Reeva Sullivan Murphy, M.ED. I’ve been advocating for and implementing high quality services and sensible public policies for young children and families for almost 40 years. I’ve worked in private ECE programs and public education as a teacher and an administrator, and have provided consultation, mentoring and professional development locally, regionally and nationally. After leaving direct service, I served for 8 years in Rhode Island as the Child Care Administrator in the Department of Human Services. Most recently I served as Deputy Commissioner of the Vermont Department for Children and Families, Child Development Division from 2009 – 2019.
I retired from government in 2019 to found Heart of a Child, LLC, a small consulting business to advance positive change in the early childhood landscape, increase evidence informed innovation in policy and practice, and promote expansion of high-quality services in early care and learning and early childhood integrated systems. I’m really enjoying projects that help community groups in Vermont plan for, develop, finance, and launch early care and learning programs in their communities.
I’ve been a member of NAEYC for most of my career, first in RI where I served on the Board and was President from 1995 – 1999, now in Vermont. I was part of the New England AEYC Delegate Assembly way back when and participated in the Public Policy Committee and Leadership Development work. I am interested in how organizations (like VT AEYC) effectively advance their mission and engage members and always in how public policies around early care and learning impact young children, their families, early educators, and early childhood programs in real life.
