Brandi Carpenter Email
Project Manager
Brandi has been deeply rooted in the education field for more than 10 years. She uses Environmental Rating Scales, CLASSTM and TPOT to conduct assessments and provide feedback aimed at improving children’s learning and experiences in child care settings. She works with providers to help them understand the connection between facility quality and program quality. Brandi serves as the manager for the Child Care Facilities Fund where she conducts site visits, provides application and grant management, and communicates regularly with providers through the point of project completion. She’s served youth and families in Out-of-School-Time programs; assisted teachers, parents, and students at the School District of Philadelphia; and has worked in a young toddler classroom environment.
Rachel Gambino Email
ECE Quality Initiatives Director
Rachel brings expertise as a Head Start family support provider manager responsible for measuring Head Start Performance Standards, and a training and support specialist who provided user support for the ChildWare data management system. She currently manages the Quality Assessment team and conducts Environmental Rating Scale (ERS) and Program Administration Scale (PAS) assessments. She is also certified to conduct CLASS assessments for infants, toddlers, and pre-school age children. Rachel is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector and provides consultation on, and leads initiatives for, ECE design, curriculum, quality, and health and safety issues.
Claire Gibson Email
ChildWare Data and Reports Analyst
Claire earned her B.S. in Human Development and Community Engagement from Temple University and came to PHMC’s Children Development and Family Services Department in 2019. Working under the PHLpreK program, she supported child care providers as an Enrollment Specialist before joining the ChildWare team in 2022. ChildWare supports data management for ECE clients across the state of Pennsylvania, and is the enrollment management system for PHLpreK. In her current role she supports writing requirements for enhancements, delves into the system to troubleshoot issues, and creates ad hoc reports and analyses. She also provides direct support to current and prospective clients of ChildWare. If your center utilizes ChildWare, you would meet her during training sessions and office hours, or on the other end of technical assistance requests sent to our helpdesk.
Jacqueline Hinnant Email
Quality Fund Implementation Manager
MaryKay Mahar Email
Senior Director of Early Learning and Prevention Systems
MaryKay Mahar oversees a portfolio of programs in the Children Development and Family Services department, primarily focused on building capacity of licensed child care providers in three buckets: business practices, shared services, and child health and wellness. MaryKay’s 20-year career in ECE includes experience as an infant/toddler teacher, child care center director, Race to the Top Manager, and local QRIS implementation leader. Her diverse roles offered insight into the challenges teachers and program operators face in providing trauma-informed and nurturing environments for young children. Her professional investment lies in ensuring the early childhood workforce is equipped to provide optimal interactions, particularly for vulnerable children where secure attachment, screening, and developmental supports can mitigate lifelong effects of poverty. MaryKay believes resources to support the early learning sector as small business owners are responsible investments to build sound foundations for quality environments.
Jenine Moore Email
ECE Project Coordinator
Jenine has been working in the Early Childhood Education (ECE) field for over ten years. She began her work with children and families as a Registration Coordinator for Childlink at PHMC and from there she became the PD Assistant for the Southeast Regional Key (SERK). After her time at SERK, she continued working at PHMC working for the Philadelphia Head Start Partnership. Currently, Jenine serves as an ECE Project Coordinator for Fund for Quality where she helps high quality childcare centers expand their program to serve more low-income families in Philadelphia.
Jennifer Sroka Email
Curriculum Fund Project Manager
Jennifer Sroka has supported the field of early childhood education for 20 years. She has held roles as preschool and school age group supervisor, Head Start teacher, Pennsylvania PreK Counts Teacher, and a curriculum implementation support role. In 2013, she came to PHMC to support early childhood programs in Pennsylvania's QRIS in various roles including Keystone STARS Quality Coach, Team Lead, and Quality Supports Manager. She currently manages the Philadelphia Early Learning Instructional Excellence Initiative (PELEI) Curriculum Fund, which provides child care facilities, operating in Philadelphia, with awards to support the purchasing and implementation of high quality, OCDEL approved curriculum. She supports child care programs by conducting assessments with the Environmental Rating Scales (ERS) and Classroom Assessment Scoring System(CLASS), and is a Professional Development Instructor with the Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS).
Melissa Stueck Email
ECE Special Projects Director
Melissa came to PHMC in 2010 and has worked to support early learning providers and connect them to resources to increase the quality and sustainability of their programs to better serve children and families. Melissa currently manages the Fund for Sustaining Quality and oversees the Early Childhood Education Fiscal Hub. Melissa has over 30 years of non-profit management experience in project and budget management, strategic planning, community engagement, fund raising, public relations and communications. Twenty of these years has been dedicated to early childhood which began when she spearheaded the Success By 6 initiative at the United Way of Lancaster County.