© Early Childhood Connections 2020
Enriching the lives of children by working with
the adults who affect their lives - parents,
caregivers and educators.
About
Meet the ECC Staff:
Mary Schweitzer
Office Manager
mschweitzer@earlychildhoodconnections.com
Mary is responsible for childcare referral parent
inquiries and provides car seats for parents
through the state car seat program. Mary is the
primary contact person for the ECC office, and
assists providers with registering for training
opportunities.Contact Mary for:
- General Inquiries
- South Dakota Car Seat Program
- Class Registrations & Transcripts
Jessi Beedle
Infant/Toddler Specialist
jbeedle@earlychildhoodconnections.com
Jessi specializes in teaching about the care of
young children. Jessi was a care provider for
many years as well as an educator, and brings a
variety of knowledge to her position. Jessi also
manages the Responsive Parenting classes.
Contact Jessi for:
- Screenings and Assessments of Young Children
- Responsive Parenting Class Information
- Individual & Classroom Observations
Carole Foster
Social Emotional Specialist
cfoster@earlychildhoodconnections.com
Carole specializes in mental health wellness,
which focuses on the social and emotional well-
being for young children, their caregivers, and
the various contexts within which care giving
takes place. Contact Carole for:
- Social Emotional TA, Coaching & Resources
- Difficult Behavioral Issues with Children
- Individual & Classroom Observations
Janessa Bixel
Professional Development Specialist
jbixel@earlychildhoodconnections.com
Janessa works with preschool and school-age
providers. Janessa is the Region 1 CDA
coordinator. She serves as a CDA Professional
Development Coordinator for The Council of
Professional Recognition, is a Certified Pre-K
CLASS Observer, and is an instructor for
fitCare.Contact Janessa for:
- PreK or OST TA, Coaching & Resources
- Environmental Observation of PreK/OST
Classrooms
- fitCare
- CDA Information and Registration
Andrea Neff
Education Support Specialist
aneff@earlychildhoodconnections.com
Andrea helps meet the needs of the Starting
Strong Rapid City program. She is responsible
for coordinating with Starting Strong Preschool
Program Directors and teachers to ensure that
assessments, screenings, curriculums, and
quality all meet the high standards of Starting
Strong. Andrea is a certified Pre-K CLASS
Observer.Contact Andrea for:
- Starting Strong Rapid City Information
- Screenings and Assessments
- CLASS Observations
Sunni Toczek
Family Support Specialist
stoczek@earlychildhoodconnections.com
Sunni works with the families of children in
childcare in our region. She acts as a go-to
resource and liaison to other resources in the
area for parents with young children. She works
closely with Starting Strong to give families the
best experience possible. Sunni is a certified
Pre-K CLASS and TPOT Observer.Contact Sunni
for:
- Parent & Family TA, Coaching & Resources
- Starting Strong Information/Registration
- Community & Regional Resources
- CLASS & TPOT Observations
Joe Doyle
Information/Technology Director
jdoyle@earlychildhoodconnections.com
Joe maintains the Early Childhood Connections
computers and software, company electronic
devices, company vehicles, training database,
social media platforms and website. Joe
designs the brochures, flyers and course
catalogs for both Early Childhood Connections
and Starting Strong Rapid City. Joe also assists
with live broadcast trainings and other video
productions.
Autumn Gregory
Executive Director
agregory@earlychildhoodconnections.com
Autumn oversees the operations of Early
Childhood Connections and Starting Strong, and
is the Region 1 coordinator for the SD Early
Childhood Enrichment System. Her
responsibilities include grant administration,
fiscal overview and staff management.Contact
Autumn for:
- Billing/Payment Information
- Starting Strong
- SD QRIS System
