Meet Us
The Santa Monica Early Childhood Task Force, established in 1980 with the support of the City of Santa Monica, is a collaborative volunteer group working to enhance early childhood education.
The Task Force consists of:
Parents
Early childhood educators
Community members
Representatives from local organizations including:
Santa Monica College
City of Santa Monica
SMMUSD
We operate through two main groups:
Task Force - with General Meetings, held every other month on Zoom and open to all!
Steering Committee - which meet monthly to approve work plans, set agendas, and prioritize initiatives.
The Task Force is committed to expanding its reach and invites young parents and early education professionals to get involved. To join or learn more, email sm.earlychildhoodtaskforce@gmail.com or click HERE!
There is strength in numbers and we are eager to grow and develop the Task Force with the next generation of young parents and early education providers.
Steering Committee
Gleam Davis, co-chair
Erika Bell, co-chair
Judy Abdo, former Mayor
McKenna Belgarde, past co-chair
Rocio Bravo, Providence/St. John's Health Center
Ivy Chang, City of Santa Monica
Jennifer Cowan, Connections for Children
Shari Davis, Santa Monica College, past co- chair
Natasha Guest Kingscote, City of Santa Monica
Angela Herrera, Early Childhood Wellbeing Project
Betsy Hiteshew, retired SMC faculty
Louise Jaffe, former SMC Board Chair
Elda Lazaro, community member
Megan Kelly, community member
Sirinya Matute, community member
Pauline McPeake, Growing Place, past co-chair
Susan Samarge Powell, SMMUSD Child Development Services
Michele Sartell, community member
Ben Swett, Early Engagement
Julie Taren, past Chair
Laila Taslimi, Untitled No. 1 School, past co-chair
Community Partners (past and present)
Government
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District - Child Development Services
Local Partners
Family Service of Santa Monica
RAND Corporation
The Task Force and Santa Monica families are forever grateful for the extraordinary vision, persistence, and effectiveness of our pioneering leaders and early supporters, including Judy Abdo, Judith Brunk, Linda Gordon, Betsy Hiteshew, Iao Katagiri, Ellen Khokha, Joanne Leavitt, Irene Zivi, and others!