Celebrating the Expansion of Center for Early Learning Solutions

The Center for Early Learning Solutions (CELS) at Forward Arkansas has welcomed two new team members: Danell Hetrick and Mollie Hill. They will oversee CELS’ pilot programs focused on addressing providers’ needs, as well as the Early Childhood Governance and Finance Project (ECGFP), a two-year initiative supported by the New Venture Fund and the Walton Family Foundation.

“With their deep experience in the education field, Danell and Mollie are well-positioned to bring together diverse stakeholders to address the challenges our state’s early learning field faces,” said Jamie Rayford, CELS executive director. “We are excited to benefit from their unique skill sets and strategic thinking as we continue our efforts to build and support an accessible, efficient and sustainable early childhood system.”

Before joining CELS as early learning operations and analysis manager, Hetrick spent more than a decade at a private liberal arts college, serving as vice president for student life and dean of students as well as director of academic support. A graduate of Arkansas State University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees, she holds a certificate of grantsmanship from the Truman School of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Missouri.

Hill will serve as CELS’ early learning initiatives manager. She is a former statewide literacy coach with the Arkansas Department of Education and a literacy specialist for the Batesville School District. For more than a decade, Hill was an elementary school and early childhood classroom teacher. She holds a bachelor’s in early childhood education and a master’s in curriculum and instruction, both from Arkansas State University.