Early Childhood Support

Caitlin Gleason serves as Associate Secretary, Early Childhood Support in the Delaware Department of Education. New to the position, Caitlin is in the discovery phase of her role, drawing from the Delaware Early Childhood Council’s Strategic Plan and multiple needs assessments to design a cohesive roadmap for the early childhood mixed delivery system. Caitlin is committed to Delaware’s shared vision for our youngest learners, their families, and the professionals who care for and educate them.Caitlin entered the early childhood workforce as a pre-K educator in New Jersey and taught K-1st grade and art in Delaware. Inspired by play-based learning, she developed educator trainings and curricula for museums and non-profit organizations. She became Teach For America-Delaware’s early childhood instructional coach, where she created and led professional development for cohorts of toddler through 2nd grade teachers in child care centers, school districts and charter schools. While coaching, she enjoyed working with children and families as a teaching artist for The Delaware Contemporary and as a Center City Wilmington Readiness Team member.

In 2016, she joined the Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning as an Education Associate, Early Learning Systems and Partnerships. Caitlin explored all aspects of program design and fiscal management by leading the Early Childhood Assistance Program (ECAP) and bridge to kindergarten initiatives such as the Delaware Early Learner Survey. Through shaping the early childhood professional development registry and the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five needs assessment, she focused on aligning systems to meet the needs of the whole child.

Prior to her current role, Caitlin learned from state agency partnership projects as a consultant with Social Contract, LLC and as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Delaware.

Caitlin received her B.A. in Government from Smith College and M.Ed. in Elementary Education from Wilmington University. She earned the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership Aim4Excellence Director’s Credential. She plans to never stop learning from experience.