91ÁÔÆæ

Ed.D. Educational Leadership, 91ÁÔÆæState University, Long Beach, 2025

M.Ed. Early Childhood Education, 91ÁÔÆæState University, Long Beach, 2019

B.A. Family and Consumer Sciences, concentration in Child Development and Family Studies, 91ÁÔÆæState University, Long Beach, 2016

For student success and advising, I actively engage in planning/coordinating:

• Academic advising and degree planning for master's students
• New student orientations and onboarding sessions
• Individualized student success plans for students
• Graduation advising
• Mentorship opportunities for current students and alumni pursuing leadership roles in early childhood education
• Connecting students with campus support resources

To enhance community building, professional, and career development, I actively engage in planning/coordinating:

• Student networking events and cohort-building activities
• Welcome receptions and community engagement events
• End-of-semester celebrations
• Peer mentoring programs connecting new and continuing students
• Virtual and in-person program information sessions
• Guest speaker class sessions featuring leaders in early childhood education
• Student participation in state and national professional organizations
• Culturally responsive programming for diverse student population
• Discussions on equity and inclusion in early childhood education
• Social media communications through a dedicated 91ÁÔÆæ ECE Instagram page

Alumni engagement efforts include:

• Alumni mentoring initiatives
• Alumni networking panels
• Graduate engagement through monthly newsletters and events
• Featured alumni career spotlights on the ECE MA program website
• One-on-one shadowing during my seminar courses for alumni from the ECE MA program who have goals of teaching at the college level

Continuous program improvement efforts include:

• Collecting and analyzing student engagement data
• Conducting student satisfaction surveys at the beginning, middle, and end of each student's graduate program journey
• Using assessment data to improve programming
• Preparing program-specific and college-wide reports on retention, engagement, and student success outcomes

My teaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that all students are capable of learning and deserve a high-quality education. As an educator, I am committed to creating an inclusive, identity-safe, and bias-aware learning environment that embraces a growth mindset, trauma-informed practices, and culturally responsive teaching. By removing barriers to success, I strive to foster belonging, empathy, and individualized learning, particularly for first-generation college students and those from historically underrepresented and marginalized communities. I view teaching as a reciprocal, constructivist process in which students and instructors co-construct knowledge through dialogue, collaboration, inquiry, and reflection. Through experiential learning opportunities, diverse perspectives, and authentic applications of course content, I encourage students to think critically, connect theory to practice, and develop confidence in their abilities. Ultimately, I see teaching as an act of empowerment that prepares future educators to become reflective, compassionate, and equity-minded leaders who are committed to creating inclusive learning environments, challenging inequities, and making meaningful contributions to the children, families, and communities they serve.

I teach a range of courses across the College of Education's two ECE programs: the Master's in Early Childhood Education program and the PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential program.

Courses Taught in the Early Childhood Education Master's Program:

• EDEC 520: Early Childhood Curriculum and Assessment
• EDEC 521: History and Contemporary Perspectives in Early Childhood
• EDEC 522: Developing Family, School, and Community Partnerships
• EDEC 623: Leadership, Advocacy, and Supervision in Early Childhood Education

Courses Taught in the PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential Program:

• EDEC 400: Introduction to Early Childhood Education
• EDEC 422: Developing Family, School, and Community Partnerships
• EDEC 430: Advocating for Early Intervention of Young Children and their Families
   

• Early Childhood Care and Education
• Early Childhood Teacher Preparation, Retention, and Workforce Development
• Early Childhood Teacher Well-Being
• Early Childhood Leadership
   

• Laney, C. (Under Review). Beyond burnout: Relational leadership, resource equity, and well-being among infant/toddler teachers in early childhood education. Manuscript submitted for publication in a special issue for the Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education.
• Laney, C., & Piker, R. (2025). Breaking barriers, building futures: Using student-centered approaches to advocate for early childhood educators. 91ÁÔÆæCouncil on Teacher Education, Fall 2025 Research Monograph, 63-70.
• Laney, C. (2025). Navigating the revolving door: Understanding infant/toddler teachers’ turnover and retention decisions in early childhood education. Doctoral Dissertation. 91ÁÔÆæState University, Long Beach.
   

Conference Presentations:

• Laney, C. (2026, April 12). In their own words: Centering infant/toddler teachers’ voices on turnover and retention. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Los Angeles, CA.
• Laney, C. (2025, October 17). Beyond burnout: Elevating the voices of infant/toddler educators through resource-centered story and systems advocacy. Roundtable presentation at the annual fall meeting of the 91ÁÔÆæCouncil on Teacher Education. San Diego, CA.
• Laney, C., & Piker, R. (2025, October 17). Breaking barriers, building futures: Using student-centered approaches to advocate for early childhood educators. Roundtable presentation at the annual fall meeting of the 91ÁÔÆæCouncil on Teacher Education. San Diego, CA.
• Laney, C., & Piker, R. (2025, January 6). Leadership in transition: Changing paradigms in early childhood education. Panel presentation at the Hawaii International Conference on Education. Honolulu, HI.
• Laney, C., & Piker, R. (2024, October 18). Leadership in transition: Changing paradigms in early childhood education. Roundtable presentation at the annual fall meeting of the 91ÁÔÆæCouncil on Teacher Education. San Diego, CA.
• Piker, R., Laney, C., Thompson, H. R., & Maiorca, C. (2024, March 28). Changing from theory to practice: Re-imagining an early childhood education MA degree program. Roundtable presentation at the Association of Teacher Educators Annual Meeting. Anaheim, CA.
• Pattnaik, J., Laney, C., Batchelor, H., Watts, R., & Pockett, B. (2021, February 16). Implementation of a peer-mentoring project in a master’s in early childhood education program: Mentor and mentee perspectives. Paper presentation at the Association of Teacher Educators Annual Meeting. Virtual.
• Pattnaik, J., Laney, C., Silva, N., Smith, A., Suarez, L. (2021, February 16). The voices of early childhood teachers during the pandemic: Challenges faced, efforts made, and lessons learned. Paper presentation at the Association of Teacher Educators Annual Meeting. Virtual.
   

• Child Development Program Director Permit, 91ÁÔÆæCommission on Teacher Credentialing (2026-2031).
• Child Development Site Supervisor Permit, 91ÁÔÆæCommission on Teacher Credentialing (2021-2026).

• Grade Appeals Committee (2026-2028)
• Early Childhood Education Graduate Program Coordinator (2025 - Present)
• PK-3 Course Lead (2025 - Present)

91ÁÔÆæState University, Long Beach Spring 2025 College of Education Faculty Achievement Award, Part-Time Lecturer