Carol Gestwicki
Carol Gestwicki was an instructor in the early childhood education program at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina, for over 30 years. Her teaching responsibilities have included supervising students in classroom situations as they work with families. Earlier in her career, she worked with children and families in a variety of community agencies and schools in Toronto, New York, New Jersey and Namibia (South West Africa). She received her M.A. from Drew University. She has been an active member of the NAEYC for many years, including making numerous presentations at state and national conferences. She has been a Fellow in the Early Childhood Leadership Development Project at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and she has been associated with the T.E.A.C.H. Model/Mentor program. Her other publications include more than two dozen articles about child development and family issues and scripts and design for 14 audiovisual instructional programs. She has three other books on topics in early education published by Delmar Learning: "Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Curriculum and Development in Early Education," 5th Edition (2013); "Essentials of Early Education" (1997) and "Authentic Childhood: Exploring Reggio Emilia in the Classroom" (2002). Currently, she writes a regular column titled “Grandma Says” for Growing Child.
Sara Kupzyk
Sara Kupzyk, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and board certified behavior analyst. She is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). Sara has taught courses in developmental psychology, learning, behavior analysis in education, research methods, school psychology practicum and parenting. Her research focuses on home-school partnerships, parent and teacher training, early intervention for children with emotional and learning concerns and behavioral consultation in schools. She has received several grants to support her research, program development and student training. She is currently Project Director for a personnel preparation grant funded through the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. Before joining the faculty at UNO, Sara provided outpatient behavioral health services to children and families with varied concerns, including learning problems, autism spectrum disorder and internalizing and externalizing behavior disorders. Sara’s work is informed by her collaborations with schools and organizations and partnerships with families, with the goal of empowering families and educators. Sara has authored articles in several peer-reviewed journals, including the Contemporary School Psychology, Journal of Behavioral Education, Education and Treatment of Children, Psychology in the Schools, as well as book chapters in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Applied Behavior Analysis: A Comprehensive Handbook and Toward Durability and Generalization in the Treatment of Autism. She is the co-author of "Parenting Today’s Children." Sara has also presented at numerous state and national conferences.
Lynn R. Marotz
Lynn Marotz, Ph.D., R.N., has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in the Department of Applied Behavioral Science, University of Kansas, and served as Associate Director of the Edna A. Hill Child Development Center for over 35 years. She worked closely with students in the Early Childhood teacher education program and offered courses in parenting, health/safety/nutrition for the young child, administration and foundations of early childhood education. Lynn has authored invited chapters on children’s health and development, nutrition and environmental safety in national and international publications and law books. She is also the author of "Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child," "Parenting Today’s Children," "Motivational Leadership," "Early Childhood Leadership: Motivation, Inspiration, Empowerment" and "By the Ages: Behavior & Development of Children Pre-birth Through Eight." Her involvement in state policy development, health screenings, professional development training, working with families and allied health professionals and the referral process is extensive. She has presented at international, national and state conferences and held appointments on national, state and local committees and initiatives that advocate on children’s and families’ behalf. However, it is her daily interactions with children and their families, students, colleagues and her beloved family that bring true insight, meaning and balance to the material in this book.