Fellow

Susan Ratliff

Director of Early Learning Programs, Alisal Union School District

As a student who struggled in school with average grades, I attended California State University, Fresno, where I excelled and received a bachelor’s degree in home economics with a focus on early learning.

I decided to earn my multiple subjects credential and work as a long-term substitute. I stayed home to raise a family and returned to education 28 years ago. Since then, I have taught in State subsidized preschool and kindergarten through 5th grade, spending most of my time in kindergarten.  

Seeing how education was not developmentally appropriate for my kindergarten students, I went on to earn my master’s degree in educational leadership and became a Program Manager of a State preschool. Working as an advocate for children and families, it soon became clear that to make a difference in education, I would need to earn an advanced degree. I earned my doctorate in education in 2014, with my research focused on children 3-5 and self-regulation. From there, I worked in the community college system as the Director of Early Childhood Education, where I influenced both the instructor and the college lab school. I left the college to work in Alisal Union School District (AUSD). I was attracted to the district as I learned their commitment to early learning. AUSD is committed to the community by using its Supplemental and Concentration grant funding to ensure all children receive high-quality preschool education. I have been working with AUSD since 2018. I am currently the Director of Early Learning Programs, overseeing all day-to-day operations of the State Preschool program in addition to preschool funded out of Title I and the Supplemental grant. I work with the principals to help them understand what developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) looks like in TK-2nd grade. The Early Learning Programs provide professional development for teachers on literacy and DAP, support grade level teams from TK-2nd, and review curriculum and assessment to align PreK-2nd grade.

The Early Learning Program believes that it is a social justice issue that all children have a high-quality pre-kindergarten experience.