Stacy Ellis, Ph.D.
Director
Baby Gator Child Development and Research Center
Biography
Dr. Ellis serves on the leadership team for the Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies. She joined the Baby Gator Child Development and Research Center in 2009. With her staff, she supports research, training, course completion, and practicum experiences for faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students from a wide range of disciplines.
She was named director of Baby Gator Child Development and Research Center at the University of Florida in 2016. She has served the center for eight years, including as an associate director since 2012. During that time, she worked with teachers to develop the “Baby Gator Curriculum” which is derived from Creative, Montessori and Reggio Emilia curriculums and developmentally appropriate practices.
Baby Gator Child Development and Research Center has expanded to three locations serving more than 300 children from infancy to entry into kindergarten. Baby Gator is a highly diverse, fully inclusive, center that provides program-wide screening and employs teaching practices that promote social-emotional competence and address challenging behavior in young children through a developmentally appropriate play-based curriculum.
Education
- Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, specialization in Early Childhood Education,
University of Florida - M.S. in Family, Youth, & Community Sciences, specialization in Child and Youth Development,
University of Florida - B.S. in Human Resource Development,
University of Florida
Certifications
- DCF 40-hour child care training
- Infant & Child CPR and First Aid
- Director’s Credential – in renewal process, 2016