Between Power and the People: Jerlean Daniel and Rahshita Lowe-Watson
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Doing what’s best for children in early childhood education means teachers and program directors are sometimes helping families connect with and navigate community services providing basic needs like food, shelter, and healthcare. NAEYC’s Alissa Mwenelupembe talks with former NAEYC Governing Board President and Executive Director Jerlean Daniel and DC Public School kindergarten teacher Rahshita Lowe-Watson.
Host
Alissa Mwenelupembe
NAEYC Chief Early Learning Quality and Research Officer
Alissa Mwenelupembe has worked in early childhood education for the past 20 years. She has a long history with NAEYC and now serves on its Executive Team.
Guests
Jerlean Daniel, Ph.D.
Former NAEYC Governing Board President and Executive Director
Jerlean Daniel previously served as President of the Board and Executive Director of NAEYC and currently is Co-Chair of NAEYC’s Black Caucus. She also served on the Advisory Council for PNC’s Grow Up Great initiative as well as serving as the Chair of the Board of Fred Rogers Productions. Prior to NAEYC, she served in various roles at the University of Pittsburgh in the School of Education and the School of Social Work. For four years, she was On-Air Faculty for “Heads Up! Reading,” a project sponsored by the National Head Start Association and the Council for Professional Recognition. Previously, she served as a member of the U.S. Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations; the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Advisory Committees on Re-Designation of Head Start Grantees and Head Start Research and Evaluation. She also served as a member of an Advisory Committee on Early Head Start; the NAESP Foundation Task Force on Early Learning; New Standards Project on Speaking and Listening for Preschool Through Third Grade; and the Allegheny County Early Childhood Initiative. She was a childcare center director for 18 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a master’s in Child Development, and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Pittsburgh.
Rahshita Lowe-Watson
Early Childhood Educator
District of Columbia Public Schools
Rahshita Lowe-Watson is a kindergarten teacher at John Francis Education Campus with the District of Columbia Public Schools. Over the course of her nearly 20-year career in education, she has taught pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade. In 2021, she was selected to join NAEYC’s inaugural President’s Emerging Leaders Circle. She previously served as Vice President of Membership for the DC Association for the Education of Young Children (DCAEYC) and currently serves as President of the Black Child Development Institute-DC (BCDI-DC), where she leads efforts to uplift Black children, families, and communities through advocacy, education, and collective action. She was a finalist for the 2025 District of Columbia Teacher of the Year. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education with a specialization in Psychology, as well as a master’s in Early Childhood Education with a specialization in Bilingual/ESL from Erikson Institute.