The Mid Hudson Valley Kindergarten Transition Forum

Patty has a long history with Head Start. She was the Education Coordinator for Albany County Head Start in the 1990s and then became the Director of the Bank Street Head Start program in New York City. After a leave to raise her first child she returned to Head Start to work as a technical assistant specialist providing trainings, resources, support and technical assistance to Early Head Start and Head Start programs across the state. In 2010, she became the Director of the New York State Head Start Collaboration Project. In that capacity, she works to ensure that Head Start is included in state programs and policies and links Head Start and Early Head Start programs to state and local initiatives designed to meet the needs of low-income children and families.
Patty has a MS. Ed in Supervision and Administration from Bank Street college of Education and a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from The College of Saint Rose. She holds NY state teacher certification in Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and Grades 1-6, and School Administrator/Supervisor.

Meg is the Coordinator of NYSED's Early Learning Team. She oversees UPK, Voluntarily Registered Kindergarten and Nursery Schools, and all Race to the Top early learning initiatives. Prior to joining the Department, Meg taught PK, K, and 1st grade in both private and public settings, and worked for the Hunter College's graduate department of Early Childhood as an instructor and supervisor of teachers in training. She has extensive expertise in literacy, curriculum development, and integrating the arts across content areas.

Shirley has worked in the field of early childhood for 32 years. The last 26 years have been with Astor services for children and families early childhood programs. She worked in five different centers as a Head Start teacher before accepting her current position as center director/teacher/family advocate of one classroom located in the Mill Road Elementary School in Red Hook NY.
Shirley has been a teacher mentor, served on various committees and ran a parent support group in Millerton.
Shirley earned her BA degree from SUNY Empire College in Early childhood/ child and family studies.

Mrs. Gaynor serves as the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the Red Hook Central School District. Previously, she served as the K-2 principal in Red Hook, a K-5 principal in Beacon and as the Principal of Academics and Instruction in the Spackenkill School District. She holds a B.S from the College of Mount St. Vincent, an M.S. in Elementary Education and an additional M.S. in Educational Leadership from SUNY New Paltz.

BS Music Therapy and Psychology SUNY New Paltz ‘87, 2001 graduate of “NYS Partners in Policy Making”, member of IDEA Partnership NYS Family School Learning Community, Past Special Education Chair for the Taconic Regional PTA.
Renée has been employed by the Mid- Hudson Regional Early Childhood Direction Center for 13 years as an Educator/Advocate. She had presented workshops/advocacy to parents and professionals in Orange, Ulster, Dutchess and Sullivan counties and other parts of New York State, on many topics regarding early childhood development, disability/special education laws and regulations and advocacy. She brings to her trainings an educational background as a former N-6 Certified Teacher, Early Childhood Administrator/teacher and personal experiences working with children and adults with disabilities for over 25 years, as well as the knowledge she has gained from meeting other parents and professionals along the way. She also shares her own experiences raising and advocating for her oldest daughter, who is multiply disabled, and many other children with disabilities in the Mid -Hudson region. She continues to attend conferences and workshops to keep informed about any changes to the laws and regulations regarding special education and including and advocating for children with disabilities.

Tammy Schollard, Agri-Business Child Development’s Early Childhood Education Specialist, has a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, a Master of Science degree in Education-Literacy, a New York State Permanent Certification – Elementary Education, Birth – Grade 6, and a New York State Professional Certification – Literacy, Birth – Grade 6. Ms. Schollard joined the agency as a school age teacher in 1994. She has embraced training opportunities throughout her tenure with the agency including but not limited to: Head Start CLASS Training, National Dual Language Institute, and Working with Low Literacy Child Care Providers. Ms. Schollard became ABCD’s Early Childhood Education Specialist in 2006.