Staff Categories: Early Childhood

In 2023, ACNJ welcomed Winifred Smith-Jenkins as the Director of Early Learning Policy and Advocacy. With an impressive professional background spanning over two decades in managing three successful family-owned child care programs in northern New Jersey, Winifred brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role at ACNJ. Her expertise in child care and […]

Diane Dellanno, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, is a policy analyst and member of the early childhood team at ACNJ. Her primary role has been to develop an infant/toddler advocacy campaign to improve early learning policies, programs and funding for infants and toddlers in New Jersey. Diane has authored several issue briefs on topics related […]

Hannah Korn-Heilner is the Outreach Coordinator at ACNJ, assisting the Early Learning Team by collecting stories from parents and providers, and helping to train advocates. She obtained her Master of Social Work with a concentration in Management and Policy from Rutgers University. Prior to graduate school, she worked at the New Jersey Community Development Corporation […]

Miguelina Maldonado is returning to ACNJ after helping with our 2020 Census efforts. In her new role as Parent Engagement Manager, she will be helping us reach out to new advocates across the state, with a focus on the Spanish-speaking community. She holds both a B.A. in General Humanities and Social Science, as well as […]

Cynthia Rice is an attorney and senior policy analyst on ACNJ’s early childhood team. Her responsibilities include identifying, monitoring, writing about and advocating for critical early childhood education issues, especially around preschool, child care and linking preschool to the early elementary years. Cynthia works closely with state leaders and legislators to help make children a […]