The Maryland Early Childhood Leadership Program (MECLP) is a team of policy makers, education experts and national advisers focused on developing and supporting early childhood leaders and practitioners. MECLP places special focus on improving outcomes for underserved and vulnerable children, from birth through age eight. In creating opportunities for diverse leaders in early childhood education, MECLP hopes to position Maryland as the vanguard in developing strong early childhood leaders nationally.

Following focus group input and research in early 2018, the 14-member MECLP Advisory Committee, in partnership with the Sherman Center, has entered the design and implementation phase of a pilot leadership development program. The committee is co-chaired by Dr. Mavis Sanders, Professor of Education, and Director of the Sherman Center for Early Learning in Urban Communities and Dr. Rolf Grafwallner, Program Director, Early Childhood Education, Standards, Assessment and Accountability at the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).

Louise Corwin, former Executive Director of Ready At Five, a self-sustaining program of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education, has been appointed as Visiting Executive-in-Residence in the Sherman Center for Early Learning in Urban Communities.  In this role, Ms. Corwin, with support from Laurel Burggraf Bassett (graduate assistant, LLC doctoral program), spearheads MECLP’s work.

MECLP is preparing to launch its first initiative – a 12-month, hybrid leadership course, Leading for Change in Early Childhood Education.