Below are profiles of some past participants in Play’s the Thing: Facilitating Play for Young Children.

Juliet Gray-Moliere
Manager, Early Childhood Education at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Juliet talks about her childhood in Jamaica as the inspiration for her work with children. As a museum educator, Juliet continues to search for ways to expand program offerings and to advocate for play and playworkers.

Marnie Norris-Fisher
Program Director, Shane’s Inspiration

At Shane’s Inspiration, an organization that creates universally accessible playgrounds and programs, Marnie incorporates her experiences in program design, environmental education and nonprofit work with her passion for play.

Alan Berger
Director, Peace Through Play Nursery School

Alan runs Peace Through Play “on the premise that play is paramount to children’s growth in all areas of development.” Play’s the Thing was great, he says, “for those of us who continuously want to improve what we have to offer children.”

Eileen Gillen
Deputy Chief of Recreation, NYC Parks & Recreation

Eileen’s interest in theories of play and child development has grown into a career with NYC Parks and Recreation, where she creates and implements programs in Brooklyn. She will incorporate her experience from Play’s the Thing into her daily work and the seven recreation centers she oversees. “It surpassed everything I expected,” she says of the program. “I found myself revisiting the passion I had for my work in new ways. To have the opportunity to talk about what I love and care about with people who share that passion is beyond anything I had envisioned.”

Marie Reynolds
Mental Health Division, Andrus Children’s Center

Marie is a candidate for the M.A. in Child Development from Sarah Lawrence College and recently graduated with an M.S.W. from New York University. She hopes to bring her knowledge of play therapy to her native Jamaica, where she believes play can contribute to social development, literacy, and emotional healing following trauma.

Daniela Guerriero
Assistant Teacher, Eastchester Child Development Center

Daniela believes that experiential learning through play is key to a child’s development. “In play,” she writes, “children expand their understanding of themselves and others.” She attended The Play’s the Thing to help her facilitate “learning, growing, and having fun” at the Eastchester Child Development Center.

Erin Baker
Senior Manager, Research and Training for KaBOOM!

Erin has worked as a first grade teacher and in public health and now serves as senior manager of research and training at KaBOOM! a national nonprofit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Erin participated in Play’s the Thing “to learn about the latest research in play and child development” as she develops a curriculum for play associates.

Brenda Stern
Social Worker

As a social worker at an early childhood center, Brenda Stern sees herself as a bridge between children and their parents and teachers. Her role, she believes, is to decipher the language of children and to share this knowledge with parents and teachers in order to increase their understanding and appreciation of their children’s play.