About Us!

The Provider-Parent Partnerships Web site was created with the support of a 21st Century Initiative grant from the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service at Purdue University. The name of the original grant was Parent Care through Child Care. The goal was to create a Web-based resource that would reach parents through childcare providers and thereby improve both parenting and childcare. The project is associated with an overall Purdue Extension Plan of Work focused on Strong, Resilient Families.

The project director is Judith A. Myers-Walls, who is an associate professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Child Development and Family Studies (CDFS). Many of the materials have been created by graduate students in the CDFS department. Each article on this Web site is credited to the authors, with a link to information about each author.

Technical assistance for the creation of the Web site was provided by AgIT and by Lisa Stein, secretary in CDFS.


Contributing authors:

• Jessica Dunn, Master’s student, Family Studies, Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University. She also has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Auburn University. Her special interests include adoption, parent education, childhood sexuality, family issues related to culture, as well as stress management.

• James Elicker, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Developmental Studies, Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University. His interests center on attachment, early childhood environments, and childcare selection in different cultures. For more information, see http://www.cfs.purdue.edu/CDFS/pages/fac_staff/elicker.html.

• Giselle Goetze, Master’s student, Developmental Studies, Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University. She also has a BASc in Family and Social Relations from University of Guelph. Her special interests are working with preschoolers, parenting education, and how poverty influences parenting.

• Jandy Jeppson, Master's student, Developmental Studies, Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University; Special Education, teaching certificate at Utah State University. She also has a bachelor’s degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development from Brigham Young University. Her special interests include literacy development.

• Nithyakala Karuppaswamy, Doctoral student, Marriage and Family Therapy, Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University. She also has a counseling psychology post-master’s degree from India, and a master’s degree in human development counseling from the University of Illinois—Springfield. Her special interest is working with multi-cultural issues in family therapy.

• Dreama (Dee) Plybon Love, M.S., Extension Specialist in Human Development, Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University. She has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Wheaton College, and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Concordia University. In her Extension position, she specializes in child care, parenting of young children, and violence prevention. Her special interests include social, emotional, and moral/spiritual development of children. For more information, see http://www.extension.purdue.edu/cfs/directory.htm#HD

• Lynette C. Magaña, Master’s student, Developmental Studies, and Doctoral student, Marriage and Family Therapy, Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University. She has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Ethnic Studies from Mills College in Oakland, California. Her special interests include parent-child relationships; health, fitness and motivation; and, sports and exercise psychology.

• Judith Myers-Walls, Ph.D., CFLE, Project Director, Associate Professor, and Extension Specialist in Human Development, Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University. Her master's and doctoral degrees are in Child Development from Purdue University. Her special interests are in parenting education content and delivery methods, high-risk parenting situations, and the impact of war and peace on families and children. For more information, see http://www.cfs.purdue.edu/CDFS/pages/fac_staff/myers_walls.html.

• Rajeswari Natrajan, Doctoral student, Marriage and Family Therapy, Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University.

• Jodi Putnam-Wall, Master’s student, Family Studies, Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University. She also has bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Child Development from the University of Idaho. Her special interests are working with young children and childcare providers, children's sexuality development, and the importance of early learning environments for children's healthy development.

• Saraswathy Ramamoorthy, Master’s student, Developmental Studies, Department of Child Development and Family Studies, and Special Education, School of Education, Purdue University. Her special interests include working with young children and helping young children with special needs.