About the Authors

Lisa Porter Kuh, Ph.D. is an educational consultant, teacher educator, coach, and author. She was the Director of Early Education for the city of Somerville, Massachusetts and worked with public, center-based, and Head Start preschool programs to create access to high quality early education opportunities. She has over thirty years of experience with young children as a classroom teacher, teacher educator, university professor and researcher, and professional developer. She is committed to supporting teachers, children, and families in providing quality places to learn, play, and grow. She has published and presented on the impact of outdoor playspaces and classroom environments for young children, teacher professional development, the Reggio Emilia approach and documentation, Montessori education, anti-bias education, as well as literacy and math content.

Iris Chin Ponte, Ph.D. is director and classroom teacher at the Henry Frost Children’s Program in Belmont, MA. She is an adjunct faculty member in the Graduate School of Education at Lesley University. Recognized as an Exchange Emerging Leader in 2015, Iris is a former Fulbright Scholar, with expertise in cross-cultural issues in education in the United States, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, China, Japan, and Newfoundland. She worked for Sesame Street Research at the Children’s Television Workshop in New York and has published in the areas of children and technology, behavior management, children’s play, outdoor environmental design, early education program leadership and birth parent reunions and heritage trips for adoptees in China. Dr. Ponte has received professional recognition from the Children’s Defense Fund, CBS, and the American Educational Research Association and was awarded the Thomas J. Watson IBM Fellowship.