Trainers

: Kim Brame
: Estella Dominguez
: Liz Flores
: Stephanie Hopkinson
: Rheta Negrete-Karwin
: Lisa Raffel
: Rebeca Valdivia

Kim Brame
FPI Trainer

As the parent of a young man with autism, and an early childhood special educator since 1986, Kim Brame's experiences encompass a variety of topics and issues related to assisting young children with and without disabilities, their families, and the practitioners who work on their behalf.

Brame has worked as a core consultant, national technical assistance coordinator, and family service provider-collaboration specialist. She has worked with individuals at the community, state, and national levels in providing training and technical assistance to numerous educational, health and human service programs.

Kim Brame holds an MA in special education from California State University, Los Angeles and a BA in English from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Estela Dominguez
FPI Trainer

Having a sister with special needs has taught Estela how to be sensitive to different abilities and led her to pursue a career as an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher. Estela spent many years working in the educational field; she worked in several capacities such as a Title 1 reading assistant at the elementary level assisting the second language students, as a Community Liaison assisting to bridge the relationship between the school and reaching out to those families who speak another language other than English. Estela has extensive experience working in the birth to 3-year-old population serving as a bilingual home visitor working directly with families who have a child with special needs. Currently, Estela works for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District as a Preschool, Special Day Class Teacher. She is involved in several committees within the school district; a Murrieta Teacher Association Special Education representative, a home instructor for children who are unable to attend school on a daily basis, and a trainer for the IEP Implementation team. In addition, Estela is a board member for the Division of Early Childhood, California Subdivision.

Estela received her undergraduate degree from Sonoma State University with a B.A in Physical Education with the emphasis in Adapted Physical Education and her Early Childhood Teaching Credential is from Cal State Fullerton.

Like other trainers, Estela draws on her life experiences to strengthen her trainings. She was raised in a very small town 45 minutes north of the Mexican border in the Imperial Valley; Calipatria, a small farming community where neighbors and friends quickly became family. Being the youngest in a family of fourteen, there were some life long skills Estela learned at a young age that have helped shape who she is today. As a new FPI trainer, Estela wants to share her experiences and the benefits associated with family partnerships as we work with families and children.

Liz Flores
FPI Trainer

Lizbeth Flores has worked in both private and public education systems for over 18 years, including Children's Hospital and Health Center in San Diego, Sonoma State University, private preschools and the San Diego County Office of Education. She brings a varied set of knowledge and experiences with her to the trainer consultant position. She continually uses her bilingual/bicultural assets to serve children and families of diverse cultures and languages. Lizbeth is an active member of various organizations that promote family-focused, child driven, and developmentally appropriate services for families and children, such as the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), California Association for the Education of Young Children, etc. Her passion is advocating for families who are usually under-represented and under-served with the goal of providing inclusive services for all children. In recent years her passion has been working via direct service and as a consultant with children and their families from Spanish-speaking communities in the areas of Early Literacy. Additionally, Lizbeth has specialized in trainings supporting dual language learners in multiple settings.

Lizbeth is originally from Venezuela and lives in San Diego because it is the warmest and sunniest weather her family could find when establishing a home. She is the mother of two young men and the wife of an avid surfer and artist. Together they enjoy traveling both stateside and worldwide. Her other loves are reading, gardening and wine tasting whenever time permits.

Lizbeth has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in Latin American Studies from the San Marcos State University.

Stephanie Hopkinson
FPI Trainer

Stephanie Hopkinson has extensive experience in child development, including working with children, youth and their families as a Child Life Specialist, trainer, and lecturer. As an accomplished Child Life Specialist, Hopkinson has provided leadership to professionals serving children, adolescents and their families with a wide range of diagnoses including cancer, cystic fibrosis, HIV/AIDS, and sickle cell disease.

In addition, Hopkinson is senior adjunct faculty member at Pacific Oaks College and teaches specialized courses on bicultural identity development as well as communication and the life cycle. Hopkinson has delivered numerous presentations on leadership development and reflective supervision, including a keynote address for the Department of Child and Adolescent Development at California State University, Northridge.

Hopkinson holds a BA in child development with a minor in psychology and a Masters in human development with a bicultural specialization.

Rheta Negrete-Karwin
FPI Trainer

Rheta Negrete-Karwin has worked in various capacities in the area of early childhood development since 1985. Negrete-Karwin has worked as an infant-toddler caregiver, preschool teacher, and child care coordinator/director, and has also served as a foster care social worker in Southern California. She has been trained by the California Association for the Education of Young Children's (CAEYC) leadership in diversity project as an equity educator, and has done numerous trainings on implementing an anti-bias approach in the child care setting.

Negrete-Karwin served as one of the coordinators for the successful Advocacy Center at the CAEYC annual conference. Currently, she serves as Coordinator of the Infant-Toddler Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Negrete-Karwin earned a BS in human development with a specialization in developmental education and an MS in human development with double specializations in bicultural development and college teaching/working with adults.

Lisa Raffel
FPI Trainer

Lisa Raffel has worked in education for over 20 years. She is founder and co-director of Early Childhood Job Training Project, a collaborative effort that provides support to English Learners entering and advancing in the early childhood field.

Raffel has taught at every level, from preschool through college, in many locations including in West and East Africa. At the college level Raffel taught Psychology and Peace Studies. She has also worked as a researcher, trainer and program developer, with a focus on issues of diversity and equity. Raffel has also co-authored books on public schooling and teacher research.

Raffel holds an MA in education and a teaching credential from the University of California, Berkeley.

Rebeca Valdivia
Project Director

Rebeca Valdivia has worked for more than 15 years as a bilingual special education teacher and early interventionist, serving the Latino and other underserved or misrepresented communities.

Valdivia brings a strong foundation in early childhood development and education to her work here at WestEd with an emphasis on children with disabilities and other special needs and children growing up in dual-language contexts. She places special emphasis on serving the child within the context of the family and community.

Valdivia received her BA in diversified liberal arts and her MEd in special education from the University of San Diego. She received a PhD in bilingual education from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.