Webinar Series for Higher Education: Preparing Teachers to Effectively Support Multilingual Learners and their Families

Anna Arambula-Gonzalez

Fresno City College

Anna Arambula-Gonzalez has seventeen years of experience in the Early Childhood Education (ECE) field. She received her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in ECE from California State University, Fresno, in 2005.  In 2009, she received her master’s degree in ECE from California State University, Fresno. Anna has co-authored and translated the Dual Language Instructor Guide, training modules, and educator self-rating tool for the California Department of Education’s Dual Language Professional Development Grant. She was an adjunct professor at California State University Channel Islands and San Francisco State University. Anna is currently, an adjunct professor at Fresno City College. Anna has coordinated instructor training and conducted professional development training on dual language learning, dual language family engagement, and Personalized Oral Language Learning (POLL) strategies. In addition, Anna has conducted webinars for Early Edge California on distance learning for educators and families and facilitated the Parent Advisory Group. She also presented at the 2021 and 2022 CAAEYC Annual Conference and Expo and at the 2021 Jornada Pedagógica Internacional para la Educación Multilingüe/International Multilingual Education Conference. Furthermore, Anna developed a coaching guide to support the effective implementation of the POLL strategies in Early Learning settings. In short, Anna has been busy and fully committed to advancing children’s language, literacy, and biliteracy development!

Jennifer Paris is the chair of the Early Childhood Education department at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California. Her passions are online teaching and learning, humanizing education, equity and inclusion, and open educational resources. She has authored or co-authored four OER textbooks and has led her department in the creation of three more textbooks and openly licensed online courses built on the textbooks. She co-leads a collaboration to sustain collaboration in sharing of resources and pedagogy across the country and beyond.

Jennifer Paris

College of the Canyons

Dr. Guadalupe Díaz Lara

California State University, Fullerton

Dr. Guadalupe Díaz Lara is an assistant professor in the Department of Child & Adolescent Studies at California State University, Fullerton. She received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Sciences from Oregon State University with an emphasis on early childhood development. Previously, Dr. Díaz Lara worked as a Research Associate at the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) and as Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Díaz Lara’s research is focused on connecting research, policy, and practice to understand, elevate, and address factors that influence the educational experiences of children and families from diverse backgrounds, especially, Latinx families and Dual Language Learners/English Learners. Additionally, her research explores the systemic barriers families experience accessing social services and community resources to support their children and empower their families. 

Dr. Giselle Navarro-Cruz is an associate professor of Early Childhood Studies in the College of Education and Integrative Studies at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where she teaches courses on multilingualism, infant development, and teacher practicum. Dr. Navarro-Cruz earned her Ph.D. in Education from Claremont Graduate University, her M.A in Child Development from California State University, Los Angeles, and her B.A in Psychology with a minor in Applied Developmental Psychology from UCLA. Dr. Navarro-Cruz’s passion for Early Learning and Care (ELC) began when she was an assistant teacher at the UCLA child care center as well as a research assistant for several UCLA children’s research labs.  Dr. Navarro-Cruz research is driven by her commitment to providing equitable and accessible quality ELC for young children and families. She uses an asset-based framework, funds of knowledge, to guide her research. Her current research and advocacy work focuses on strengthening resources and practices for parenting students in higher education (including access to child care and parent wellbeing) and preparing the ELC workforce to work with multilingual children and families.

Dr. Giselle Navarro-Cruz

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona