Webinar | Unlocking Potential: The Role of SECEJ in Expanding Early Learning Opportunities

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Every child deserves a strong start, yet too many children in the South lack access to the early learning experiences they need to thrive. The Southern Early Childhood Education Justice (SECEJ) Network is working to change that by bringing together policy experts, providers, parents, and organizations committed to improving early childhood education. This webinar will dive into how the network is addressing challenges, building solutions, and moving toward sustainable changes that will benefit families in the South and beyond for generations to come.

Speakers:

Deborah DePaoli started her career in public education and community development at the age of seventeen, working with migrant farmworkers and their children in Southern California. She served for years as a public-school teacher and administrator working with vulnerable students: second language learners, under-resourced preschoolers, and the children of low-wage earners. Deborah has lived in South Carolina for 19 years where she currently works for the Institute for Child Success engaging with families, agencies, and elected officials to advocate for children. Deborah is most passionate about improving access to high-quality education for all children, democratic engagement, and real opportunities for establishing generational wealth.

Mattilyn Karst Batson is the Policy and Research Director at Louisiana Policy Institute for Children. She has a longstanding passion for helping vulnerable children, youth and families flourish. She has pursued this passion as a student of public policy and teaching, an active volunteer in community service, a federal child welfare policy advocate, a classroom educator, and most recently as the Director of Early Childhood Systems in the Office of Governor John Bel Edwards.

Having transitioned out of the classroom for her role with the Governor’s office, Mattilyn utilized her education and experience to focus on a very specific challenge: improving the social, health and education systems in Louisiana that shape the critical first five years of a child’s life. While serving under the Governor, Mattilyn helped oversee the creation, passage and implementation of historic investments in early childhood programs.

Prior to her work in Louisiana, she obtained bachelor’s degrees in sociology and public policy and a minor in philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) from the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. Upon graduation, she was selected for Teach for America (TFA) and fulfilled her two year service commitment in New Orleans. While in TFA, she secured her master’s in teaching, and after, spent an additional two and a half years as an educator in Jefferson Parish.

Rochelle Wilcox has been an early childhood education professional for over 23 years. Her advocacy for early learning started in the classroom as a teacher and led her to one of her current positions, CEO/Executive Director of Wilcox Academy of Early Learning. WAEL consists of three ECE centers rated 4 stars by the Quality Rated System (Administered by the Louisiana Department of Education). Rochelle is also Co-Founder of Elite Teachers Institute, a CDA/Early Childhood Ancillary Program (approved by the Louisiana State BESE) that serves Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, East and West Baton Rouge parishes. Rochelle holds an Associate of Art in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies with an Education in Urban Society concentration from the University of New Orleans. Rochelle is passionate about empowering current and future early childcare leaders to have a strong advocacy voice on policy issues impacting the stability of early childcare education, families, and our community.

Rochelle was the first early learning center provider to sit on the Board of Agenda for Children. She currently sits on the boards of The Children’s Funding Accelerator, The Drexel Prep Foundation, and Saul’s Light. She also sits on the steering committee of the New Orleans Grade Level Reading Campaign, The New Orleans Early Education Network, and is the co-chair of Geaux Far Louisiana.

She is the 2023 recipient of the Inaugural Early Childhood Leader of the Year award bestowed by Dream teachers and the Louisiana Department of Education. Over her career she has served over 2,000 children, families, and ECE providers, however her highest honor is being a wife and a mother to 3 sons.

Candace Weber, Ph.D., serves as the Chief of Partnerships at the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, where she spearheads the creation, management, and implementation of strategic partnerships to support coalitions of early care and education advocates across Louisiana. A recognized thought leader, Dr. Weber is frequently consulted for her insights on enhancing early education workforce compensation in the state. Utilizing data and research, she advises businesses, chambers of commerce, advocacy organizations, and early care and education professionals on initiatives aimed at boosting workforce participation and strengthening the economy.

Before joining the Policy Institute, Dr. Weber was a Fellow in the Broad Residency in Urban Education Program at the Louisiana Department of Education. As Director of Early Childhood Strategy and Operations, she focused on data analysis and worked to expand the reach of the State’s Child Care Assistance Program to serve more families and children. In her final rotation, she served as Director of Education Finance, overseeing the management of the agency’s multi-billion-dollar budget.

Dr. Weber has over 15 years of experience in Corporate America, holding several leadership positions within two Fortune companies prior to her transition to the public sector. During her doctoral studies, she was recognized as a 2022-23 Social Justice Scholar by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Her research explores early childhood education policy, particularly strategies to improve access to early childhood systems at scale. She is especially interested in the economic implications of child care and policies that support young children, their families, and the early education workforce.

Dr. Weber earned her Ph.D. in Public Policy from the Nelson Mandela College of Government and Social Sciences at Southern University and A&M College. She also holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership from the Broad Center at Yale School of Management, an MBA from Pepperdine University, and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Xavier University of Louisiana. Throughout her career, Dr. Weber has committed herself to advancing educational equity as a pathway to social justice for communities and families with young children.

Lee Johnson III, Ph.D., serves as Early Childhood Education Senior Fellow at the Southern Education Foundation (SEF). He directs the Southern Early Childhood Education Justice (SECEJ) Network, partnering with the Network’s regional coalition of caregivers, early care and education professionals, advocates, and researchers dedicated to expanding early learning opportunities across the South.

Previously, Dr. Johnson served as Vice President of Policy at the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), directing its advocacy, research, and public policy initiatives. Before joining NBCDI, Dr. Johnson served as Senior Policy Analyst for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) at ZERO TO THREE, championing federal investments in mental health programs for babies and their families.

He later held director appointments at Alabama’s Department of Early Childhood Education, where he directed the state’s Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program and the state’s IECMH Association, expanding mental health services and home visiting access.

He earned a B.S. in early childhood education and an M.A. and Ph.D. in public health from the University of Alabama.