Early Childhood Education Leader | Researcher | Policy & Practice Advocate

Cambridge, Wisconsin
608-239-1477 • mandylynnhollis@gmail.com

Professional Profile

Early childhood education leader with nearly three decades of experience spanning classroom practice, program administration, organizational leadership, professional development, family engagement, and community partnerships. Currently serving as Youth & Child Care Center Director for CAP CARE and the Cambridge Youth Center.

My professional work bridges early childhood practice, leadership, research, and policy, with particular interest in how policy decisions affect children, families, educators, and community-based programs. I am especially interested in play-based learning, equitable access to early care and education, workforce sustainability, public school/community partnerships, and translating policy into effective local practice.

Currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education Policy, with research focused on Wisconsin's Get Kids Ready initiative and the evolving relationship between public education and community-based early childhood programs.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE 

  • Early Childhood Leadership & Program Administration
  • Early Care & Education Policy 
  • Policy Implementation & Systems Thinking
  • Play-Based Learning & Developmentally Appropriate Practice 
  • Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards 
  •  Workforce Retention & Professional Development
  •  Family & Community Engagement 
  • Public School & Community ECE Partnerships 
  • Grant Writing & Program Development 
  • Budget Development & Fiscal Oversight 
  • Licensing & Quality Improvement
  • YoungStar Quality Rating                             
  • Staff Leadership, Coaching & Mentoring         
  • Professional Training & Facilitation                               
  • Public Speaking & Conference Presentations   
  • Program Marketing & Community Outreach

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 

Youth & Child Care Center Director

Youth Center & CAP CARE | Cambridge, Wisconsin
June 2023 – Present

  • Lead operations for both an early childhood program and Youth Center, overseeing quality, staffing, enrollment, budgets, licensing, curriculum, and community relationships. 
  • Successfully navigated a significant program restructuring that integrated childcare and middle school youth programming while maintaining continuity of services.   
  •  Lead and support managers and staff through scheduling, professional development, coaching.         
  • Develop and manage program budgets & pursue grant funding; secured nearly $175,000 in grants over five years.     
  • Maintain compliance with Wisconsin licensing requirements and prepare programs and staff for YoungStar evaluation.         
  • Oversee curriculum and promote developmentally appropriate, play-based learning aligned with the WMELS.       
  • Maintain partnerships with the Cambridge School District, families, local businesses, and community organizations.          
  • Oversee program marketing, including website content, social media, promotional materials, and communication.       
  • Expanded & restructured to include 3K programming.                 
  •  Maintained maximum enrollment. Developed strategies to support staff retention, professional growth, communication, and a positive workplace environment.

Director of Child Care Operations

CAP CARE | Cambridge, Wisconsin
June 2017 – June 2023

  • Oversaw daily operations, staffing, scheduling, curriculum, enrollment, licensing, budgeting, staff development, & QI.         
  • Expanded participation in the Day Camp summer program.      
  • Prepared center and staff for YoungStar quality evaluation and maintained a 4-Star YoungStar rating during this period.   
  • Developed & managed program budgets & pursued grants        
  • Maintained relationships with the Cambridge School District, families, businesses, and community organizations.                  
  • Led program marketing through  website, & social media.           
  • Supported educators through coaching, professional development, curriculum development, and implementation.

Co-Teacher

CAP CARE | Cambridge, Wisconsin
October 2010 – June 2017

  • Provided developmentally appropriate care, supervision, curriculum, and learning experiences for children                            
  • Created monthly and weekly curriculum supporting play-based learning and developmentally appropriate practice.       
  • Established supportive relationships with children & families. 
  • Served as a leader and mentor.           
  • Develop  & implement family engagement  programming.

Reading Specialist &                            Substitute Teacher

Kemper Elementary School| DeKalb, Mississippi
2009-2010

Child and Youth Program Assistant

NAS Meridian| Meridian, Mississippi                                                                2009

National Membership Chairman

Navy Wives Clubs of America                                                                             2005-2010

Child and Youth Program Assistant

MWR  | Wahiawa, Hawaii                                                                               2001-2003

Preschool Teacher

Pomaika'i Na Keiki Akua Preschool | Ewa Beach, Hawaii                       2000-2001

Preschool Teacher

Morrow, Georgia                                                                                                    1999-2000

Preschool Teacher

Rockford, Michigan                                                                                                    1996-1999

RESEARH & SCHOLARLY PROJECTS

Get Kids Ready: Policy Implementation in Wisconsin

Researcher | Master's Research Project | 2025 – Present

Qualitative research examining the implementation of Wisconsin's Get Kids Ready initiative and its impact on children, families, early childhood providers, and school districts.

  • Examines how implementation influences provider participation, family access, program sustainability, and perceptions of school readiness programming for four-year-old children.

  • Explores perspectives of families, community-based providers, and school district administrators.

  • Examines unintended consequences of policy implementation, including competition between school districts and community providers and challenges within Wisconsin's mixed-delivery early childhood system.

  • Investigates coordination between public schools, community-based providers, special education services, and other early childhood supports.

  • Uses semi-structured interviews, document and artifact analysis, and qualitative coding to examine stakeholder experiences.

  • Draws on Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, Policy Implementation Theory, and equity-focused frameworks.

  • Focuses on the relationship between policy decisions and the realities experienced by children, families, educators, and programs at the local level.

 

The Rise of Universal Childcare & the Potential for Wisconsin

Policy Research & Presentation Project

Research examining universal childcare as an educational, economic, workforce, and community infrastructure issue.

  • Examines Wisconsin's current early childhood landscape and movement toward increased public investment.

  • Explores the potential for universal childcare while preserving Wisconsin's mixed-delivery system.

  • Compares Wisconsin's policy direction with approaches used in other states and international systems.

  • Examines workforce compensation, recruitment and retention, family choice, affordability, and equitable access.

  • Explores potential unintended consequences of expanding publicly funded preschool, particularly for community-based childcare providers.

  • Develops policy recommendations focused on sustainable funding, workforce investment, family choice, and stronger coordination between public schools and community providers.

 

Early Childhood Workforce Retention

Research & Professional Learning Project

Explores factors influencing recruitment, retention, professional well-being, and long-term sustainability of the early childhood workforce.

Areas of focus include:

  • Compensation and benefits

  • Leadership and administrative support

  • Professional recognition

  • Workload and staffing

  • Opportunities for professional growth

  • Communication and organizational support

  • Emotional well-being

  • Sustainable early childhood systems

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS, WORKSHOPS & PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Lost in Translation: Get Kids Ready in Wisconsin

American Educational Research Association (AERA) | Toronto, Canada | 2027

Research presentation examining Wisconsin's Get Kids Ready policy through the experiences of stakeholders involved in policy implementation and local practice.

Insights on Wisconsin State Legislation

Professional Conference Presentation

RECE Conference - Ōtepoti Dunedin, New Zealand 

This study evaluates Wisconsin’s Get Kids Ready policy, focusing on its impact on child care providers, families, and equitable access to early education.

Rooted to Stay: Building Workplace Culture in Early Childhood Education

Professional Development Workshop

WECA Conference 2026 Madison, Wisconsin

Examines practical approaches to strengthening early childhood workforce retention through compensation, supportive leadership, recognition, professional growth, manageable workloads, communication, flexibility, and staff well-being.

Get Kids Ready- Understanding the Policy & real-world implications

Professional Development Workshop

UW Whitewater EC Conference 2026, Whitewater, Wisconsin

Understand the Get Kids Ready policy, identify and analyze benefits and challenges to the policy, and reflect on real-world implications for Early Childhood Education.

Early Childhood Education: Collaboration Between Public Schools & Community Providers

Panel / Professional Learning Session

Explores partnerships between public schools and community-based childcare programs, including opportunities for collaboration, shared resources, family access, and sustainable mixed-delivery systems.

Play-Based Learning & Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Professional Learning / Early Childhood Training

Professional learning focused on the role of play in children's development, exploration, problem-solving, relationships, communication, and learning.

The Rise of Universal Childcare & the Potential for Wisconsin

Policy Presentation

Presentation examining Wisconsin's childcare system, universal childcare models, workforce sustainability, family access, mixed-delivery systems, and potential policy solutions.

PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP & ADVOCACY

  • Advocate for sustainable, equitable investment in Wisconsin's early childhood education system.                                                                                                                                                                     
  • Participate in professional conversations surrounding Get Kids Ready and Wisconsin early childhood policy implementation                                                                                                                 
  • Promote the preservation and strengthening of Wisconsin's mixed-delivery early childhood system.                                                                                                                                                                          
  • Advocate for policies that recognize childcare as both an educational necessity and essential workforce infrastructure.                                                                                                                   
  • Develop professional learning focused on early childhood workforce retention, leadership, recognition, and professional well-being.                                                                                       
  • Promote collaboration between community-based childcare programs, public schools, families, and community organizations.                                                                                                         
  • Connect research, policy, and day-to-day early childhood practice to identify practical solutions for children, families, and educators.

EDUCATION

  • Master's Degree, Early Childhood            Education Policy                                                   In Progress
  • Bachelor of Arts, Arts & Early Childhood Education                                                          University of Wisconsin–Whitewater          December 2020
  • WI Training Professional & WI Technical Assistance Professional                         University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee            May 2019
  • Associate of Arts, Early Child Development                                                    Grand Rapids Community College                June 1999
  • Advanced EMT                                               Madison Technical College                              June 2013
  • EMT Basic                                                               Madison Technical College                               June 2012

PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS & TRAINING

  • American Heart Association BLS Certified Instructor — 2025       
  • Wisconsin Technical Assistance Professional — 2019                                  
  • Leadership Credential — 2019                   
  • WI Training Professional — 2019              
  •  Registry Level Thirteen — 2019               
  • Dementia Friendly Trainer — 2018       
  • American Red Cross Lifeguard — 2018 
  • Program Development Credential           
  • American Red Cross Babysitting Safety Instructor — 2015                   
  • Nationally Registered EMT — 2011

ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Basic EMT                                              FITCHRONA, Wisconsin                             January 2020 – Present                               Provide emergency medical assessment and care at large public events and support community education in American Heart Association first aid and CPR.

Basic EMT                                                           Jefferson, Wisconsin                                     January 2019 – Present                                 Provide emergency medical assessment, treatment, and safe patient transport between hospitals and care facilities.

Basic EMT                                                     Cambridge, Wisconsin                                 October 2011 – 2019                                   Provided emergency medical response, patient assessment, treatment, and transport in a community setting.

PROFESSIONAL & ACADEMIC INTERESTS

  • Early childhood policy and systems   
  • Get Kids Ready                                           
  • Universal childcare                                   
  • Equitable access to early care and education                                                               
  • Mixed-delivery early childhood systems                                                 
  • Provider participation                                 
  • Family engagement                                     
  •  Public school/community partnerships                                               
  • Play-based learning                           
  • Workforce retention                   
  • Leadership                                     
  • Professional learning                           
  • Policy implementation                 
  •  Translating research into local practice

“Create spaces where people can grow, discover their strengths, and thrive—together.”