Negocios Now is proud to present Latinos 40 Under 40’s Class of 2018. We’d like to showcase the 40 between now and March 7th, that’ll be the day of the event to celebrate and recognize these forty individuals, some of Chicago’s finest Latino professionals.
#39 – Jaclyn Vasquez
Child advocate connects communities to resources
Age: 39
Title: Associate Director
Name of Organization: Erikson Institute
Jaclyn is a passionate advocate for solutions that ensure young children and their families thrive.
As a veteran early childhood educator in rural and urban Illinois communities including Streator, Oak Park, and Brighton Park in Chicago, Jaclyn witnessed first hand the critical importance of how a strong start in the early years sets children up for success in school and in life.
Jaclyn is credited with expanding the scope of the highly regarded Child Parent Center model while she was the manager of the program at Chicago Public Schools. Her attention to facilitating connections between community resources and inclusion of families into the fabric of the centers led her to Erikson Institute where she is the current Associate Director of the Early Development Instrument (EDI). Jaclyn works with community stakeholders across Illinois to use data on child well being to identify strengths and needs of communities, promote equitable distribution and alignment of resources, and foster better coordination across child and family-serving systems.
She is committed to supporting Illinois leaders by deepening their knowledge around early childhood policy development using a racial equity lens through serving as a coach for the Early Childhood Leadership Academy of Erikson Institute. Jaclyn also lends her expertise to Christopher House’s Education Council in Chicago. She holds a master’s of science in literacy education and a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education with a concentration in special education and dual endorsements in English as a Second Language (ESL) and bilingual education from Northern Illinois University. She is currently completing her doctoral degree in educational leadership with a specialization in curriculum and instruction.
Words of Wisdom:
