About the Authors
Christine Pegorraro Schull, PhD, is a professor of early childhood development at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, Virginia. cschull @ nvcc. edu
Sandra Peña is the assistant supervisor of the extended day program for Arlington Public Schools in Virginia. sandra. pena @ apsva. us
Sandra Casco is an instructional assistant in a special education classroom at Oakridge Elementary School. sandra. matamoros @ apsva. us
Sicili McCoy is the supervisor of the extended day program at Glebe Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia. sicili. mccoy @ apsva. us
June Bishop Gibbs is the supervisor of the extended day program at Carlin Springs Elementary School. june. gibbs @ apsva. us
NAEYC Accreditation
This article supports the following NAEYC Early Learning Programs standards and topics.
Standard 2: Families and Community
Engaging in Reciprocal Partnerships with Families and Fostering Community Connections
Standard 8: Professionalism
Demonstrating Professionalism as Early Childhood Educators
Photographs: © courtesy of authors. Copyright © 2026 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See permissions and reprints online at NAEYC. org / resources / permissions.
Leslie La Croix, PhD, is an associate professor of inclusive early childhood education at George Mason University.
Fall 2026 Educating Young Children 49