Debra Ward

For the past 40 years, I have been a professor of early childhood education and directed Reggio Emilia-inspired schools. Newly retired (after 20 years) as the Director of Cerritos College Child Development Center and adjunct faculty at Cerritos College, I have begun my own consulting business.

 

I've held various positions with San Bernardino Valley College, first as an adjunct Instructor for the Child Development Department from 1988 to 2004 and served as the Interim Child Development Grant Coordinator from 2001 to 2004. From 2004 to 2006, I also held the position of full-time faculty and Director of the Child Development Center at San Bernardino Valley College. 

 

Before that, I developed and implemented infant/toddler childcare programs, preschool programs, after-school-age programs, and a Teen/Senior Center for the Redlands community from 1977 to 2001 at the YMCA of Redlands. During my time at the YMCA, I held the position of Senior Program Director for Child Care and Family Services from 1981 to 1989 and the Associate Executive Director from 1990 to 2001. 

 

I was one of two women who served as a member of the Redlands Noon Kiwanis Club in 1987, and I was the first woman president of the Redlands Kiwanis Club. I am a former member of the Ebell of Los Angeles and a current member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and The North American Reggio Emilia Alliance.

 

I have been a Mentor Director for the California Early Childhood Mentor Program since 2014 and a Professional Growth Advisor since 1998. I formerly served as a member of the Community Care Licensing Advisory Committee for San Bernardino County. I earned a Master of Science degree in Child Development from the University of La Verne.