Director, Early Education and Family Literacy Programs

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(213) 484-2870 Ext. 226

With more than 20 years experience designing, administering, and evaluating programs for children, youth and families, Debra is the Director of Early Education and Family Literacy at Families In Schools.  Born and raised in Los Angeles, she holds a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy from Cal State L.A. and a Master's Degree in Social Welfare from UCLA. Early in her career, she worked in various arenas including low-income housing, clinical counseling and youth development. For the past 12 years, Debra has specialized in building the capacity of organizations and schools to deliver quality school readiness, literacy, and parent involvement services. Over the years, she has managed Motheread/Fatheread, Los Angeles, a program intended to encourage parents to read with their children, and oversaw United Way's early learning initiative, Success by 6. During her time with United Way, she directed a family literacy system which strengthened the ability of over 50 organizations to provide effective programs. The projects she currently oversees at Families in Schools aim to develop partnerships between parents, schools, and agencies. Some of her projects include Read with Me/Lea conmigo, Blueprints for Parents, Ready for Kinder, the Million Word Challenge, and Feria del Libro: A Family Book Fair.