Valerie Gonzales

Valerie Gonzales

Valerie has over 20 years of experience in the field of education and family advocacy. She is currently the Director of School Early Childcare and Education for the Office of Children’s Affairs for the City of Denver. In this position, Valerie supports childcare and the Road to Reading initiative, a city-wide multi-year literacy campaign.

The Road to Reading community partnership is guided by the Birth to Eight Roadmap and designed to support families, caregivers, and educators on a child’s development from pre-natal to 8 to ensure children enter school ready to learn. Valerie previously worked directly with Immigrant children, families, and Family, Friend, and Neighbor childcare providers (FFN) as the Director of and co-creator of the updated curriculum and for Providers Advancing School Outcomes (PASO) for the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition.

Valerie is the Board President for Roots Family Center, a community non-profit that provides home visiting services to immigrant children, families, and FFN providers in Southwest Denver. She is also on the Board of Directors for Colorado Circles for Change a community non-profit that uses restorative justice to reduce juvenile violence and incarceration and assists youth in reaching their full potential.

Valerie graduated Sigma Delta Phi with a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Colorado at Denver. She is a Buell Early Childhood Leadership Fellow and received a graduate certificate with honors from the University of Colorado at Denver.