned to school to earn her graduate degree and teaching licensure in
early childhood special education. She currently works for Fairfax County Public Schools as a preschool special education teacher, supporting young children with a
range of needs. Liz joined the board of NVAEYC in January of 2017 as the Public Policy Committee Chair. Liz is particularly passionate about increasing the availability
of inclusive preschool classrooms for children with disabilities and bolstering the early childhood education workforce to meet the needs of these children.
Secretary
Laura McCarty currently serves as a Multi-Tiered System of Supports Specialist with DC Public Schools and is an adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College with over 15 years of Early Childhood Special Education experience. She is an active member of NVAEYC and was honored to be selected to participate in the inaugural NVAEYC Advocacy Leadership Training Program in 2021. In 2022 she joined the NVAEYC board and is looking forward to supporting NVAEYC’s mission and continuing to advocate for young children and the early childhood workforce.
Nicole Lazarte
Member-At-Large: Advocacy Chair
Nicole Lazarte has been in the early childhood education field since 2015. Before becoming a teacher herself, she grew up helping her mom run a family home day care. She is currently a Lead Infant Teacher at ACCA Child Development Center, Annandale. She is also on the Provider Advisory Council with Virginia Promise Partnership. Nicole began getting involved with NVAEYC in early 2020 and is now a Member-at-Large and the Advocacy Committee Chair. Nicole is passionate about working towards equity and inclusion for children and teachers in the field. Please feel free to contact me if you want to discuss an opportunity to tell your story! Email: nlazarte [at] nvaeyc.org
Maria-Isabel Ballivian
Member-At-Large
Maria-Isabel Ballivian is the Executive Director of the ACCA Child Development Center – an NAEYC-accredited program that serves more than 200 at-risk children in Fairfax County, Virginia. She has over 25 years of experience in the field of early childhood education working for various U.S. and foreign nonprofit organizations. As an innovative educator, senior administrator, trainer, advocate and consultant, she has been working to improve the quality of care and education for young children, as well as fostering strategies that encourage greater parental involvement and promoting initiatives that strengthen the professional development of ECE teachers. At a national level, she contributed to the development of the Strengthening Families through Early Care and Education website and the Guide for Preventing Suspensions and Expulsions in Early Childhood Settings. She serves on the NVAEYC Board and is a CDA Professional Development Specialist, a certified CLASS observer and affiliate trainer, and a Virginia Quality Rater.
Mia Batson
Member-At-Large:
Family Engagement
Mia Batson joined the NVAEYC Board in May 2019. Mia has been working in the field of education for 20 years. She is a former classroom teacher, who transitioned to school leadership roles as the Dean of Academics of a charter middle school in Washington, D.C. Mia currently works in early childhood education, as an Early Intervention Specialist and Family Support Liaison for Fairfax County's Early Intervention program Infant and Toddler Connection.
Executive Staff Members
Diane Volcansek
Diane brings an impressive skill set and knowledge of the key issues in the early childhood community. Diane
is an early childhood professional with more than 25 years of experience in the field as a teacher, administrator,
grant administrator, and teacher-educator. She has also led early education programs through the NAEYC accreditation process. Diane can be reached at ed [at] nvaeyc.org