My name is Cate Szczepanski and I am a committed Early Childhood Educator with over 19 years experience. I completed my Bachelor of Arts at California State University, Chico in Child Development and after working as a teacher for a small preschool program in Colorado, I moved on to work for Remi Vista Inc. My job titles included: Early Intervention Specialist, tracking development for young children; a Parent Support Specialist, assisting adults with disabilities on the unique individual needs of parenting; and a Mental Health and Rehabilitation Specialist for individuals that were diagnosed with Autism or emotional disturbance. Subsequent to working for Remi Vista Inc., I shifted gears and attended Butte Fire Academy which prepared me to work for Cal Fire as a Firefighter and an Emergency Medical Technician for Tehama County. This shift was to help me better understand what it means to work in the helping profession and learn the value of intensive work. After 6 years, I decided to continue my work in education and returned to California State University, Chico as a Child Development Lab Teacher.

Working with children, families alongside the college student population has solidified my commitment to the education field and I decided to pursue a Master of Arts in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College. Shortly after working for the ASCDL, I was hired as the Executive Director for Innovative Preschool, Inc., which has by far this has been my most challenging and equally rewarding career. Innovative has allowed me to realize my passion for working with individuals from various backgrounds; and has also motivated me to be a lifelong learner. As the director of Innovative Preschool, Inc. I organized an early childhood program that strives to meet the needs of children from a variety of backgrounds. I collaborated with multiple agencies to train our teachers in evidence-based practices to support marginalized populations. A significant amount of our training has been in supporting children and families with trauma exposure. In my current role as a Program Supervisor Parent Infant Programs I enter homes throughout Butte, Glenn, Shasta and Tehama County in variety of communities. Interacting with families in a personal capacity allowed me to see an array of family backgrounds and cultures. This experience supported my professionalism to understand our community, how to have an ongoing reflection of anti-bias education and uphold diversity in high regard.