ACPS welcomed a new Coordinator of City-Wide Early Childhood Programs this week. Michelle A. Smith-Howard will be overseeing the future expansion and direction of programs for preschool-age children.
Smith-Howard comes to ACPS after serving as Director of Early Childhood Development and Intervention with the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington and as an early childhood expert with D.C. Public Schools.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with children and families to ensure they have access to high quality learning opportunities. The work groups and different community partners have done a considerable amount of work already. My role will be to make sure this momentum keeps going,” said Smith-Howard.
Smith-Howard is an experienced educator who is committed to addressing the socio-economic disparities and challenges affecting underserved communities. She says her main strength is being able to look through the lens of early childhood development work to link early childhood needs with community resources.
“We are excited to have Michelle on board. From day one, she has come ready to work with us on our plans to expand and create centralized pre-K programs. We welcome her depth of experience and expertise in this field,” said Dr. Terri Mozingo, Chief Academic Officer.
ACPS is proposing moving preschool programs out of the elementary schools and moving it to two new centralized centers — one in time for the start of the 2017-18 school year. ACPS has been working hand in hand with our city-wide partners to explore options to expand access. Advancing the preschool model across the city will mean better academic results later on for students by helping to lay the foundation for academic success during the early years. This plan also unites early education goals from the ACPS 2020 Strategic Plan and Alexandria’s Children and Youth Master Plan.