Leila Maria de Almeida is a Social Worker, Family and Couples Therapist and General Coordinator of The Better Early Childhood Program - Program (PIM), State Government of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, since its implementation (since 2003). She worked as researcher with the Ministry of Health / United Nations Program for Development (PNUD) in the Assessment of Health Municipalization in Brazil; as Technical Advisor in the area of Health and Environment at the Federation of Associations of Municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul (FAMURS); as Project Director of Child Development “The World of Babies,” in partnership with the United Nations Fund for Children (Unicef), and as Municipal Manager of Health and Welfare in São Lourenço do Sul.
Maria Lúcia Salle Machado is a Technical Supervisor at the Millennium Fund for Early Childhood Education Program. She worked as an Early Childhood Education Supervisor at the State Secretariat of Education, designing teacher development programs, instructional materials and projects for children at risk, ages 0-6. A mentor and founder of a daycare center at Colonia Itapuã Hospital, Ms. Machado also worked as an ECCE, literacy and junior high school teacher, as well as a school supervisor and principal in and near Porto Alegre. She has also developed clinical work at the Winnicott Therapeutic Community and Santo Antonio Children’s Hospital. Ms. Machado is a Pedagogue and Curriculum Supervisor and graduated from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul with specialization in Early Childhood Care and Education.
Maria da Graça Gomes Paiva is a UNESCO Senior Technical Supervisor of the Millennium Fund for Early Childhood Education Program, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She worked as an Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics and Teacher Education at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. She was the founder and coordinator of the Teacher Development Support Services Office, the organizer and author of a chapter in “NAP-RS: uma das faces produtivas da UFRGS” (1998). An Eisenhower Fellow in 1996, she is also the co-founder and President of the Zero to Three Institute. As a UNESCO Consultant, she shared the Coordination of The Better Early Childhood Development Program. Ms. Paiva holds an MA in Applied Linguistics and a PhD in Education.
Pollyana Vilela Duarte Perinazzo is a member of the Coordinating Team of the Millennium Fund for Early Childhood Education Program, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil and has served as an Administrative Assistant at the UNESCO Office in Porto Alegre in the Open School Project. She has experience in administration, promotion of events, team leadership, report design, data analysis and interpretation, budget and financing review and consolidation, project design and implementation, licitation management and analysis, and project design and implementation. Ms. Perinazzo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at the Faculdade do Sul do Mato Grosso, and a Specialist in Strategic Management and Innovation at Centro Universitário La Salle.
Vera Regina Röhnelt Ramires is a college professor, researcher and coordinator of the Graduate Program in Psychology at Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos , São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She specializes in Children’s and Adolescent Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy, is a psychologist and graduate of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, and holds a MS in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, Brazil. The author of several books and papers in the field of Child Psychology, Ms. Romires’ field of research focuses on the children’s and adolescents’ clinics, and on public policies for those populations.
Alessandra Schneider is the Coordinator of UNESCO Office in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil and a former Education Project Officer at UNESCO Representation in Brazil. Ms. Schneider is doing her M.S. in Psychology with emphasis on early child education and development. She is the author of “Primeira Infância Melhor: uma inovação em política pública” (UNESCO, 2007) – available in Portuguese and Spanish, with a forthcoming English version entitled “The Better Early Childhood Development Program: an innovation in public policy.” Ms. Schneider is a specialist in Perinatal Health, Early Childhood Education and Development from Brasilia University and holds a B.A in Psychology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.
Alicia Ranck Soudée recently earned an M.A. in International Education from the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the George Washington University. Her research focused on early childhood development, language and culture in education and education for development in Africa. She has worked with young children in Washington, DC, France, and Morocco. Ms. Soudée holds a B.A. in African Studies and French from the College of William and Mary.
Carolyn Thomas is Assistant Professor in the Educational Foundations Department at Millersville University, Millersville, Pennsylvania. Her research interest focuses on teacher training among primary school teachers in Choma District, Zambia, where she has spent the past ten summers working with the teaching community. She has also conducted research on gender equality among teachers in Zambia, as well as Zambian teachers’ perceptions of characteristics of expert teachers. Dr. Thomas holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Temple University and an M.A. in Elementary Education from Indiana University.
Matthew A.M. Thomas holds a master’s degree in international educational development from Teachers College, Columbia University as well as a bachelor’s degree in education. He worked as a classroom teacher in the United States and Zambia for several years and has conducted research in India, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zambia. Matthew’s research interests include educational policy, teacher education, curriculum and pedagogy, and African studies.
