Marie L. Masterson holds a Ph.D. in early childhood education and is a national speaker, child behavior expert, and award-winning author of multiple books, including Let’s Talk Toddlers: A Practical Guide to High-Quality Teaching, Transforming Teaching: Creating Lesson Plans for Child-Centered Learning in Preschool, and Enjoying the Parenting Roller Coaster: Nurturing and Empowering Your Children through the Ups and Downs. She is a contributing author and editor of Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth to Age 8, Fourth Edition (NAEYC), and coauthor of Building on Whole Leadership: Energizing and Strengthening Your Early Childhood Program. Marie has authored many articles that address research-based, practical skills for behavior guidance and high-quality teaching. For the past eight years, Dr. Masterson was the director of quality assessment for Illinois ExceleRate at the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership. She is former early childhood specialist for the Virginia Department of Education, university professor, and Fulbright Specialist.

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Dr. Masterson provides content expertise, consultation, training and support for assessment, quality improvement, and coaching efforts for organizations, agencies, schools, and state systems. As a licensed early childhood teacher, she understands the needs and challenges of educators navigating an increasingly complex world of challenges and opportunities. Her work focuses on culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and high-quality language interactions during play-based, child-centered learning. Look for the forthcoming book, Culturally Responsive and Inclusive Care for Infants and Toddlers: Strategies for High Quality Teaching, with Teachers College Press. 

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Dr. Masterson conducts trainings on a variety of topics including developmentally appropriate practice, culturally responsive teaching and cultural safety, quality improvement, strategies for high-quality teaching, media influences on children, resilience, stress, and trauma, and the social-emotional development of infants, toddlers and young children. She promotes the essential role of family engagement in teaching success, with strength-based practices that foster children's resilience, love of learning, and self-confidence.

 

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