April Cortez

April Cortez is currently a Professional Development Coach II and Trainer for the Child Care Resource Center in California and is also currently a certified trainer and faculty for Zero to Three’s The Growing Brain: From Birth to Five Years Old curriculum. Having been a Head Start child herself, April Cortez continues to strive for quality care and education services within the field of Early Care and Education. April has 30+ years of experience within the education and child development field where she has held the positions of teacher aide, teacher, education specialist and education manager for the Head Start programs in the counties of San Bernardino and Orange, California and Dona Ana County, New Mexico. In addition, she was a Training and Development Consultant for the Focus QRIS pilot for the state of New Mexico. In 1998, she received her B.A in psychology from California State University, San Bernardino and in 2000 earned her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Cross-cultural Language and Academic Development from the University of Redlands. April completed graduate work from CSUSB in Psychology: Child Development and also holds graduate and undergraduate minors in American Indian Studies from New Mexico State University and has served as adjunct faculty for North Orange County Community College District, Central New Mexico Community College, Santa Fe Community College, New Mexico State University, California State University, San Bernardino, and College of the Desert Community College.