Dezire’e serves as the Director of Professional Development for the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC). In this role, she is responsible for creating and implementing a comprehensive range of educational programs and resources tailored to the needs of family child care educators through the PD Academy and conference workshops. She is responsible for organizing and facilitating NAFCC national annual conferences each year.

     “When charged with developing an e-learning platform for family child care educators, I created a blueprint that would merge our NAFCC accreditation five competencies along with early learning developmental milestones.”

With several years of experience in Head Start programs, Dezire’e supports practitioners such as training, coaching, and mentoring. She is an expert in the Quality Rated (QRIS) and NAEYC accreditation, a certified trainer, and a reliable observer of the CLASS Tool. She travels throughout the country to conduct early childhood training and has held a position as an ESOL virtual instructor in schools throughout South Korea. Dezire’e also serves as a College Adjunct Instructor, teaching early childhood courses. Additionally, she has owned and operated a licensed family childcare facility in Georgia.

Dezire’e is a two-time BEAR graduate from Mercer University and holds an Ed.S. in Early Childhood from Walden University. She also possesses a Master of Education in early childhood and a Bachelor of Science in early childhood education from Mercer University. She holds a Georgia Teacher Certification (T5) with two endorsements: preschool special education and ESOL.

As a lifelong educator, coach, mentor, and Bright from the Start Approved trainer, Dezire’e believes that all children can learn when met at their developmental and social-emotional levels. She enjoys witnessing the moment of realization when a child discovers their potential!

Francia Wisnewski, Montague MA Francia Wisnewski is the Director of Membership and Community Engagement at the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC). In this role, she is responsible for managing and overseeing all aspects related to membership engagement and growth. This includes developing and implementing strategies to attract new members, retaining existing ones, and fostering a sense of community and collaboration among family child care educators and other stakeholders within the organization. “I am honored to be working alongside the many passionate family child care educators and community allies in Early Childhood Education. I am thankful for the opportunity to be working with NAFCC, an organization that for decades has been committed to elevating family child care systems, keeping them the core of their work. I look forward to many years of strong collaborations and the many opportunities to keep driving this mission.” Francia has over 25 years of dedicated experience in the nonprofit, education, and community organizing sectors. Raised in Cali, Colombia, her professional journey began as a science teacher in South America. In addition, her passion for philanthropy, with an equity lens at the focus, has resulted in securing at millions in funding for for new programs and innovative educational workforce structures in the family childcare sector, across multiple states. Her focus on elevating community leadership and amplifying economic development opportunities has made her a recognized authority in this space. Francia holds a bachelor's degree in Science Teacher Education/ Licentiate in Biology and Chemistry from Universidad Del Valle in Cali, Colombia. She also holds a Masters of Education in Child Study and Early Childhood from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Francia’s commitment to this work is evident. Her dedication to creating a lasting impact drives her mission to support education, advocacy, and community engagement to contribute to the successful future pipeline of childcare educators.