Childhood consultant
International. holistic. participatory.
I'm a childhood, learning, and play consultant with a passion for creating meaningful, hands-on experiences that reflect how kids naturally grow—through play, curiosity, and connection. I hold a Master’s degree in Human Development and International Education from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s degree in Children’s Studies from Eastern Washington University.
My work is grounded in participatory research and collaborative program development. I specialize in children's informal learning, particularly how they make meaning through media like television and books. I draw from experience working with children and communities around the world—from Southeast Asia to Ethiopia—which continues to shape my understanding of how culture, context, and creativity influence learning.
Whether I’m designing programs, supporting educators, or consulting on playful learning strategies, I’m driven by a commitment to equity, imagination, and the joy of childhood.
academic focus
Understanding how children grow and learn across cultural, political, and economic environments.
Exploring how children make meaning through television, books, and everyday experiences.
Centering community voices and co-creating education programs that reflect lived realities.
Studying how children think, learn, & interact with their world over time.
Investigating the effects of poverty and systemic inequities on learning and development.
Learning how to assess the effectiveness and impact of educational programs globally.
Examining how young people navigate identity, culture, and meaning-making in different social contexts.
Developing skills to influence education systems and lead with vision and accountability.
Coursework in developmental psychology and education deepened my knowledge of how children grow, learn, and make sense of the world—from early childhood through adolescence. I explored topics like attention differences (ADD/ADHD), child and adolescent development, and media’s influence on learning.
I studied the theory and practice of play, including a dedicated course on playwork that framed play not just as recreation, but as a fundamental right of childhood and a powerful mode of learning and self-expression.
Courses in the geography of childhood, sociology of children, and global inequality provided tools to understand children’s lives within broader systems—how place, policy, and culture shape their experiences and opportunities.
My training in special education methods, educational psychology, and equity in schooling focused on creating inclusive learning environments that support all children, especially those with diverse needs or marginalized identities.
Career Highlights
In Jakarta, I facilitated a Photovoice project with 15 teenagers, guiding them to document how climate change affects their daily lives through photography and storytelling. The process empowered youth to reflect on their environments, voice their concerns, and creatively engage with climate justice. The resulting images and narratives were shared with a group of local authors, illustrators, and publishers, serving as direct inspiration for the creation of 12 new children’s books in local languages. These books brought youth perspectives into the hands of younger readers, strengthening community dialogue and environmental awareness from the ground up.
As schools closed and lockdowns disrupted learning across Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Asia Foundation launched Let’s Read at Home, a rapid-response initiative to keep children reading and learning in their own languages. Leveraging the existing Let’s Read digital library, the initiative delivered free, high-quality children’s books and literacy activities directly to families through online platforms, social media, radio, and community networks. The program also partnered with local educators, artists, and translators to create new content that reflected the realities of the pandemic, supporting emotional well-being alongside literacy. Let’s Read at Home reached millions of families across the region, ensuring access to books even when classrooms were closed.
The Asia Foundation launched Let’s Read in the Philippines to increase access to children’s books in Filipino and regional languages like Cebuano, Ilokano, and Hiligaynon. Working with local writers, illustrators, and educators, the initiative produced and translated over 300 storybooks that reflect Filipino children’s lives and cultures. Reaching more than 500,000 readers, both online and offline, Let’s Read helped promote early literacy and mother tongue education across the country.
Whiz Kids partnered with government and community schools to co-develop curriculum materials that aligned with its educational television content. Through close collaboration with teachers and education officials, the team created lesson plans and activity guides that brought TV episodes into the classroom, reinforcing key literacy, math, and life skills. This approach helped make learning more engaging and accessible, especially in under-resourced schools, and strengthened the connection between media and formal education.
Galli Galli Sim Sim, the Indian adaptation of Sesame Street, reaches millions of children across India with engaging, inclusive, and educational content. Broadcast in multiple languages and distributed through TV, radio, mobile vans, and community screenings, the program promotes early literacy, numeracy, health, and gender equity. Evaluations show that children who watch the show demonstrate improved school readiness, healthier habits, and more positive attitudes toward diversity and inclusion. Through partnerships with schools, anganwadis, and NGOs, Galli Galli Sim Sim serves as a trusted tool for reaching underserved children with playful, high-impact learning.
Central to Camp Fire's approach is the Thrive{ology} framework, which focuses on identifying personal interests, fostering a growth mindset, setting goals, and reflecting on experiences. Trained adult leaders play a crucial role in guiding youth through this process, providing support, sharing power, and expanding possibilities to help them thrive. We used the principles of Thriveology to create a constantly evolving after school curriculum at four low-income middle schools. Each school had a unique after school curriculum inspired by the needs of the kids participating in the program.
