Transforming Early Education Systems in California with Valerie Denero

In this episode, Valerie Denero of Every Child California shares her inspiring journey and explores the key challenges and opportunities in California’s early education system.

Our Expert Valerie Denero

Valerie DeNero brings decades of experience across every facet of early childhood education to her role at Every Child California. Her journey began unexpectedly when a devastating car accident at age 14 led her to discover her passion for working with young children through an alternative education program's child development center. Starting with her first six units in child development, Valerie worked her way through community college while employed at both center-based and family child care programs. She advanced through leadership roles including program director, area manager, corporate trainer, resource and referral coordinator, and county office of education workforce development specialist. Her extensive background spans direct service delivery, workforce development, policy advocacy, and systems change, making her a powerful voice for elevating the early education profession.

About Every Child California (Formerly CCDAA)

Every Child California is a membership-based organization dedicated to supporting leaders in early care and education across the state. The organization works strategically with key partners including the California Department of Education, Department of Social Services, and Department of Teacher Credentialing to advocate for workforce development, sustainable funding, and systems alignment. Every Child California focuses on transforming early care and education from an undervalued service industry into a recognized and properly funded component of the state's educational continuum, advocating for true cost of care funding and living wages for early educators.

In this episode, we cover:

- Workforce development and recruitment amid regulatory and staffing challenges
- Funding, access, and the case for public investment
- Transitional kindergarten and the mixed delivery system
- Reimagining early education through crisis and reform

A sneak peek inside the episode:

“We are in a crisis. The child care industry has lost their identity, and they've lost their value and their place in society. And we're in crisis. But in that crisis, there's going to be an opportunity to reshape. Yeah, our values and what we believe."