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Joanna Parker

Joanna has been working in the field of early care and education for the entirety of her career. Throughout her career she has taken a cross-systems approach to the work, engaging in professional development supports while working at the local, state, regional, and national levels. In addition to facilitating the CDA with CLASS; she completes CLASS observations, trains on interactions, curriculum, and assessment, and serves as Adjunct Professor at the University of the District of Columbia. Joanna has a Masters of Arts in Education, early childhood from Antioch University, Seattle. She is Infant, Toddler, and PreK CLASS certified. She is also Infant Toddler Care modules I-V certified. Joanna is a mother of five children, two with disabilities and chronic health care issues. When she is not spending time with family, she enjoys hiking and reading.
Posts by Joanna Parker
Strategies for Teaching Empathy in the Early Childhood Years

Strategies for Teaching Empathy in the Early Childhood Years

What’s the best way to teach empathy to an infant, toddler, or preschool aged child?

Joanna Parker joins the Teaching with CLASS® podcast to answer that question. Joanna has spent her entire career in early care and education. She’s worked with Head Start, Early Head Start, child care, early intervention, public PreK, and home visitation programs at the local, community, state, and national levels.

Joanna explains that defining empathy in early childhood is all about understanding social-emotional development. Children will not display empathy the way adults do because they are still developing social-emotional skills. But educators can instill foundational skills for children to build upon as they mature.

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The Power of How You Are: Promoting Confidence and Persistence in the CDA with CLASS®

The Power of How You Are: Promoting Confidence and Persistence in the CDA with CLASS®

As a CDA with CLASS facilitator, I now recognize that CLASS also helps us think about how we can be present and responsive in supporting the curiosity, engagement, and persistence of adult learners. 

I am blessed to be able to support CDA learners, many of whom are returning to formal education for the first time in many years. Some of these learners come from previous educational experiences that were not supportive, that left them feeling that they weren’t good at school or weren’t competent students. But with the right support, these learners can grow their persistence as well as their sense of competence and confidence.

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