I am Tara Brand, a Colorado native, and winter is my favorite season.

In high school I was fortunate to volunteer in an inclusive preschool classroom, and I knew that was what I wanted for my career. In the weeks that I worked in that classroom I was in awe of the teachers, enjoyed the challenge of differentiated planning and was impressed by the life experiences the kids got from learning to work together and support all of their classmates.

I graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies, with a focus on Early Childhood Education. From there, I started my teaching career. I taught a general education preschool classroom for four years, while working on my Master’s degree. I then graduated from the University of Denver with my Master’s in Early Childhood Special Education.

My special education career was in preschool, while also supporting Kindergarten transitions. For seven years I taught as an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) teacher, and spent one year as an ECSE coach. During this time, I became a certified coach for the Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment model, trained in the Nuerosequential Model for Education, used Teaching Strategies Gold as both a general education teacher and in special education, and used various assessments and screening tools.

I loved the experiences with both families and students throughout my career. Early childhood is a crucial time for learning and development. I want to support families during these years learn the nuances of special education. My goal is to bridge school and home successes, help families feel confident in their special education knowledge, and create lasting partnerships so that every child gets what they need.