Shelly Campbell, Preschool Promise quality coach in Clackamas Education Service District’s child care resource and referral program, helps teachers implement best practices at Preschool Promise sites in Clackamas County.
Preschool Promise is a publicly funded program that offers free, high-quality preschool for families living at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level at locations across the state.
Shelly uses her 30 years of experience in education to coach providers at eight Clackamas County Preschool Promise sites on topics like ambitious instruction, equity and inclusionary practices, family engagement, trauma-informed practices and how to use data to inform instruction.
Collaborations are “where the magic happens,” according to Shelly. She’s partnered with colleagues in Clackamas ESD’s early intervention and early childhood special education programs to present professional development sessions about special needs in early childhood.
At Sunshine Early Learning Childcare Center, a Preschool Promise site in Milwaukie, Shelly, and Clackamas ESD EI/ECSE staff Amy Paterson Sandie, Molly Huett and Leona French collaborated with the center’s providers to optimize their classroom environments for learning — a key component of The Pyramid Model for Promoting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children.
“In her time with us, Shelly has made the Preschool Promise quality coach position her own,” says Clackamas ESD Assistant Director for Early Learning Programs Brett Walker. “She has proven to be a collaborative colleague and leader in our work in advancing inclusive practices in early childhood settings.”
In addition to coaching childcare providers, Shelly participates on three leadership teams; the Clackamas Inclusion Team, the Pyramid leadership team and two Preschool Promise program site leadership teams; and has co-led a presentation on early childhood inclusion with Meredith Villines from Oregon Department of Education at the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators conference.
“Joy is the word that you pick up on when you meet Shelly,” said Larry Didway, Clackamas ESD superintendent, “and Shelly spreads that joy to all the learning spaces she supports.”
