Tri County Play leadership
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Coordination of Tri County Play Collaborative programs and offerings is led by Ashley Brailsford, PhD. A doctoral-level educator with wide-ranging expertise in early childhood teaching and learning methods, community-based learning experiences, and family engagement among linguistically, culturally, and socioeconomically diverse populations, Dr. Brailsford is an experienced builder of relationships across local, state, and national organizations. She has published articles on family engagement with the Harvard Family Research Project and in the journal Childhood Education, presented at state and national conferences including the American Educational Research Association and the National Association of the Education of Young Children, coordinated the planning of South Carolina’s Early Childhood Summit, and served as a policy council member for the National Head Start Association. Prior to joining Tri County Play Collaborative, she served as director of place-based initiatives for the National Center for Families Learning, pre-K instructional coach for Metro Nashville Public Schools, assistant professor of early childhood education for the College of Charleston, and assistant professor of early childhood education for the University of Nebraska at Omaha. This former outdoor guide is also the founder of Unearthing Joy, a provider of culturally inclusive nature-based programming for families and communities. Dr. Brailsford holds a PhD in early childhood education and teaching from Indiana University Bloomington, a master’s degree in school administration from Vanderbilt University, and a bachelor of science in Montessori education from Xavier University. |
